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2020 was a unique year for the world, and the Premier League was not any different in this regard, as it had to deal with the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The league stood suspended for three months between March and June before the 2019-20 season finished in July, with Liverpool winning their first Premier League title after amassing 99 points. The Reds finished a whopping 18 points clear of their nearest rivals, winning the league title for the first time in three decades.
Liverpool are also atop the 2020-21 Premier League table and will hold that position on Christmas Day for the third straight year.
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Virgil van Dijk was unanimously the best defender (also the best player) in the Premier League in 2019, but the Liverpool man loses his crown this year, at least according to our rankings for the best defenders in the Premier League.
Given the emergence of attacking full-backs in the Premier League recently, it comes as no surprise that the list is dominated by them, with only three center-backs making it to the top 10.
On that note, we take a look at the 10 best defenders in the Premier League in this calendar year.
#10 Jan Bednarek
The Pole has been one of the shining lights in Southampton's charge at the start of the 2020-21 season. The Saints currently sit in seventh place in the Premier League, just three points off second-placed Leicester City.
Along with Jannik Vestergaard, Jan Bednarek has formed a robust partnership that has helped Ralph Hassenhuttl's side.
After their first two games this season - which they lost and conceded six goals in - Southampton have managed to find a balance between their attack and defense. This has helped them find a consistent run of results.
Bednarek has been an ever-present in the Southampton starting XI this season, allowing Hassenhuttl to bring stability to the Saints this season. Even in the second half of last season, Southampton eventually recovered brilliantly to finish 11th.
That was a creditable finish, given that they had lost 9-0 at home to Leicester City last season. In Bednarek and Vestergaard, the Saints now have a solid base to build on, which should help them avoid such results.
#9 Kyle Walker
Like Bednarek at Southampton, Kyle Walker is one of the consistent starters in Pep Guardiola's Manchester City side. The Cityzens have the joint-best defensive record in the Premier League so far this season, and Walker is a big contributor to that record.
With the way City set up, Walker's importance is monumental. He is the quickest player in a backline that prefers to set up high up the pitch. Walker is often tasked with ensuring that he uses his pace to track the runners in behind.
That recovery pace is the biggest asset for him and has bailed City out on numerous occasions. He would've been higher on this list if not for a series of errors that have seen him concede unnecessary penalties.
The home games this season against Leicester City and Liverpool are cases in point, where Walker has made unnecessary challenges from behind that have seen penalties given against him.
#8 Conor Coady
2020 has been a year of transition for Wolverhampton Wanderers, and one in which their captain's role has been magnified even more.
Right wing-back Matt Doherty left the club to join Tottenham Hotspur, while left wing-back Jonny's injury has ruled him out since the start of this season.
Manager Nuno Espirito Santo has also sometimes switched to a back four this season, which Conor Coady has had to adjust to.
However, Coady makes this list primarily because of what Wolves managed to achieve in the second half of last season in the Premier League, especially before lockdown.
Wolves were outsiders in the race to finish in the Premier League's top four last season. That was down to their ability to keep things tight at the back and hit teams on the counter-attack.
Coady's diagonal balls out of defense are also a huge asset to this Wolves side and how Nuno has got them playing.
#7 Lucas Digne
The French left-back has been one of the players who has benefitted the most from Carlo Ancelotti's arrival at Everton. Lucas Digne finished the calendar year with eight assists and was a vital cog in the Everton wheel under Ancelotti in the Premier League.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin's aerial prowess in the box has been matched by Digne's ability to deliver quality balls into the box.
The Frenchman has also been thrust into a leadership role at Everton and has worn the captain's armband on several occasions.
Digne was one of the key players in Everton's impressive start to the 2020-21 Premier League season, when they won their first four games.
Since then, though, he has picked up an injury that has kept him out of action for the last few weeks. Digne will continue to remain on the sidelines for a couple of more months, at least.
#6 Ben Chilwell
Ben Chilwell's year has been mixed, but there is little doubt that he has been one of the most impressive defenders in the Premier League when he has been available.
He wasn't available towards the end of last season for Leicester City, which derailed their Premier League top-four charge, having been in third place for a bulk of the season.
In the summer, Chilwell swapped Leicester's blue for the blue of Chelsea and has hit the ground running for Frank Lampard's side.
He has taken Marcos Alonso's place in the side and has made himself undroppable. With Lampard seeking attacking returns from his full-backs, Chilwell has not disappointed so far, with a series of outstanding performances. He already has two goals, and three assists in 11 Premier League games this season.
#5 Aaron Wan-Bissaka
Manchester United have been one of the most impressive teams in the Premier League in 2020, and a lot of that has been down to the arrival of Bruno Fernandes.
But they have also managed to find a level of robustness at the back, which has enabled them to build forward momentum. Aaron Wan-Bissaka at right-back has divided opinion because of his ineffectiveness while moving to the forward areas on the pitch. However, his defensive solidity is unmatched in the Premier League.
He delivered some memorable performances in 2020, most notably in the Manchester Derby in March, the last game played with fans at Old Trafford in the Premier League this calendar year.
Wan-Bissaka had a memorable outing against Raheem Sterling in that game, with a series of his signature sliding challenges that completely blunted the winger.
#4 Reece James
The youngster has well and truly displaced Cesar Azpilicueta to become the first-choice right-back at Chelsea this season, and it has been merited as well.
James and Chilwell have become vital cogs at Chelsea under Lampard, with the right-back in particular having had a storming start to the Premier League season.
He also developed an excellent partnership with Hakim Ziyech in no time and formed a lethal attacking weapon on the right side. Ziyech cuts in from the right flank to use the space inside, while he also creates space for James to move on the outside and put in some delightful crosses into the box.
#3 Virgil van Dijk
The Dutchman's swagger and nonchalance drew comparisons to Alan Hansen, and that link to history was complete when Virgil van Dijk became a Premier League-winning Liverpool center-back in 2020.
Along with Joe Gomez, they formed an increasingly robust defense for Liverpool, which was almost impossible to breach, until after they had sewn up the Premier League title last season.
In the 10 games that Liverpool played in the Premier League before the lockdown in March, they kept six clean sheets. That run left them needing just four points once football resumed to win the Premier League crown, which they duly did.
There have been aberrations for van Dijk this year, such as that night at Villa Park when they conceded seven goals. But he still did enough to warrant a spot in the top three.
The Dutchman is currently injured and expected to miss a bulk, if not all, of the remainder of the Premier League season.
However, Liverpool are still flying without him and are top of the Premier League table.
#2 Trent Alexander-Arnold
The Liverpool right-back was the PFA Young Player of the Year for the 2019-20 Premier League season, and it was well-deserved recognition. Trent Alexander-Arnold finished the season with the most assists for Liverpool and was only behind Kevin De Bruyne in the overall assist standings.
Besides, his often-questioned defensive abilities have also been on show this year. Moreover, they have only gone under the radar because of the stellar attacking returns he has managed to provide.
Injuries have slowed down his start to the 2020-21 Premier League season. Still, Alexander-Arnold remains one of the biggest attacking weapons for Jurgen Klopp as he heads into a third title race with this Liverpool squad.
#1 Andrew Robertson
The Scotland captain has been the best defender in the Premier League, but it was a close call between him and his full-back partner Alexander-Arnold.
What tilted the battle in Andy Robertson's favor is the fact that he has managed to be a lot more consistent in the 2020-21 season while also matching Alexander-Arnold through the second half of last season.
Robertson already has five Premier League assists this season, in addition to the 12 that he managed last season.
Since the start of 2020, Robertson has delivered 12 assists from left-back, compared to Alexander-Arnold's seven, which is why he is rated as our best Premier League defender in 2020.
