Virgil Van Dijk, Thiago Silva and the Best Premier League Centre Backs of 2023/2024 Season

Defence and the art of defending in football is one of the most scrutinised positions in football.

While a striker can score one in five chances and still win the game for their side, one lapse in concentration from a defender can change the entire game.

The 2023/2024 Premier League campaign is only 12 games in, but from the foregoing, defending seems to have taken a back seat this season, with only Arsenal and Liverpool averaging less than one goal per game in terms of conceding.

But amidst that sorry statistic, there have been standout defenders of the season so far. We take a look at seven such centrebacks courtesy of numbers from Squawka and Premier League player comparison.

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10. William Saliba - Arsenal - 58%

The decision by Arsenal to loan the defender back to his native France after signing him in 2019 worked wonders. He returned to the Premier League a fully developed centre back and his partial absence last season is attributed to Arsenal's title collapse.

10. Micky van de Ven - Tottenham Hotspur -58%

The Dutch defender came in and walked straight into Ange Postecoglou's backline. His absence will be felt as he nurses the hamstring injury he picked up against Chelsea.

7. Marc Guehi - Crystal Palace - 59%

Outside the proverbial 'top six' clubs, it is hard to find a better defender than Marc Guehi. He has sort of become a regular for Gareth Southgate in the national team setup.

He ironically has more headed clearances than all the players in the division, bar three.

7. Ezri Konsa -Aston Villa - 59%

It is a surprise that Southgate is yet to call up Ezri Konsa, but with his recent performances, you get a feeling that that call is coming in soon.

Tyronne Mings' early season injury allowed Konsa to slot in with summer signing Pau Torres at the heart of Aston Villa's defence. He has more tackles and interceptions than Guehi, with Villa currently sitting comfortably in the top five.

7. Joel Matip - Liverpool - 59%

It might be unfair to have the Cameroonian here, given that Jurgen Klopp heavily rotates who plays alongside Virgil Van Dijk, but for the eight games he has played this season, he has averaged 4.1 clearances every game.

6. Manuel Akanji - Manchester City -63%

A defender's primary role is to prevent goals from going in, but if your defender can get one or two along the way, any manager would appreciate that.

Akanji scored in back-to-back EPL games to add to the 16 tackles he has made in the Premier League this season.

5. Lewis Dunk - Brighton - 64%

Roberto De Zerbi deserves full credit for the work he has done on the South Coast, but so does his captain. The six goals conceded against Aston Villa look good on his CV, but it is his performances that have constantly made Southgate pick him for Three Lions duty.

4. Joachim Andersen - Crystal Palace - 67%

The Dane ranks highly due to his potency in picking out long, successful passes. No Premier League centre-back had more last season and in this campaign, he is on his way to retaining his title.

3. Thiago Silva - Chelsea - 70%

That a 39-year-old can rank this highly, having played all the Premier League games this season, speaks greatly to Silva's longevity.

He recently got off the mark for the season with an adept equaliser against Manchester City, but it is at the back that he has come in handy for a Mauricio Pochettino's side undergoing a massive rebuild.

2. Cristian Romero - Tottenham Hotspur - 78%

Lionel Messi knew what he was saying when he labelled Romero 'the best centre-back' in the world. Romero's greatest undoing is his indiscipline, having picked up a fourth red card of his Spurs career recently.

But when it comes down to business, he has made 42 clearances in the 11 games he has played in this season.

1. Virgil Van Dijk - Liverpool - 79%

Surprise, surprise. The Liverpool skipper is back topping charts after a few seasons of many doubting the quality we saw in their Champions League winnings season.

The only blemish to his record is the red card he picked up at St.James Park, which has seen him play only 10 games. He has more clearances, blocks and aerial duels than Romero in second.

Worst finishers in Europe's top leagues

The race for top honours in different leagues is already in full flow more than 11 game weeks into the new season. Early season contenders have already emerged with a few surprise packages competing with the 'big boys,' like Girona in Spain.

Last season's top scorer and the recipient of the Gerd Muller Award, Erling Haaland, has continued from where he left off. Harry Kane has also settled well into his new surroundings, just like his international compatriot, Jude Bellingham.

But as Sports Brief reported, there are strikers who should probably have better tallies than what they have as the lead in the worst finishers list in European top leagues.