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The popular saying goes "Defense is the best form of attack", and indeed it has always proven so. To quote Sir Alex Ferguson, "Attack wins you games, defence wins you championships". Every successful club and philosophy must build from the back and have a reliable back-line.
In this piece, we attempt to build the best backline on the planet. We set up the side with a back four, two centre-backs and two full-backs and a goalkeeper. This is of course not discounting the fact that any choices made here are slightly biased and require picking one player over another. Statistics are important but it is also reputation and reliability which affect the choice of players.
The back-four and goalkeeper picked here would be starters for any top team regardless of the minor details. They are usually mobile and have multiple dimensions to their game making them more valuable than simply bodies at the back.
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Left Back - Jordi Alba (FC Barcelona)
Alba began his career at Valencia and moved to Barcelona for the 2012-13 season and has been a key player for the Blaugrana ever since. One doesn't last eight seasons as a key part of an all-conquering Barcelona side as a passenger. The other options on current form are the ever dynamic Real Madrid man Marcelo or Liverpool's Andrew Robertson.
Robertson's impact has been felt but he is miles apart in terms of the technical ability and longevity of the other two. Marcelo loses out to the Barcelona man because Alba is simply a more complete player. Marcelo's runs and dynamism is important but Alba's end-product is far better. For example, Marcelo managed 10 assists in 2016/17 but Alba has averaged over 5 assists in the league per season in the last three years. In comparison, Marcelo averages around 3.
Marcelo though is a better defensive player as per statistics. However, this may have to do with Marcelo's positioning which forces him into dicey situations. Alba gets the nod because of his knack of making great runs when no one expects it and his participation in a more consistent side, despite Real's herocs in the Champions League in recent seasons. Alba is a complete-wing-back with great speed and tenacity and passes the visual test never looking uncomfortable on and off the ball 9 times out of 10. He is a hard worker and is rarely caught out of position.
Centre Back - Aymeric Laporte (Manchester City)
Basque origin Aymeric Laporte's rise has been phenomenal. He was brought through at Athletic Bilbao and played for the senior team and the reserve sides. He was a constant fixture in Bilbao's first team from 2012 to his departure in 2018. There is no controversy in this choice for two reasons. Laporte slots in at the left side of the defence. His reputation for solidity and concentration is brilliant and his positional sense and vision prompted Manchester City to trigger his £57 million release clause.
The Frenchman has played 48 times for the Citizens and is universally acknowledged as their best defender. He has a tackle success rate of 52% across his time at City. He even managed 3 assists last season earmarking him as a defender with great vision and skill. Laporte's recent injury has highlighted how much he influenced Man City's side and that is the biggest compliment anyone can give. Pep Guardiola has been effusive in his praise and his presence in our backline alone would make it formidable to negotiate.
Centre Back - Virgil Van Dijk (Liverpool)
Such has been the impact of Virgil van Dijk that it is now impossible to not mention him in a top defenders piece. The UEFA Champions League Defender of the Year, Van Dijk has elevated the Liverpool backline with his concentration and physical style of play. Van Dijk was also named English Premier League Player of the Year. Van Dijk has taken a longish route to the top.
The centre-back began his career in his home country and played for Groningen before leaving for Celtic. His strong performances saw him linked to many Premier League clubs before eventually signing for Southampton in 2016. He moved to Liverpool in 2018 and has had great success, transforming himself from a good defender to possibly the best in the world.
Technically proficient and quick, Van Dijk starts usually on the left side of defence but Laporte is more natural at left-centre-back meaning Van Dijk appears on the right for our defence. Van Dijk is also a vocal presence at the back making him effective at a mental level as well.
Van Dijk is very mobile often carrying the ball and his towering stature makes him a great threat at set-pieces. The brilliant positional sense of Laporte and Van Dijk and the flexibility of either player allow for a fluid central defence. The players can take turns carrying the ball and cover effectively for the other while forming a wall at the back with their aggressive and focused style.
Right Back- Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich)
This one is a no contest. There some great right backs at the moment, but Joshua Kimmich is head and shoulders above the rest. In 2018/19 Joshua Kimmich was second on the assists charts with 13 assists to his name, second only to Jadon Sancho. This is astonishing because Kimmich rarely started ahead of defensive midfield, playing most of the time at right-back and centre-back. Defensively, he was a part of a defence which kept the most number of clean sheets in the Bundesliga.
Now, considering he plays for Bayern this might mean little but he played many every minute of the Bundesliga campaign. He was brought in to replace another legendary right back in Phillip Lahm and he has done so with aplomb. Kimmich is a full German International the Player of the Euros in 2016. Versatile and quick, Bayern's key man is a man for all seasons. Kimmich is never short on confidence and has been praised for his tactical awareness by Pep Guardiola and Joachin Löwe.
He is also a great tackler and good a pressing his opponents into a mistake through his positioning and speed. He will be unbeatable on the right for our backline!
Goalkeeper- Ederson (Manchester City)
Like the dispute last season, the choice was between Allison Becker and Ederson Moraes. Jan Oblak was the other option. The Atletico Madrid shot-stopper got very close but the all-round style of Ederson and Allison's impact on Liverpool elevated them above him. Last season saw Ederson beat Allison to the PFA Team of the Year and it continues into this side.
Perhaps City's lack of alternative makes Ederson's role seem that much more effective, but Ederson is without doubt undroppable. In the 2018/19 season, Ederson kept 20 clean sheets in the Premier League. The 26-year-old Brazilian international was also impressive in the Champions League keeping 3 clean sheets but making a string of effective saves.
Ederson has often been the difference for his side. For example, away against Everton, he made 7 saves and made important claims despite a shaky defensive performance, allowing City to win 3-1. Since we have no obligations such as fitness, Ederson is the choice to hold the space between the sticks and his style as a sweeper-keeper, which prompted Guardiola to sign him, benefits the mobility of this modern backline.
