For me the detail is in the position name - Defender! That is the player role, nothing more and nothing less. You have named a couple of players who have achieved relative success but I will throw another in who has an honours list longer than most - Terry!
For the record I cant stand the man, but as a player who does what it says on the tin - he is it. He has very little pace or athleticism and not the greates touch, but his role is to defend and break up play - something which he has made a career out of. As you state - intelligence is key here - and player position and being prepared to put your body on the line are the true real attributes of an out and out central defender in one of the most agressive leagues in the world.
We have disccussed on here the ins and outs of Shawx and I have no doubt that if he played for Chelsea etc he would look even better than he does for Stoke - purely because he is surrounded by better players who will retain possession and make themselevs available, something that gets more limited the further down the league/leagues you go.
