Unseating Emmanuel Eboue as Arsenal's undisputed right-back, Sagna provides the London club with necessary pace to defend and attack from the right flank -- something the Ivory Coast international struggled with as a fullback.
His crossing ability and vision for making runs give opposing managers headaches as his abilities give the Gunners' a new dimension while in attack. Combined with alarming pace to run up and down the right flank, Sagna has the ability to track back whenever he is caught out of position as his sheer athleticism gives him an edge over opposing wingers in England.
Honorable Mentions:
Out of position defender Wes Brown (Manchester United) has played a key role in Sir Alex Ferguson's quest for completing the Double as the Red Devils get set to key in on both the Premier League and Champions League titles. With Gary Neville out of action for nearly the entire season, the United product has risen to stardom on the right hand side as one of the world's best right-backs. His versatility has proven to be extremely valuable as Brown's ability to play, in both positions, gives United even greater quality in terms of depth.
Center Backs: Rio Ferdinand (Manchester United) and Ricardo Carvalho (Chelsea)
In a league where defensive quality is at an abundance, Rio Ferdinand and Ricardo Carvalho get the nod for their efforts at the heart of their respective defenses. Their performances have been nothing short of fantastic, as their efforts in both the Premier League and the Champions League, have resulted in glory at the finest level.
Aside from Ricardo Carvalho's uncharacteristic blunder against Manchester United in the Premier League, the Portuguese international has once again put forth a season of the utmost quality. Considering the fact that Carvalho was put in several uncomfortable situations throughout the season, having to play with three different defensive partners (Alex, Tal Ben Haim, John Terry) and the managerial changes going on at Chelsea, Carvalho's commanding presence should not go unheralded.
Chelsea's resurgence started and ended with Carvalho's strong play at the back, and with rumors circulating around about a possible exit from Stamford Bridge, Blues' fans can only hope that Carvalho will stay away from the lure of playing for in La Liga, presumably with Barcelona or Real Madrid reportedly interested in his services.
As for Rio Ferdinand, the occassional lapses in concentration and false judgement appear to be gone. It's no question that the potential England skipper has matured immensely since his time at Leeds and he has proven worth of the astounding amount of money that was invested in him by Sir Alex Ferguson a few years back.
With his consistent form and commanding presence as one of the many leaders for the Red Devils, Ferdinand's influential play has earned him praise around the world, as one of, if not the best center back in the world.
Honorable Mentions:
Even while John Terry
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