Defending is one of the most hotly debated topics among many fans of EA’sFIFA 23game. Whether playing online or against the AI, players have encountered some early difficulties in mastering the defensive arts. In order to stop thetrickiest of wingersand strikers, it’s essential to equip your Ultimate Team squad with defenders of the correct attributes.
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The threat of pace is an ever-present in theFIFAgaming series and dealing with the quickest players on the game by signing equally agile defenders can often be the key to success. Some top-rated silver-rated defenders offer a cheap, efficient way to solve defensive woes on Ultimate Team.
10Calvin Bassey – 74
Ajax left back Calvin Bassey is a rising star on and off the pitch, featuring regularly for the Dutch champions in the UEFA Champions League and becoming one ofFIFA 23’s most popular silver cards to buy. Transferred from Rangers to the Eredivise for around £20 million, Bassey’s Ultimate Team card is ideal for the left side of defense, possessing good pace and technical ability.
At 22, the Nigerian international isone for the futureand is likely to be a favorite for career mode players thanks to his potential rating of 84. Capable of filling in at center back or left wing back, Bassey is available for less than 1,000 coins in Ultimate Team.
9Adama Soumaoro – 74
Central defender Adama Soumaoro has received a rating of 74 onFIFA 23, making him the highest silver-rated Bologna player on the game. Despite lacking agility, Soumaoro’s excellent in-game attributes ensures he makes up for it with confident, assured defending.
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Selling for around 650 coins on Ultimate Team, the 30-year-old is a great cut-price option to partner a speedier center back while playing online. Prior to his arrival inItaly’s top flight, Soumaoro played a decade of first-team football at Lille in Ligue 1, making over 100 appearances.
8Damien Da Silva – 74
While it’s sometimes difficult to translate the real life playing experience of veteran defenders intoFIFA 23ability, Damien Da Silva’s statistics are exemplary of a stellar 16-year career in professional football. From the lower leagues to the elite level of French football with Olympique Lyonnais, Da Silva is a typical no-nonsense center back.
ForUltimate Team players, his 36 rating for pace is a concern, yet an overall score of 75 for defensive attributes is more akin to that of a gold-rated player and demonstrates the French defender’s reliability at the back.
7Andreas Ulmer – 74
Red Bull Salzburg are one of Europe’s best performing clubs in the last decade, developing world-class talents like Sadio Mané and Erling Haaland along the way. A constant presence in their success has been left back Andreas Ulmer, who surpassed the 500-appearance mark in the 2021-22 campaign for the Austrian side.
Capped 31 times by the Austria national team, 74-rated Ulmer costs just 350 coins on the current Ultimate Team transfer market. His low market value is largely due to his age, as the left back is 36 years old and approaching his swansong as captain of Salzburg.
6Ryan Bertand – 74
It’s an easily forgotten fact, but Leicester City’s 74-rated defender Ryan Bertrand has a UEFA Champions League winner’s medal in his honors collection. The 19-time England international started the 2012 Champions League Final at left wing for Chelsea, and remarkably ended his surprise debut in a European competition with his hands on one of football’s most coveted trophies.
In spite of playing the most important match of his career out of his usual position, Bertrand excelled and has since established himself as one of the Premier League’stop performing left backswith Southampton and Leicester. The 33-year-old is a solid silver option on Ultimate Team.
5Vitorino Antunes – 74
Vitorino Antunes has retained some useful attributes onFIFA 23despite celebrating his 35th birthday in April 2022. Awarded a score of 70 for acceleration, 72 sprint speed and 71 agility, Antunes is among the Portuguese league’s finest left backs.
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Presently in the second season of a 2-year deal with Paços Ferreira of the Primeira Liga, the defender is something of a journeyman footballer having represented 11 different European clubs throughout his lengthy career. Antunes’ stints in Ukraine, Spain, Italy and Greece have clearly served him well, winning 13 caps for the highly competitive Portuguese national team.
4Federico Fazio – 74
A giant in defense, Federico Fazio was signed by Serie A club Salernitana in January 2022 following a 6-year association with Roma. The 195cm center back is a commanding, physical force which is reflected in hisFIFA 23statistics, awarded high numbers in aggression and physicality.
Born in Buenos Aires, Fazio has been used sparingly on the international stage with 10 caps over seven years for Argentina. The former Tottenham defender adds a serious aerial threat to any squad on Ultimate Team, notching several goals from corners in an overall career tally of 30 goals.
3Radim Řezník – 74
With the best attributes for any silver-rated right back onFIFA 23, Czech international Radim Řezník could be the answer to your defensive woes on Ultimate Team. Combining a decent score for speed with high physicality, Řezník is a strong if lesser known alternative for the right side of defense and sells for roughly only 400 coins.
However, as Řezník currently plies his trade at Viktoria Plzeň from the Czech top tier, who have been allocated a place inFIFA 23’s ‘rest of world’ clubs section, it could be a challenge to find suitable, chemistry-boosting teammates to play alongside him.
2Makoto Hasebe – 74
Transitioning from a battle-hardened defensive midfielder to an accomplished center back, Eintracht Frankfurt’s Makoto Hasebe is an underappreciatedicon of the Bundesliga. Signed by Wolfsburg in 2008 from Japanese outfit Urawa Red Diamonds, Hasebe has since made over 400 appearances in all competitions for Wolfsburg, Nuremburg and Eintracht Frankfurt.
On the pitch, Hasebe is the model professional having led Eintracht from relegation survival to triumph in last season’s UEFA Europa League Final. The 114-time Japan international is rated 74 onFIFA 23and provides squad flexibility with his ability to play in adefensive midfield role.
1Joel Ward – 74
Crystal Palace stalwart Joel Ward has retained his 74 overall rating fromFIFA 22, making him one of the Premier League’s top bargains for silver-rated defenders in Ultimate Team at around 550 coins. Featuring prominently for the Selhurst Park side since 2012, Ward also has a scanned player face on the game – a big benefit for lovers of authenticity onFIFA 23career mode.
Ward’s defensive stats are his greatest asset onFIFA 23, while his height at 188cm also provides an advantage defending from or attacking corner kicks. Prior to his move to Crystal Palace, Ward’s footballing career was formed at Portsmouth between 2008 and 2012.
FIFA 23is available on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S|X, Nintendo Switch, and PC.
