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Even in a COVID-19-ravaged year, a bevy of defenders have made their mark in Serie A.
Despite more and more teams in Serie A playing exciting, expansive football in recent times, many fine defenders - experienced and young - have shone for their respective clubs in the league this year.
Ten best defenders in Serie A in 2020
Inter Milan have arguably been the best defensive team this year. The Nerazzurri conceded the fewest goals in Serie A last season and are presently in second place in the league table this campaign.
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The likes of Napoli, AC Milan and Juventus have also been relatively frugal at the back this season. Unsurprisingly, most of the ten best defenders in Serie A this year ply their trades at one of these clubs.
Without further ado, let us have a look at the ten Serie A players who have impressed the most in the defensive third this year.
#10 Alessandro Bastoni (Inter Milan)
Alessandro Bastoni is one of the most promising young centre-backs in Serie A at the moment.
The 21-year-old played 25 Serie A games for Inter Milan last season and has appeared 11 times in the competition in 2020-21.
Bastoni has impressively clocked the most game-time of all Under-21 players in Serie A since the 2018-19 campaign.
Bastoni has impressed in Antonio Conte's three-man defence while seamlessly transitioning to a four-man backline with Italy. The player credits Conte for his rapid growth, saying in this regard:
“I am very satisfied because I think I have grown a lot thanks to him. I am well both mentally and physically; he is giving me great confidence. Last year I never made my debut in the Champions League; this year I have played all three games, this makes me very satisfied with my growth.”
#9 Gianluca Mancini (AS Roma)
Gianluca Mancini is another promising young centre-back in Serie A. The 24-year-old plies his trade at AS Roma.
Mancini, who is not related to his more illustrious namesake Roberto, has become a key player for the Roman club since his arrival from Atalanta last summer.
The Italian has played over 40 Serie A games for his new club and has scored twice for them in the league, with one of his two goals coming this season.
#8 Rafael Toloi (Atalanta)
Rafael Toloi has played nearly 150 Serie A games for Atalanta since his move from Sao Paulo five years ago.
The 30-year-old centre-back produced an impressive seven assists in Serie A last season, helping his team qualify for back-to-back Champions League campaigns.
Toloi, who also holds an Italian passport, credits Atalanta manager Gian Piero Gasperini for his prolonged stay at the club, saying in this regard:
“I am lucky to have met Gian Piero Gasperini; he is always very concentrated. I have been in Bergamo since the coach arrived.
#7 Matthijs de Ligt (Juventus)
Matthijs de Ligt is arguably one of the finest young defenders in the game at the moment.
After leading Ajax on a fairytale run to the Champions League semi-finals last year, the Dutch centre-back was swooped up by serial Serie A winners Juventus.
Expectedly, the 21-year-old could only provide glimpses of his potential during his debut season in Italy and lost his place in the starting XI towards the end of the season.
Under a new manager this season, De Ligt may have played only seven Serie A games due to injury, but the young centre-back is finally beginning to show the qualities that made the Bianconeri splurge big for his services.
Juventus boss Andrea Pirlo has tipped De Ligt as one of the future captains of the club, saying in this regard:
“(Matthijs) de Ligt’s return is important to us. We’re more aggressive with him and he helps a lot when we’re in possession too. He’s only 20, but he already has the qualities of a captain.”
#6 Kalidou Koulibaly (Napoli)
Despite being the subject of interest from a bevy of clubs around the continent this summer, Kalidou Kouilbaly stayed put at Serie A club Napoli.
The 29-year-old Senegalese centre-back has been a rock at the heart of the Napoli defence since his arrival at the club in the summer of 2014.
One of the most sought-after players in world football, Koulibaly has earned high praise from Napoli coach Gennaro Gattuso, who recently said in this regard:
"I hope he remains with us, selfishly speaking, because he gives us so much both in technical terms and as a character."
If the 29-year-old continues his good form, Gattuso may not be able to hold on to one of his most prized assets for too long.
#5 Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus)
Giorgio Chiellini may have played only a handful of Serie A games since the start of last season but the Juventus captain, who has been with the Bianconeri since 2005, is a formidable presence in the heart of defence.
The only player with at least one league appearance in Juventus' nine consecutive Serie A-winning seasons, the 36-year-old Chiellini have lost some of his pace but none of his desire to keep out the best of attackers while defending his team's citadel.
#4 Alessio Romagnoli (AC Milan)
Alessio Romagnoli has impressively led AC Milan from the front this season, with the centre-back's exploits at the heart of the defence helping the Rossoneri to the Serie A summit.
The 25-year-old, who has played over 150 Serie A games for Milan since arriving at the club five years ago, has already scored and assisted a goal in this season's competition.
Despite his penchant to get injured, Romagnoli has worked on his fitness and has become a key player in Milan's surge to the top of the Serie A table this season.
"I hope to play another 200 games with Milan," said Romagnoli in a recent interview.
#3 Milan Skriniar (Inter Milan)
Milan Skriniar, a key player in Antonio Conte's Inter Milan, has been one of the best defenders in Serie A this year.
The 25-year-old centre-back, who played his part in the Nerazzurri conceding the fewest goals in Serie A last season, scored his first goal in the competition in four years.
A hard-tackling, ball-playing no-nonsense defender, Skriniar is one of the first-choice defensive personnel for Antonio Conte, who recently said about the player:
“Skriniar is part of the team, today D’Ambrosio played but we have a lot of games and so he is available, he is in the project. But Milan is part of the project and will play as he has always done."
#2 Francesco Acerbi (Lazio)
Francesco Acerbi has been one of the key players for Lazio since his arrival at the Roman club two summers ago. This is evident in the fact that the centre-back missed only three Serie A games in the last seasons combined.
The 32-year-old, who is renowned for his tackling prowess, particularly impressed in Lazio's unlikely surge to the Serie A title last season before losing steam.
This season too, Acerbi has continued to be an assured presence in the heart of the Lazio defence despite the club languishing in a lowly eighth place in the league table.
#1 Theo Hernandez (AC Milan)
Theo Hernandez, one of the most sought-after left-backs in the game at the moment, has made a blistering start to life with Serie A leaders AC Milan since arriving at the club last summer.
The 23-year-old Frenchman has already racked up an impressive ten goals and eight assists in 46 Serie A games during his relatively short stint in Italian football.
Unsurprisingly, Hernandez's goals and assists have played a big role in the Rossoneri managing to outshine the likes of Juventus and cross-town rivals Inter Milan and remain the only unbeaten team in Serie A this season.
