Revealed: The line ups That Could Decide The EPL Title race

 

Almost as important as scoring goals is defending against them and at the root of every successful side tends to be a frugal defence.

Last season, it was Liverpool's defending that arguably cost them the title, despite their attack firing to a remarkable challenge.

Indeed, while Premier League clubs have spend the summer months lavishing sizable sums on strikers, who has boosted their backlines the best? talkSPORT has taken a look at the defences of the top flight’s biggest sides, but who do you think boasts the most formidable options?

LIVERPOOL
Goalkeepers
Simon Mignolet; Brad Jones

Defenders
Glen Johnson; Dejan Lovren; Alberto Moreno; Mamadou Sakho; Jose Enrique; Martin Skrtel; Kolo Toure; John Flanagan; Javier Manquillo

Defensive midfielders
Steven Gerrard; Lucas Leiva; Emre Can

Brendan Rodgers made it his mission to further bolster his defensive ranks as Liverpool conceded a huge 50 goals last season – a statistic which contributed to them narrowly missing out on league glory. The Kop boss added three more first team defenders, including Southampton’s Dejan Lovren and the highly-rated Javier Manquillo. In addition, the club also boast strength in defensive midfield, with Steven Gerrard relishing his deeper role and Lucas Leiva and Emre Can also options. But do the Redmen have the best line-up?

MANCHESTER UNITED
Goalkeepers
David De Gea; Anders Lindegaard; Ben Amos

Defenders
Rafael Da Silva; Luke Shaw; Phil Jones; Marcos Rojo; Jonny Evans; Chris Smalling; Antonio Valencia; Tyler Blackett

Defensive midfielders
Daley Blind; Darren Fletcher

The Red Devils’ defensive fallibilities are there for all to see and despite adding Luke Shaw and Marcos Rojo (as well as Daley Blind who can operate at the back), their loss of stalwarts Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic and Patrice Evra look to have had a bigger effect than the club imagined. With the jury still out on Chris Smalling, Phil Jones and Jonny Evans, can United still claim to have the league’s best backline?

ARSENAL
Goalkeepers
Wojciech Szczesny; David Ospina; Emiliano Martinez

Defenders
Mathieu Debuchy; Laurent Koscielny; Kieran Gibbs; Nacho Monreal; Per Mertesacker; Calum Chambers

Defensive midfielders
Mathieu Flamini

Unlike last summer, Arsenal did a lot of their recruitment early, but fans will have expected to see further additions, especially around the defensive area. Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker remain a formidable partnership while the addition of Calum Chambers is encouraging, but they still lack quality depth. A strong defensive midfielder continues to be an issue with Mathieu Flamini the only recognized option.

MANCHESTER CITY
Goalkeepers
Joe Hart; Willy Caballero; Richard Wright

Defenders
Eliaquim Mangala; Gael Clichy; Bacary Sagna; Martin Demichelis; Aleksandar Kolarov; Vincent Kompany; Matija Nastasic; Pablo Zabaleta

Defensive midfielders
Fernando; Fernandinho

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Manchester City spend a sizable amount on players once again this summer, but given the efforts of the teams around them, their recruitment went largely unnoticed. Boss Manuel Pellegrini aimed to get two world class players for every position and he largely attained that, adding Eliaquim Mangala, Bacary Sagna, Willy Caballero and Fernando to his ranks. But as a recent defeat to Stoke proved, this side is not impenetrable.

CHELSEA
Goalkeepers
Thibaut Courtois; Petr Cech; Mark Schwarzer

Defenders
Branislav Ivanovic; John Terry; Gary Cahill; Filipe Luis; Cesar Azpilicueta; Kurt Zouma

Defensive midfielders
Nemanja Matic; John Obi Mikel; Ramires

Much like City, Chelsea’s recruitment went largely unnoticed – save for the signings of Cesc Fabregas and Diego Costa. The promotion of Thibaut Courtois has certainly boosted their options in goal, while the signing of Filipe Luis has given Jose Mourinho option, but beyond that little has changed at the back. Chelsea recorded the best defensive record last season, but do they still lack defensive depth?

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR
Goalkeepers
Hugo Lloris; Michel Vorm; Brad Friedel

Defenders
Kyle Walker; Danny Rose; Younes Kaboul; Jan Vertonghen; Vlad Chiriches; Eric Dier; Kyle Naughton; Ben Davies; Federico Fazio

Defenders midfielders
Mousa Dembele; Etienne Capoue; Nabil Bentaleb

While they may not have spent anywhere near the sums lavished last year, Spurs did once again recruit a number of players – particularly at the back. Mauricio Pochettino added Eric Dier, Ben Davies, Federico Fazio and Michel Vorm to his ranks, while he also boasts a wealth of options in defensive midfield. Do Spurs finally have a defence strong enough to help them crack the top four?

EVERTON
Goalkeepers
Tim Horward; Joel Robles; Jindrich Stanek

Defenders
Tony Hibbert; Leighton Baines; Phil Jagielka; Sylvain Distin; Seamus Coleman; John Stones; Antolin Alcaraz

Defensive midfielders
Darron Gibson; Gareth Barry

Defensively, Everton were strong performers last season, but can they go one better in their bid to crack the top four this year? Boss Roberto Martinez’s biggest additions have come at the other end of the pitch, but does that mean his defence is strong enough?

Who do you think has the strongest defence in the Premier League comment below…

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