Best players in the Premier League: Top 10 centre-backs this season

#5 Antonio Rüdiger (Germany, Chelsea)

Liverpool FC v Chelsea FC - Premier League

The 26-year-old might not be the best tackler in the world, but he makes up for it by his clever positioning. This enables him to attend to the opposition threat without having to tackle. However, Rudiger is not averse to the dirty work if situation demands, and has a tackles success rate of 57%. He has averaged 1 tackle, 0.5 interceptions and 1 foul per game in the league this season, which pretty much tells the story.

But the German can pick a pass with ease and is quite comfortable with the ball at his feet. This makes him highly effective in Sarri’s system. Rudiger has appeared 33 times for Chelsea this season, forming a good understanding with David Luiz in the heart of the defense. He is currently recuperating from a knee surgery, which has seen him miss the last 2 games of the season.

Rudiger’s biggest asset on the field is his passing, he has averaged almost 77 passes per game in the league this season and has 149 accurate long balls to his name. The German defender likes to play the ball out of the back and likes to shoot at goal. He has scored 1 goal in the league this season too.