Manchester City and Pep Guardiola dropped a massive 65m to sign Aymeric Laporte in the 2017/18 season's winter window to fulfill Pep Guardiola's request for a left-footed central defender. However, later in his career, he switched to playing as a centre-back for both Bayern Munich and when he joined Real Madrid. In the age of the more-flexible defender -- both tactically and physically -- the preference for wanting a left-sided centre-back on the left is commonly found in the build-up phase or constructive side of the game. Your email address will not be published. Not all the time will it cost you but it eventually will at some point. While the left-footed centre back could only muster four appearances throughout the entirety of last season, due to a cruciate ligament injury, the dominant Italian looks set to reprise his role as team captain this year. Arguably the top left-footed (though classed as two-footed by some) centre-back in the game, the Austria international's well-known flexibility -- he was originally a left-back at Bayern Munich before being switched to centre-back and central midfield -- makes him one of the most versatile too. 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Rben Dias. The second player from RB Leipzig to make this list is another Frenchman, Ibrahima Konat. Thats a lot of opportunities to progress the ball but they rarely did, completing just two progressive passes (those that move into the opposition box or take play forward 10 metres more than any of the prior six passes) and two passes into the final third. Team: RB LeipzigBest Position: CBAge: 21Overall/Potential: 78 OVR / 88 POTValue (Release Clause): 26.5M (50.3M)Wage: 29K a weekBest Attributes: 85 Stand Tackle, 83 Strength, 79 Sprint Speed. Team: Bayer 04 LeverkusenBest Position: CBAge: 21Overall/Potential: 78 OVR / 88 POTValue (Release Clause): 26.5M (No Release Clause)Wage: 34K a weekBest Attributes: 82 Aggression, 81 Stand Tackle, 80 Short Pass. FIFA 21 launches October 9th. 2020 Electronic Arts Inc. EA, EA SPORTS, and the EA SPORTS logo are trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. FIFA and FIFA's Official Licensed Product Logo are copyrights and/or trademarks of FIFA. Again according to fbref, this game saw Arsenals two centre-backs combine for 146 passes overall, eight progressive passes and eight into the final third a huge improvement in getting the ball forward from the back. Finally, well highlight a few fun picks of players whore worth trying out and adding to your team. Please enable JavaScript to see comments. The 19-year-old is agile, strong, and good at reading the play, as evidenced by his 77 interceptions, 80 strength, and 75 jumping. He is an excellent ball-playing defender, a great tackler, and an expert at breaking an attacking press with a dribble, acceleration of pace, or a pass. Choose from any player available and discover average rankings and prices. A cheaper option, Bard has middling stats but a lot of potential to improve them with 83 potential. Copyright 2023 Gamer Network Limited, a ReedPop company. In FIFA 21, Van Dijk weighs-in as the best CB in the game, boasting a whole stack of user-friendly attribute ratings, including 89 reactions, 90 composure, 90 interceptions, 77 ball control, 93 marking, 93 standing tackle, 86 sliding tackle, 90 jumping, 92 strength, and an 86 for the Dutchman's long passing. The Senegalese national team captain is one of the most highly rated defenders in the same world right now. James suffers so you don't have to, creating expert guides for the toughest games and reviews for the biggest blockbuster releases. While youll be paying a hefty price, youre getting one of the best. Leading from the back is the centre back's mantra and we've got the best young players at this key position to sign for your Career Mode. No one can stay at the top of the game forever, and it always pays to look to the future. Once the best right-back in the world, starting his transition to a pure centre back about a decade ago, hes now a brick wall up the middle while also being a threat in the opposition box. The comparisons with his Leipzig teammate, Upamecano, are obvious, with both men being physically imposing defenders. Buy these talents for a low price (if they play at a small club) and let them grow quickly. Entitle FIFA 21 on either PlayStation 4 or Xbox One before the release of FIFA 22 and upgrade your game for the equivalent next generation console (PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X) at no additional cost. This allows the. FIFA 21 Career Mode: Best Young Left Backs (LB/LWB) to Sign, FIFA 21 Career Mode: Best Young Strikers and Centre Forwards (ST/CF) to Sign, FIFA 21 Career Mode: Best Young Centre Backs (CB) to Sign. United started with a back three of Luke Shaw, Eric Bailly and Harry Maguire, with the left-footed Shaw completing nine progressive passes. Boasting a high defensive work rate and an 88 overall rating in FIFA 21, Koulibaly is one of the best players at the CB position in the game. and again three minutes later, with Zinchenko acting as a decoy, with the left-back moving centrally to pull his marker inside the pitch, again offering a clear passing lane in behind to Sterling. Mesut Ozil is circled and, although hes being (loosely) marked by Mark Noble, the West Ham captain is the wrong side of his man. Captaincy chaos and Waldrum ultimatums - Will Nigeria be ready for World Cup? Another expensive signing for big budgets, but a fun one. You could also look at his Leipzig teammate, Ibrahima Konate, as another solid option. Newly-signed Mari anchored Arsenals backline alongside David Luiz, the first natural left and right pairing at the back of the season. The towering Italian has started 29 of Inter's 33 Serie A games this year and helped them attain a staggering 11-point lead at the top. Mari balances what I want to do from the backline, Arteta said. The Paris Saint Germain and France defender is currently one of the best left-footed centre-backs in the world. Presnel Kimpembes game by numbers vs. Portugal:98% pass accuracy 50 total touches 3 clearances 2 interceptions 2 aerials won1 clean sheetDealt with Cristiano Ronaldo expertly well. He gives more options, more solutions, he opens up the pitch more.. So I play a right footed on the left side and left footed on the right (due to chemistry). Entitle FIFA 21 on either PlayStation 4 or Xbox One before the release of FIFA 22 and upgrade your game for the equivalent next generation console (PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X) at no additional cost. A commanding and level-headed presence along the backline is essential for a team to find success, and now that EA Sports have revealed their highest-rated players, we can identify the top CBs of FIFA 21. As a centre-back, Alaba takes maximum advantage of the skillset he employs from the more attacking and strategical roles: his precise long diagonal passes from the back often constitute a threat 60 yards up the pitch and his brilliant short passing (63 passes per game on average) and ball progression almost turns him into something akin to a playmaker. Started off as a sports writer with a focus on football, ice hockey, boxing, and American football. - Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, MLS, more (U.S.). With central defenders being expected to start the attacks with the first pass and participating in the possessional aspect, the demand for precision is higher (and it's logically easier to execute with one's stronger foot), while one can also find better angles for a line-breaking ball into crowded, central areas. The Argentine defender is highly regarded and considered one of the best young centre-backs in the game right now, and has the potential to be one of the best defenders in the world. His pass accuracy, and passing speed is outstanding. As yet Inter have managed to hold on to the Italy international, who excels at picking progressive passes and participating in the ball circulation (1.1 key pass average per game this season) when stepping up from the left position in Inter's back three. Not because the other players are not good but because Laporte is the only left-footed central defender.. Hes also quite nimble and technical on the ball for someone of his big size. A natural left-footer would have found it easier to be more progressive. We've compiled the top 10 cheap centre backs with excellent potential ratings in our best cheap CB FIFA 23 guide. All rights reserved. Another club who might want to enter the market for a left-footed centre-back are Tottenham. 2020 Electronic Arts Inc. EA, EA SPORTS, and the EA SPORTS logo are trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. FIFA and FIFA's Official Licensed Product Logo are copyrights and/or trademarks of FIFA. De Ligt has everything that you could want in a defender, as his stats illustrate. Stats are. Buy these talents for a low price (if they play at a small club) and let them grow quickly. Kimpembe is excellent on the ball, boasting the second-highest passing accuracy among any Ligue 1 players this year after Jason Denayer while averaging over 70 passes per game. At the opposite end are the centre-backs from teams defending from a low-block, preferring a direct approach over long spells of possession. Any number of possible situations could play out in theory, causing plenty of chaos and resulting in a dangerous attack, but none of these were able to take place due to the initial pass. Yet just an estimated 20% of players at the top end of the game are naturally left-footed (with an equal number being classed as two-footed), so the underrepresentation of top-quality left-footed centre-backs is also a matter of mathematics, simple economics, and supply and demand too. Thats the most of any United centre-back appearance in a league game last season, level with Maguire against Watford. With the exception of clubs such as Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City, who have nearly endless financial reserves, his release clause will be difficult to meet. First of all, he passes to Oleksandr Zinchenko, who sets Raheem Sterling up for a shot just six seconds after the Frenchmans pass, then Laporte gets Sterling in behind less than 90 seconds later. At 70 overall, the towering defender's best attributes are 73 Standing Tackle, 72 Reactions, 72 Defensive Awareness, 71 jumping and 71 interceptions. He's a rock in defence who is comfortable bringing the ball out from the back and spraying it around the pitch with ease. It remains to be seen if he will continue to play a second-choice role at the Etihad, but Laporte remains one of the most gifted left-footed defenders in Europe. He agrees that football isn't played on spreadsheets, but they have their uses. He will write regularly for ESPN on the business of soccer and the process of scouting. Career Mode gets revamped . Football is a game that triggers a lot of emotions such as joy, frustration, Soccer players reach their peak in their mid-20s and start declining in their, Puma is a sports and casual wear manufacturing company that has been in, It is interesting to find out which teams are the oldest football clubs in the, The number 3 is usually reserved for players who feature in the left fullback. He might sound like an old Pro Evo version of Roberto Carlos but Nantes defender Diego Carlos is really making a name for himself in Ligue 1. While its not the most realistic transfer, in FIFA 21, Niklas Sule is behind Jerome Boateng and the reinvented David Alaba in the pecking order at Bayern - which could see them happier to part with him than you might expect. Potential FIFA 21 overall: 82. The Burkina Faso international made 14 appearances for Peter Boszs side, including 12 as a starter. The Agen-native is back now, though, with a strong new centre back partner in the energetic Nathan Ak. With 80+ in many key stats, Ricardo Pereira has made the step up to become one of the elite level full backs in FIFA 21. With 90 potential as well, hes an easy choice for clubs with enough money to pay his fee.