The scrutiny that comes with being a Premier League defender is often too much to bare.
It's a division laden with attacking superstars who are paid to make those tasked with stopping them look ever so silly. It's only the very best who swim and prosper in the English top flight. So many sink.
The array of tactical ideas currently present means Premier League defenders come in all different shapes and sizes. From physical brutes to dynamic full-backs, elite recovery defenders to inverters, no defender is the same.
Here's how 90min ranks the Premier League's best defenders at the start of the 2024/25 season.
Mazraoui impressed on his United debut / Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/GettyImages
White is a model of consistency / Eddie Keogh/GettyImages
Lewis starred at Stamford Bridge / Shaun Botterill/GettyImages
Gabriel was exceptional last season / Catherine Ivill - AMA/GettyImages
Romero is criminally underrated / Warren Little/GettyImages
Dias is a superb box defender / Catherine Ivill - AMA/GettyImages
Gvardiol thrived down the stretch last season / Catherine Ivill - AMA/GettyImages
Alexander-Arnold started the season strongly / Julian Finney/GettyImages
Better performances lie ahead for Saliba this term / Catherine Ivill - AMA/GettyImages
Van Dijk serenely went through Liverpool's season opener / Marc Atkins/GettyImages
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