FC 24 PREMIER LEAGUE DEFENDERS

The Best Centre Backs

The presence of skilled central defenders in front of a goalkeeper greatly facilitates their task. These defenders play a crucial role in preventing the opposing team from approaching your team’s goal in a dangerous manner.

Two attributes are particularly significant for central defenders: defending and physicality. A player with strong defending abilities has a higher likelihood of successfully dispossessing opponents and preventing them from reaching the penalty area. The physical attribute measures the players’ ability to use their bodies effectively in winning possession.

Rating

Defending

Physical

Pace

Rating

Virgil van Dijk	89
Rúben Dias	89
Raphaël Varane	85
John Stones	85
Lisandro Martínez	84
Gabriel	84
Thiago Silva	84
William Saliba	83
Pau Torres	83
Luke Shaw	83
Sven Botman	83
Joško Gvardiol	82
Manuel Akanji	82
Cristian Romero	82
Fabian Schär	82
Ibrahima Konaté	81
Edson Álvarez	81
Nathan Aké	81
Diego Carlos	81
Lewis Dunk	81

Defending

Virgil van Dijk 89	89
Rúben Dias 89	89
Thiago Silva 84	87
Raphaël Varane 85	86
Lisandro Martínez 84	85
Gabriel 84	85
John Stones 85	85
William Saliba 83	84
Pau Torres 83	84
Cristian Romero 82	84
Sven Botman 83	84
Fabian Schär 82	84
Manuel Akanji 82	83
Joško Gvardiol 82	82
Ibrahima Konaté 81	82
Edson Álvarez 81	82
Nathan Aké 81	82
Benjamin White 80	82
Ben Mee 79	82
Lewis Dunk 81	82

Physical

Rúben Dias 89	87
Edson Álvarez 81	87
Virgil van Dijk 89	86
Igor 76	85
Dan Burn 79	85
Sven Botman 83	84
Axel Disasi 79	84
Joško Gvardiol 82	83
Lisandro Martínez 84	83
Tyrone Mings 79	83
Kurt Zouma 79	83
William Saliba 83	82
Ibrahima Konaté 81	82
K Mavropanos 78	82
Gabriel 84	82
Ethan Pinnock 79	82
Harry Maguire 79	82
Pau Torres 83	81
Kristoffer Ajer 75	81
Cheikhou Kouyaté 75	81

Pace

Micky van de Ven 78	85
William Saliba 83	82
Joe Gomez 79	82
Ben Godfrey 75	82
Raphaël Varane 85	79
K Mavropanos 78	79
Virgil van Dijk 89	78
Joško Gvardiol 82	78
Jurriën Timber 79	78
Anel Ahmedhodžić 75	78
Ibrahima Konaté 81	77
Manuel Akanji 82	77
Ezri Konsa 79	77
Luke Shaw 83	76
Nathan Aké 81	75
Moussa Niakhaté 77	75
Cucurella 79	75
Jordan Beyer 75	74
Lisandro Martínez 84	73
Wesley Fofana 79	73

The Best FC 24 Premier League Centre-Backs

Global Overview (CB)

Virgil van Dijk is still the best centre back playing in the Premier League. He has the best defense and the third physical stats, the two most important for someone who plays as a centre-back.

For the second center-back position, the choice is between Saliba and Varane. We prefer the strength and speed of the Arsenal player, but it’s perfectly acceptable to opt for his compatriot instead.

Gvardiol isn’t as good, but for those looking to save some coins, he’s definitely a player to consider. If you’re playing in a five-defender system, Rúben Dias is someone you should try in the central position. His lack of speed is compensated by everything else.

Top 10 CBs

1	Virgil van Dijk
2	William Saliba
3	Raphaël Varane
4	Joško Gvardiol
5	Rúben Dias
6	Micky van de Ven
7	Ibrahima Konaté
8	Lisandro Martínez
9	Joe Gomez
10	John Stones

The Best Right Backs

The role of Premier League right backs is similar to their counterparts on the opposite flank. Their primary objective is to make it challenging for opposing wingers and actively contribute to their team’s offensive strategies.

Defending and pace are crucial attributes for any right back in the Premier League. As defenders, they need to possess strong defensive abilities to minimize the risk of conceding goals.

Given the nature of play on the flanks, which tends to be faster than the central areas of the field, right backs need to be quick, capable of both defensive and attacking movements, and able to penetrate the opposition’s defenses. They play a vital role in supporting the team’s overall gameplay.

Rating

Defending

Pace

Rating

Trent Alexander-Arnold	86
João Cancelo	86
Kieran Trippier	85
John Stones	85
Kyle Walker	84
Reece James	84
Pedro Porro	81
Aaron Wan-Bissaka	80
Diogo Dalot	80
Benjamin White	80
Jurriën Timber	79
Gonzalo Montiel	79
Joe Gomez	79
Matty Cash	79
K Mavropanos	78
Joël Veltman	78
Takehiro Tomiyasu	78
Emerson Royal	78
Pascal Groß	78
Vladimír Coufal	78

Defending

John Stones 85	85
Kieran Trippier 85	82
Reece James 84	82
Benjamin White 80	82
Trent Alexander-Arnold 86	80
João Cancelo 86	80
Jurriën Timber 79	80
Joël Veltman 78	80
Takehiro Tomiyasu 78	80
Kyle Walker 84	79
Joe Gomez 79	79
K Mavropanos 78	78
Trevoh Chalobah 77	78
Aaron Wan-Bissaka 80	77
Vladimír Coufal 78	77
Nathan Collins 76	77
Gonzalo Montiel 79	76
Serge Aurier 78	76
James Milner 77	76
Ashley Young 76	76

Pace

Kyle Walker 84	90
Malo Gusto 76	88
Tariq Lamptey 75	85
Kevin Mbabu 76	84
Aaron Wan-Bissaka 80	83
Nélson Semedo 78	83
Pedro Porro 81	82
Joe Gomez 79	82
Gonzalo Montiel 79	82
Ben Godfrey 75	82
João Cancelo 86	81
Diogo Dalot 80	81
Reece James 84	80
Matty Cash 79	80
K Mavropanos 78	79
Jurriën Timber 79	78
Connor Roberts 75	78
Trent Alexander-Arnold 86	76
Kenny Tete 76	75
Aaron Hickey 76	75

The Best FC 24 Premier League Right-Backs

Global Overview (RB, RWB)

There are three good right-backs in the Premier League: Kyle Walker, who is very fast and robust; Reece James, the most balanced of them all; and Cancelo, who will be very hard to find as he has transferred to another league.

In addition to these three, there are many other alternatives, but they fall short in terms of quality. Montiel, Bissaka, and Gomez are among the standout options

The 10 RBs/RWBs

1	Kyle Walker
2	Reece James
3	João Cancelo
4	Gonzalo Montiel
5	Aaron Wan-Bissaka
6	Joe Gomez
7	Trent Alexander-Arnold
8	Pedro Porro
9	Diogo Dalot
10	Nélson Semedo

The Best Left Backs

The role of Premier League left backs is similar to their counterparts on the opposite flank. They aim to make it challenging for opposing wingers and actively contribute to their team’s offensive strategies.

Defending and pace are crucial attributes for any left back in the Premier League.

As defenders, left backs need to possess strong defensive abilities to minimize the team’s risk of conceding goals. Given the faster pace of play on the flanks compared to the middle of the field, left backs must be fast, capable of both defensive and attacking movements, and contribute to the team’s overall gameplay through their penetrating runs and defensive contributions.

Rating

Defending

Pace

Rating

João Cancelo	86
Andrew Robertson	86
Luke Shaw	83
Joško Gvardiol	82
Nathan Aké	81
Ben Chilwell	81
Álex Moreno	80
Oleksandr Zinchenko	80
Pervis Estupiñán	80
Ivan Perišić	79
Lucas Digne	79
Cucurella	79
Dan Burn	79
Micky van de Ven	78
Tyrell Malacia	78
Rico Henry	78
Reguilón	78
Takehiro Tomiyasu	78
Reguilón	78
Destiny Udogie	77

Defending

Joško Gvardiol 82	82
Nathan Aké 81	82
Andrew Robertson 86	81
Luke Shaw 83	81
João Cancelo 86	80
Dan Burn 79	80
Takehiro Tomiyasu 78	80
Micky van de Ven 78	79
Oleksandr Zinchenko 80	78
Ben Davies 77	78
Ben Chilwell 81	77
Pervis Estupiñán 80	77
Aaron Cresswell 77	77
Álex Moreno 80	76
Lucas Digne 79	76
Ashley Young 76	76
Cucurella 79	75
Reguilón 78	75
Reguilón 78	75
Matt Targett 76	75

Pace

Rico Henry 78	89
Destiny Udogie 77	88
Álex Moreno 80	87
Antonee Robinson 76	87
Nuno Tavares 76	86
Nuno Tavares 76	86
Micky van de Ven 78	85
Tyrell Malacia 78	83
Reguilón 78	82
Reguilón 78	82
Ben Godfrey 75	82
Milos Kerkez 75	82
João Cancelo 86	81
Andrew Robertson 86	80
Konstantinos Tsimikas 77	80
Rayan Aït-Nouri 75	80
Joško Gvardiol 82	78
Ryan Sessegnon 75	78
Pervis Estupiñán 80	77
Luke Shaw 83	76

The Best FC 24 Premier League Left-Backs

Global Overview (LB, LWB)

Cancelo’s card is clearly the best among all LBs. However, even if you could find the Manchester City version, its extremely high price would reflect supply and demand. Our recommendation is to acquire Andrew Robertson for that position.

If you’re on a tighter budget, Luke Shaw is an option to consider. It’s true that the left-back could be faster, but he is solid in defense and good with the final pass.

The 10 LBs/LWBs

1	João Cancelo
2	Andrew Robertson
3	Luke Shaw
4	Joško Gvardiol
5	Álex Moreno
6	Nathan Aké
7	Micky van de Ven
8	Rico Henry
9	Destiny Udogie
10	Tyrell Malacia