I think we've all seen the lack of quality defenders these days compared to the 70's and 80's, and even the 90's, and for me the problem lies in several areas.
First, is the contact aspect of the game. While it might look rough to some, the reality is that the game has moved more and more towards less contact over the last few years. In part this is clubs wanting to protect their assets, but it's also to make the game more exciting by having more flow, more playing space/time.
Second is, I think, the requirement for defenders to be footballers first, defenders second, as managers place more and more emphasis on possession and control from the back, right through to the front, meaning that (in the past) rare creature "the footballing centre back" is no longer a rarity.
Third I think, is coaching, and how players are coached from a young age; now it's about using the ball as much as winning it, and all too often we see players making risky passes instead of just putting the ball in the stand.
Fourth is the emphasis on attack, and playing in the opponents half, and this applies mostly to FB's, but also to CB's. The top teams all want at least one of their CB's to be able to join the attack, and often one FB will tuck into the middle to cover an attacking CB.
When all these things are taken together, it looks very much like less emphasis is given to defending as individuals, and more to defending as a team, with the result that what we see is a lack of individually brilliant defenders, who are now expected to be able to play out of defense, support attacks and lead from the back.
Of course this is not to say there have never been CB's who could also play, more that the emphasis has shifted.
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