So you've got FIFA 20 loaded up and you're about to embark on an odyssey through the new career mode or start building your Ultimate Team.
Defence is an area you've identified where your team is in need of improvement, but which players should you be looking at?
Goal takes a look at the best defenders in FIFA 20, including centre-backs and full-backs, as well as identifying the game's best tacklers.
Best defenders on FIFA 20
Excluding Icons, in terms of overall ratings, cover star Virgil van Dijk is the best defender on FIFA 20, with a rating of 90 - which sees him ranked as the seventh-best player in any position on the game.
Van Dijk is closely followed by Giorgio Chiellini, Sergio Ramos and Kalidou Koulibaly, who are all rated 89. Ramos will be particularly disappointed, having previously boasted a rating of 91 in FIFA 19.
Barcelona stalwart Gerard Pique and new Inter signing Diego Godin follow with ratings of 88, while there is a handful of players with an overall rating of 87.
Manchester City's dynamic centre-back Aymeric Laporte and Borussia Dortmund's Mats Hummels are 87-rated, as are Tottenham's Belgian duo Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld.
Paris Saint-Germain and Brazil lynchpin Thiago Silva is also rated 87, as is Barcelona's flying full-back Jordi Alba - who is the highest-rated full-back in the game.
Best centre-backs on FIFA 20
| Rank | Player | Club | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Virgil van Dijk | Liverpool | 90 |
| =2 | Giorgio Chiellini | Piemonte Calcio | 89 |
| =2 | Sergio Ramos | Real Madrid | 89 |
| =2 | Kalidou Koulibaly | Napoli | 89 |
| =5 | Gerard Pique | Barcelona | 88 |
| =5 | Diego Godin | Inter | 88 |
| =7 | Aymeric Laporte | Manchester City | 87 |
| =7 | Jan Vertonghen | Tottenham | 87 |
| =7 | Mats Hummels | Borussia Dortmund | 87 |
| =7 | Toby Alderweireld | Tottenham | 87 |
| =7 | Thiago Silva | Paris Saint-Germain | 87 |
Best full-backs/wing-backs on FIFA 20
| Rank | Player | Club | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jordi Alba | Barcelona | 87 |
| 2 | Joshua Kimmich | Bayern Munich | 86 |
| =3 | Dani Carvajal | Real Madrid | 85 |
| =3 | Marcelo | Real Madrid | 85 |
| =3 | Alex Sandro | Piemonte Calcio | 85 |
| =3 | Andrew Robertson | Liverpool | 85 |
| =3 | David Alaba | Bayern Munich | 85 |
| =8 | Joao Cancelo | Manchester City | 84 |
| =8 | Kyle Walker | Manchester City | 84 |
| =8 | Cesar Azpilicueta | Chelsea | 84 |
| =8 | Alex Telles | Porto | 84 |
EA Sports
Best tacklers on FIFA 20
It may come as little surprise to learn that Ramos is the best slide-tackling defender in the game, but the Real Madrid captain's standing tackle lags slightly behind that of his peers.
Chiellini's slide-tackling ability is very high as well and the Juventus stopper is also one of the best when it comes to standing tackles.
Van Dijk, as it happens, is the best when it comes to the standing tackle - not surprising given his characteristic coolness under pressure - but he is not at all as adept at slide tackles.
There are a number of players whose overall ratings are in the mid-to-low 80s, but who are actually quite strong tacklers.
Among them are Napoli's Kostas Manolas (ovr. 85), Bayern Munich's Niklas Sule (ovr. 85) and Paris Saint-Germain's Marquinhos (ovr. 86).
Other players whose tackling ability is nothing to be sniffed at are Samuel Umtiti (ovr. 86), Sokratis (ovr. 84) and Jerome Boateng (ovr. 84).
Getty Images
Strongest defenders on FIFA 20
Interestingly, the strongest defenders - in terms of sheer physicality - are not those playing at the highest level. In fact, Aliou Coly of Kristiansund and Lincoln City's Michael Bostwick are both rated 88 for physical.
PSV and Netherlands full-back Denzel Dumfries has a physical rating of 87, as does Cadiz centre-back Fali, Atletico Madrid's Felipe, Arsenal left-back Sead Kolasinac, Lyon defender Marcelo and, finally, Koulibaly.
Van Dijk, who is the best defender overall, has a physical rating of 86, which is the same as Ipswich Town centre-back Aristote Nsiala.