[Albion] Telegraph Football Writers top defenders

Lindfield by the Pond · Oct 5, 2021

The football writers at the Telegraph have been voting for their best defenders. Just been reading and we have 3 defenders in the two top 5 category listings. Might be of interest to some. Behind a paywall so won't post full link. But copied the pertinent stuff below.

5 best Fullbacks Votes
1) Cancelo 7
2) Trent Alexander-Arnold 6
3) Kyle Walker 4
4) Marc Cucurella 3
5) Matty Cash 3

The two more surprising names on the list are Brighton’s young Spanish full-back Marc Cucurella, who has made a wonderful start to life in England following a summer move from Getafe.

5 best Centrebacks
Player Votes
1) Ruben Dias 8
2) Virgil van Dijk 7
3) Antonio Rüdiger 5
4) Shane Duffy 5
5) Lewis Dunk 3

The fact Brighton have two of their centre-backs in the top five shows just how well they have started the season. Shane Duffy and Lewis Dunk would surely find a place in almost every Premier League team as things stand, pushing Manchester United captain Harry Maguire out of the top five in this poll.

Dunk has been consistently impressive for Brighton since their promotion to the top flight, yet Duffy's renaissance is genuinely surprising. He endured a terrible season on loan at Celtic last season and appeared to have lost his way and was even dropped from a poor Republic of Ireland side too. He looks back to his dominant best now he has returned to the south coast.

Codner's Wallop · Oct 5, 2021

I’ve been saying it for years…and won’t ever shut up:

Outside of the club and its fans, Lewis Dunk is the most underrated Premier League defender from the modern era.

The guy has got it all, enormous heart, speed, passing ability, leadership, goal-scoring, shot blocking and most of all, consistency.

The fact he hasn’t at least 20 England caps by now, is criminal.

bhafc99 · Oct 5, 2021

Codner's Wallop said:
I’ve been saying it for years…and won’t ever shut up:

Outside of the club and its fans, Lewis Dunk is the most underrated Premier League defender from the modern era.

The guy has got it all, enormous heart, speed, passing ability, leadership, goal-scoring, shot blocking and most of all, consistency.

The fact he hasn’t at least 20 England caps by now, is criminal.

Especially when you consider the likes of Tyrone Mings have kept him out.

um bongo molongo · Oct 5, 2021

Codner's Wallop said:
I’ve been saying it for years…and won’t ever shut up:

Outside of the club and its fans, Lewis Dunk is the most underrated Premier League defender from the modern era.

The guy has got it all, enormous heart, speed, passing ability, leadership, goal-scoring, shot blocking and most of all, consistency.

The fact he hasn’t at least 20 England caps by now, is criminal.

100% agree. Better than Coady, Mings, White, Tomori for me. His ball playing ability is underrated. HOWEVER, I do think we miss something without both White and Webster in carrying the ball forward - we lose an attacking dimension. But Dunk plus a ball carrier (eg Stones, White) is a great Combo. He’s also almost uniquely comfortable in a back 4 and back 3

Knocky's Nose · Oct 5, 2021

Dunk is an absolute metronome of reliability. I love and respect him for staying with us, but feel that if he were with a 'Big 6' he'd be a regular England player, such is the lack of interest in our club. Maybe if we keep on as we are it'll be hard to ignore him.

Maybe even if Garethpalace Southcroydongate wasn't the manager he'd have had a better shout.

Solid at the back · Oct 5, 2021

Gareth Southgate should be sacked for not selecting Dunk. He's a fraud of a manager and a yes man. The only reason he's in a job.
He's also one of the main reasons why I won't watch international football. Get that yes man the boot.

Grassman · Oct 5, 2021

Yes, we have Duffy and Dunk in that list, but I thought Dan Burn looked great on Saturday too! Especially going forward.

PILTDOWN MAN · Oct 5, 2021

Solid at the back said:
Gareth Southgate should be sacked for not selecting Dunk. He's a fraud of a manager and a yes man. The only reason he's in a job.
He's also one of the main reasons why I won't watch international football. Get that yes man the boot.

Blinded by his own stupidity. We'll never win anything under Southgate

Barry Izbak · Oct 5, 2021

Very interesting but I can't help question the validity of their thinking if they think Kyle Walker is even near the top five.
He absolutely wouldn't get in our side

Eeyore · Oct 5, 2021

Solid at the back said:
Gareth Southgate should be sacked for not selecting Dunk. He's a fraud of a manager and a yes man. The only reason he's in a job.
He's also one of the main reasons why I won't watch international football. Get that yes man the boot.

Learn something new every day. I thought the reason why he was still in a job is because England have breezed through qualifying groups and reached two semi finals and a final.

Just about every other nation would be happy with that.

Weststander · Oct 5, 2021

Love the football writers for the broadsheets, a class above the biased Gooners and Hammers working for the gutter press.

Green Cross Code Man · Oct 5, 2021

Codner's Wallop said:
I’ve been saying it for years…and won’t ever shut up:

Outside of the club and its fans, Lewis Dunk is the most underrated Premier League defender from the modern era.

The guy has got it all, enormous heart, speed, passing ability, leadership, goal-scoring, shot blocking and most of all, consistency.

The fact he hasn’t at least 20 England caps by now, is criminal.

And this is one reason I won't be supporting England. Club bias? Too right.

Baldseagull · Oct 5, 2021

Lindfield by the Pond said:
The football writers at the Telegraph have been voting for their best defenders. Just been reading and we have 3 defenders in the two top 5 category listings. Might be of interest to some. Behind a paywall so won't post full link. But copied the pertinent stuff below.

5 best Fullbacks Votes
1) Cancelo 7
2) Trent Alexander-Arnold 6
3) Kyle Walker 4
4) Marc Cucurella 3
5) Matty Cash 3

The two more surprising names on the list are Brighton’s young Spanish full-back Marc Cucurella, who has made a wonderful start to life in England following a summer move from Getafe.

5 best Centrebacks
Player Votes
1) Ruben Dias 8
2) Virgil van Dijk 7
3) Antonio Rüdiger 5
4) Shane Duffy 5
5) Lewis Dunk 3

The fact Brighton have two of their centre-backs in the top five shows just how well they have started the season. Shane Duffy and Lewis Dunk would surely find a place in almost every Premier League team as things stand, pushing Manchester United captain Harry Maguire out of the top five in this poll.

Dunk has been consistently impressive for Brighton since their promotion to the top flight, yet Duffy's renaissance is genuinely surprising. He endured a terrible season on loan at Celtic last season and appeared to have lost his way and was even dropped from a poor Republic of Ireland side too. He looks back to his dominant best now he has returned to the south coast.

It would be a surprise if Webster and Lamptey are not knocking around those lists too when back playing.

Danny Wilson Said · Oct 5, 2021

Solid at the back said:
Gareth Southgate should be sacked for not selecting Dunk. He's a fraud of a manager and a yes man. The only reason he's in a job.
He's also one of the main reasons why I won't watch international football. Get that yes man the boot.

Completely agree. Southgate is the sort of harmless character than the FA bigwigs must love. He's probably very polite to all the dignitaries but tactically he couldn't coach an under-12 team. And he's a fraud He said players would be picked on club form and yet Mings got in ahead of Dunk??

studio150 · Oct 5, 2021

Barry Izbak said:
Very interesting but I can't help question the validity of their thinking if they think Kyle Walker is even near the top five.
He absolutely wouldn't get in our side

A fine example of Walker's quality at 2:48 in the video.

Not Andy Naylor · Oct 5, 2021

Weststander said:
Love the football writers for the broadsheets, a class above the biased Gooners and Hammers working for the gutter press.

In my experience there are good and bad writers (and biased Gooners and Hammers - and Palace) at both broadsheets and tabloids.

Bakero · Oct 5, 2021

Barry Izbak said:
Very interesting but I can't help question the validity of their thinking if they think Kyle Walker is even near the top five.
He absolutely wouldn't get in our side

Or course he would. I love Veltman but Kyle Walker would clearly take his RWB position. I can't quite believe that needs to be typed. When Lamptey is fit, I'd imagine KW would still get the odd game over the course of the season.

Lethargic · Oct 6, 2021

Brighton Lines said:
Learn something new every day. I thought the reason why he was still in a job is because England have breezed through qualifying groups and reached two semi finals and a final.

Just about every other nation would be happy with that.

With a decent coach we would have won the tournament, we got to the final despite Southgate not because of Southgate.

Dunk has proven season after season he is a quality Premier League defender and this has been backed up by numerous reporters, critics and other fans yet he doesn't get a look in, this is another piece of evidence that Lewis Dunk is a central defensive God, and the reports doesn't highlight his additional leadership quality and ability to bring out the best in other defenders around him (just ask Shane). All the time Southgate ignores Dunks ability (not necessarily picking him for every team) then I will refuse to acknowledge him as a valid England coach.

Muzzman · Oct 6, 2021

Solid at the back said:
Gareth Southgate should be sacked for not selecting Dunk. He's a fraud of a manager and a yes man. The only reason he's in a job.
He's also one of the main reasons why I won't watch international football. Get that yes man the boot.

Agreed. All through the Euros I supported those countries featuring our players, only ever becoming interested in England when they reached the final, shouldn't have bothered with that game either in hindsight.

Commander · Oct 6, 2021

Do people genuinely believe that Gareth Southgate doesn't pick Dunk because he played for Palace over 25 years ago? In a period where we only played each other 9 times in 7 years that he was there. After he went on to make more appearances for both Villa and Middlesbrough than he did for Palace. Do people really, genuinely believe that?

Football fans really are utter ****ing imbeciles sometimes. It never fails to astonish me how stupid people can be when it comes to this sport.

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