1 of 4

It's a modern cliche that defending is no longer what it used to be, but there is good reason to believe that in today's game, man-marking is rarely applied at the level it once was. Very few defenders have the ability to follow a striker, anticipate his movements and cut off the ball before it arrives.

Instead, many (like John Terry) have earned an on-field reputation for making last-ditch challenges. And while those interventions may be eye-catching, they beg the question: If the opponent was well-defended, why was such a risky challenge needed to stop him in the first place? Man-marking is not glamorous, and in the modern game the two players who can do at a high level are Thiago Silva and Mats Hummels.

Looking back over the last two Bundesliga seasons, in which Hummels has matured into an elite defender, Germany's best strikers have been stifled again and again by the Dortmund man. Last season, the top nine scorers in Germany—including Mario Gomez, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, Raul, Lukas Podolski and Marco Reus—all failed to find the net against BVB.

In 2010-11, only one (Theofanis Gekas) out of the top nine scored against Dortmund. Hummels started in all but three of the 68 possible games over those two seasons, and his perpetual focus and diligent marking ensured that BVB would not fall victims to the usual suspects.

This season, Hummels has furthered his credentials in the Champions League. Lethal strikers like Karim Benzema, Sergio Aguero, Edin Dzeko, and Gonzalo Higuain all were unable to hit the target against BVB in the group stage, as Hummels' strong partnership with Neven Subotic saw BVB advance to the Round of 16 as group winners.