5 centre-backs to watch out for this World cup

Sir Alex Ferguson famously said, 'Attack wins you games, defense wins you titles.' What could be more important to a player than winning the World Cup for his nation? While attacking football always earns praise from fans and critics of the game, a solid defense often makes the difference between a title and returning home empty-handed.

With positioning, height and strength being key attributes to an individual's play, the fact that every formation fields a minimum of two center backs - sometimes even three - shows how important they are to the team.

A great understanding of the game, great coordination with fellow team-mates and the ability to read the game in order to intercept and initiate counter-attacks are all traits that separate a great defender from a good one.

With the modern day defender required to do much more than just clearing the ball, demand for great defenders has gone up by several tines. With the World-Cup a stage for every player to present himself, a host of scouts shall also be looking at them with keen attention.

The list includes 5 players who have stood out with their performances in the domestic and European Cup competitions and deserve a place in the starting XI of their national teams, and are expected to make a mark in the World Cup.

#5 Andreas Christensen

Christensen has been pivotal for Chelsea this season.

Andreas Christensen joined Chelsea at the age of 15 in 2012 and made his professional debut for them in October 2014. He was loaned to Bundesliga club Borussia Mönchengladbach from 2015 to 2017, returned to Chelsea in 2017 and has cemented his place in the first-team since then.

At the age of just 21 years, he is a regular for his national team since 2015, having made 17 appearances for Denmark.

In his first full season at Chelsea, which saw him make his first appearance coming off the bench following the sending-off of Gary Cahill in Chelsea's 3–2 opening day home defeat against Burnley, the Dane has gone on to play 23 matches and helped his team concede only 14 goals; keeping 8 clean sheets in the process.

He has been rewarded with a new contract that keeps him at the club till 2022 and with David Luiz injured and manager Conte preferring a 3-man-defense, Christensen has flourished in a partnership with Gary Cahill/Antonio Rudiger and Azpilicueta, emerging as a bright spot in a disappointing season for Chelsea.

With great man-marking skills, physical strength and the ability to intercept attacks, Christensen has started developing into a quality centre-back. He has also established himself as a regular starter at right-back for Denmark.

In November, he played a significant part in the equalising goal as his country beat Republic of Ireland 5-1 in Dublin to secure qualification for this World-Cup and is definitely a young prospect to watch out for during this World-Cup.

#4 Harry Maguire

Maguire has won 4 international caps for England.

Harry Maguire signed for Premier League club Leicester City on a five-year contract for an initial £12 million fee in the summer of 2017 and with every passing gameweek, the amount looks to be a bargain.

Whether it is a perfectly-timed challenge, or the sight of him marauding into midfield with an incisive run, Maguire's talents have not gone unnoticed at the King Power Stadium as he is one of just two ever-presents in Claude Puel’s squad, alongside Schmeichel.

Having successfully replaced the veteran Robert Huth at Leicester and commanding a defense that has had a mixed season so far, the 25 year-old looks set to start for the England national team, whose defense boasts the like of Smalling, Jones, Cahill, Joe Gomes and John Stones.

His ability to run with the ball at his feet has also drawn attention. Having often played a considerable role at both ends of the pitch for Leicester this seasonhis reliability at the back is highlighted by the confidence he commands from both Puel and England manager Gareth Southgate, given his recent call-ups to the National team.

Getting a regular spot in the team is going to be a difficult task, if all the above mentioned players are at complete match-fitness. But with the prospect of a possible summer transfer to a bigger club lurking, the centre-back position is his to lose.

#3 Davinson Sánchez

Sanchez has 8 caps for Colombia.

The 21-year-old Colombian joined Spurs in the summer, for £36 million from Ajax and with Toby Alderweireld's absence, he has quickly settled into the defense alongside Jan Vertonghen.

Having played 23 games in the Premier League, Sanchez has helped Tottenham marshal the early breaks well, making interceptions and headers away from his box, and keeping 11 clean sheets for his team.

Davinson has won 20 tackles this season with a success rate of 36%, made 28 interceptions, 110 clearances and five blocks.

While the stats are all there to prove his growth in the Premier League, it's the maturity he has with the ball at his feet that makes him the defender to watch out for. His heroics have won the trust of his manager as he featured in the Champions League eight times for Spurs.

With Spurs finishing the group stage on top, Sanchez justified his selection against the attacking forces of Real Madrid and Dortmund with the commitment, concentration and team-play required by a top player to manage a defense at the biggest stage in Europe.

Sanchez has looked assured at the heart of Spurs’ defense, and at the age of 21, he still has plenty of time to develop. This has led to his recent call-up to Colombia where he will look to practice his trade with another youngster Yerry Mina.

In a team well-known for their attacking prowess, handling a defense against the likes of Poland, Senegal and Japan in the group stages is going to be a test for Sanchez due to the varying approach to the game of all the teams mentioned above.

#2 José Giménez

The 23-year-old Uruguayan has a £57 million release clause in his contract.

José Giménez moved to Atletico Madrid in 2013 for a modest €900,000 from for Danubio F.C. in the Uruguayan Primera División. Fast-forward to 2017, Atletico’s 23-year-old Uruguayan is a crucial clog in the team that has kept 18 clean sheets in 29 games conceding only 14 goals so far in the domestic campaign.

With the experienced Diego Godin and Felipe Luiz at his side and the talented Jan Oblak behind him in goal, Giménez has developed into a fine centre-back, who started initially on the bench for Simeone, but has gained his confidence in a preferred back four and has not missed many games in recent times for the Mattressers.

While a pairing of Godin and Savic results in a defense that sits back to invite more and more pressure as a match moves along, including Giménez changes the dynamics completely. A constantly active defender chasing and harassing forwards, he channels his aggressiveness and combines that with his outstanding athleticism.

This results in Gimenez taking control of the game with a destructive display in the center of the park and initiating attacks from the deep due to his speed and at 6ft-2in, he often wins most of the aerial duels he contests.

From being a talented but error-prone center back in his initial days at Atletico to becoming a core member of a miserly defense, his versatility now offers Simeone more solutions - whether he’s being rotated, starting regularly or filling-in in an emergency capacity.

The 23 year-old center back for Uruguay is already raising eyebrows in Europe and a World-Cup campaign, that sees him partner Diego Godin - his captain for both club and country, is only going to make his talent as an advanced ball-playing defender flourish at the biggest stage.

With clubs like Arsenal, Juventus and Manchester United interested in his services, Russia is going to be a vital chapter in Gimeneze's career, if he wishes to move on.

#1 Kalidou Koulibaly

Koulibaly was born and raised in France by Senegalese parents,and was therefore eligible for both nations.

The Senegalese giant is one of the biggest factors behind Napoli’s assault on the Serie-A title this year.

Having landed in southern Italy back in May 2014 after a £5.1 million move from Racing Genk, the Senegalese defender looked awkward and ungainly, often getting caught out of position and appearing to lack both the tactical discipline and concentration necessary to succeed in Serie A.

However manager Maurizio Sarri had different ideas for the player who struggled greatly under then manager Rafael Benitez and was on the verge of a transfer away from the club. Under Sarri’s diligent guidance, the defender is recording career-best statistics in Italy and all of Europe's top leagues.

With most modern defenders losing more tackles than they win, in an attempt to focus on interceptions and clearances, Koulibaly is a little old-school - launching a tackle as soon as he sees the opportunity to win the ball.

He is a robust man-marker who forwards generally don't get the better of and to top it off, he also boasts fine passing ability to go with it. His biggest improvement has been in terms of positioning as Koulibaly seems to always be in the right place to steal the ball away from an opponent rather than attempting to recover it.

Standing at 6 ft 5 inches all, Koulibaly is a towering presence everywhere in the field and wins a fair amount of his aerial duels.

The 26-year-old has helped his team keep the best defensive record in Serie-A this season and with rumors of a summer exit beginning to grow stronger, Koulibaly will be hot property if he keeps up his current rate of progress as Senegal look to make some major impact in Russia.