The Sports Lowdown For All Your News and OpinionsThe Championship is regularly one of the most competitive league in the world, meaning in order to do well you need to have a good defense. The defenders need to be constantly vigilant and strong. In this list, The Sports Lowdown will include the five very best defenders that the Championship 2015/16 has to offer, whether they are a centre back, right back or left back and they will be determined on the amount of clean sheets, tackles, work rate and the amount of goals that have gone past them.
5-Curtis Davies-Hull City-CB
Hull currently have the second best defence in the league and Curtis Davies is one of the reasons why they sit where they are. He has a good work rate running up and down the field and he has even scored one goal this season.
He is a big strong central defender and he has made 37 successful tackles and 77 interceptions this season. He has played the majority of games for Hull this season as he is a crucial player in their defence and helps make it water tight. With only 18 goals put past Hull this season it isn’t hard to see why Davies has made this list.
4-Jason Shackell-Derby County-CB
It is easy to see why Derby spent £3 million on Shackell last summer. He has had a brilliant season and he has managed to score two goals this season and has a good attacking work rate as well as a good defensive one too. He is a good team player who puts it all on the football pitch.
He has made an impact in the Derby defence with 41 blocks and 40 interceptions this season. He has played all of Derby’s league games and is a very disciplined defender with only two yellow cards and no red cards. Though the Derby defence has come under some strain in recent matches, they have only allowed 25 goals in all season. With a player like Shackell in their defense it is easy to why this is.
3-George Friend-Middlesbrough-LB
Friend came to Middlesbrough in 2012 on a £100,000 transfer from Doncaster Rovers. He is undoubtedly the leagues best full back this season and he is a part of the league best defense this season. He is regularly helping Boro’s left winger and usually crosses it in as much as the winger does.
He does everything on the left hand side in a match and is Boro’s top left back. When he got injured in the last match against Nottingham Forest, it was evident that replacement Amorebieta was no where near as good. Friend has won 51 tackles this season and has made one assist this season, in addition to his one goal against Derby. He is clearly missed when he is not playing and he could play a key role in Boro’s promotion push this season. He is a key part in the best defence in the league and also helps up front.
2-Christophe Berra-Ipswich Town-CB
Though Ipwich’s defence hasn’t been the strongest and has let 35 goals past, Berra has been an outstanding player in their back four. The Scottish international is an experienced player and even played in the Premier League for Wolves before moving to Ipswich Town in 2013.
He is a big strong centre back who has got good stats this season. He has made 35 successful tackles as well as 93 interceptions and 23 blocks in the heart of Ipswich’s defense. He is a very defensively minded player who puts 100% into every match he plays and he has made a good impression on Mick McCarthy as he has played every match for Ipswich Town they have played this season.
1-Daniel Ayala-Middlesbrough-CB
Ayala came to Boro from Norwich on a £350,000 transfer fee in 2013. This season, he has only let 14 goals past him this season with only three at the Riverside. Him and Ben Gibson are the best central defensive pairing this league has and it was like that last year too. He is good in not only defence but also in attack and in the air. Ayala is one the hardest working players in the Championship this season.
He has managed 92 interceptions and 37 successful tackles this season as well as featuring in every league match this season for Boro. He has also managed to score three goals this season, most of which were in the air. He stands strong in the centre of Boro’s defence and he is hard to get around. Most of the goals conceded have come from long shots. Ayala will run up the field with the ball but he is quick to get back if the attack should go wrong. He deserves to be top of the list as he gives 100% to Boro and is consistently strong at the back. He rarely has an off day and when it happens he still does well.
All stats were found on Squwaka.com.
