I'm not disagreeing but recovery pace alongside learning to anticipate the play is certainly useful. VVD is a good example as he anticipates the game so well that he rarely breaks a sweat but also has it in him to chase down almost any forward in world football when he really has to (not that I want to compare Nat to VVD as it's an unfair comparison - more that being less mobile has its limitations).
The Premier League has a lot of defenders that would not be playing at this level without their pace. Rudiger immediately springs to mind as his decision making is all over the place at times.
Players in the PL have many limitations and downsides in general, I think that’s just a fact. I could turn this around and say a lot of CB’s bread and butter is dealing with the aerial threat, and they do it well, and are compensated handsomely for it. Maguire, he of the 80 million pound variety, is a good example of that. Can somewhat handle a ball, but turns like an Asian container ship.
On the other hand, having pace isn’t necessarily a trait that a good CB must have. I find that in many respects, it’s a priority that is well down the list of importance for me. Why people think it’s such a problem in our team is the idea of recovery pace required because of our high line. But a lot of that has to do with paying attention to who’s playing level with you and what path you take to intercept. You can see that Phillips has been improving in that respect, much like Matip had since he’s arrived at our club. The latter isn’t exactly the fastest player either, but he knows how to push the attacker outside, cut off his stronger foot, and when to go to ground and get a tackle. But it wasn’t always this easy for him before, injury or no injury.
I will always remember players like Tiago Ilori, supposedly the fastest payer we had at the club at the time, turning out to be a dud. When you can’t defend, being fast means nothing if you are a CB. It would be nice to have all the attributes, but unless if you’re okay to deal with the downsides, you’re not going to get a complete defender anyway for affordable prices.