A survey of 12 of the country’s top journalists was done last week, with the question being who’s the best defender in the Premier League? Maybe unsurprisingly the top four answers were made up of defenders from the top four teams in the Premier League: Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham and Chelsea. But where did Newcastle United’s top defender and captain Fabricio Coloccini come I hear you ask. Well, as the title suggests, he slotted in at number five.
Fabricio Coloccini has been as solid as a rock for Newcastle this season. City’s leader at the back is Vincent Kompany, while Ledley King is a key performer for Spurs, but Coloccini is as integral to the Newcastle back line. He will be a big miss if he doesn’t make it to Carrow Road for the match against Norwich this weekend, just as he will be if Newcastle can’t tie him down to a new contract so that he stays on Tyneside for the long-term.
The survey was carried out by Belgium’s number 1 Football magazine Sport/Voetbalmagazine, so maybe they had a bit of influence and it’s perhaps not a surprise that Kompany was voted in first place. Here’s the list in full…
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Vincent Kompany (Man City) 55 points
Nemanja Vidic (Man United) 38
Ledley King (Tottenham) 19
Ashley Cole (Chelsea) 13
Fabricio Coloccini (Newcastle) 8
Phil Jones (Man United) 8
Micah Richards (Man City) 6
Daniel Agger (Liverpool) 6
Thomas Vermaelen (Arsenal) 5
Leighton Baines (Everton) 4
Laurent Koscielny (Arsenal) 4
José Enrique (Liverpool) 3
Brede Hangeland Fulham) 3
Phil Jagielka (Everton) 2
Steven Taylor (Newcastle) 2
Rio Ferdinand (Man United) 2
John Terry (Chelsea) 1
Glen Johnson (Liverpool) 1
It’s nice to see Steven Taylor getting a bit of recognition, too, and it’s a real shame that Tayls is going to miss the rest of the season as he was forming a partnership to be reckoned with alongside Colo. Let’s hope that James Perch and co. can step up to the plate and keep Newcastle solid at the back until reinforcements can be brought in during January.
Overall, what do you think of the results. Would you rate Coloccini as the fifth best defender in the Premier League?
Not fair to have Ledley King ahead of Colo, he does not play enough games to be established in a list like this I believe.
I believe colo is a better defender then ashley cole and vidic cole is a left back for starts and is nt that great at defending and vidic has been out for mosy of the season never mind the rest of it, can’t say he’s better theb kompany mind he uis awsome
Based on form this season, sure.
Yeahstrange that Saylor is ahead of 4 current England Internationals & didn’t even get a call up to the sqaud… what a shock…