The Premier League’s Top 5 Attacking Full-Backs for 2010/11

It was none other than Jonathan Wilson, the guru of football tactics, who hailed the importance of the modern day full-back in an article previewing last year‘s World Cup.
According to Wilson:

“The full-backs are the only players on the field who regularly have space in front of them, and where there is space there is opportunity.”

The days where a full-back is looked upon as a mere stopper of opposition forward play are long gone. The ability to beat a man, to help build momentum to a team’s attack from deep, to ghost into space created by a team mate’s run and supply a killer pass; all these facets are seen as essential for a top-class modern-day full-back.

One need look no further than Barcelona for the perfect example- the current Champions League winners know exactly how to utilise the talents of Dani Alves; with 15 assists last season, the right-back was second only to Lionel Messi for Pep Guardiola’s side and it’s clear just how fundamental his attacking game is to the team’s style of play.

In a new series of articles, we take a look at the top 5 attacking full-backs from each of Europe’s main five leagues, highlighting the merits of each in this all-important role:

Glen Johnson - 2.7 Key Passes and Successful Dribbles per game

Johnson showed a versatility to his game last season, playing 12 times as a left-back in addition to 16 games in his more natural right-back slot. The arrival of Kenny Dalglish as Liverpool boss has brought a more dynamic style to the side’s play and Johnson’s ability on the ball adds plenty to their attacks going forward.

With 1.8 successful dribbles per game, Johnson was second only to the phenomenal Luis Suarez at Liverpool and his 0.9 key passes shows an eye for a killer pass. His high dribble count highlights why Johnson averages just 0.5 crosses- he’d rather take a man on than fire an early ball in from the flank and with 0.5 shots per game, he’s clearly keen on having an attempt on goal from long range.

His 2.5 tackles per game is the same as the combined total of Liverpool’s two main centre-halves last season, Martin Skrtel and Jamie Caragher, and 1.7 interceptions is better than any of Liverpool’s back-four. Johnson also led the way for first-teamers when it came to aerial success, winning a fantastic 80% of his challenges. He picked up 3 WhoScored.com Man of the Match awards and had an average rating of 6.99 for the season.

Kyle Walker - 2.7 Key Passes and Successful Dribbles per game

A spell on loan at Aston Villa in the second half of the season gave the right-back a platform to prove his worth. Walker made 1.7 successful dribbles per game for the Midlands team; easily the most at the club considering Stewart Downing and Ashley Young managed a combined 1.2 per game. When it came to key passes, only Downing, Young and Marc Albrighton made more than Walker’s 1.

With 41.7 passes per game, Walker was second only to Jean Makoun for passes made, highlighting just how often he was in possession for Villa and he fired in an average of 0.7 crosses from the right side.

Defensively, Villa’s back-four were a hard working side and Walker’s 2.7 tackles and 2 interceptions were indicative of the side’s ability to battle. Compare him with the other four full-backs here, however, and you’ll see only Rafael made more tackles. Walker was also joint-top for interceptions with the Man United man, though his 3.3 clearances, easily the best of our five, highlight an ability to snuff out danger.

Walker was also impressive in the air, winning 60% of aerial duels, and picked up 1 goal and 3 assists in his 15 games for Villa. Such an eye-catching overall game saw him awarded 2 Man of the Match awards by WhoScored.com and pick up a match average of 7.03. Back at parent club Tottenham this season, he looks odds-on favourite to make the right-back role his own at White Hart Lane.

Leighton Baines - 2.6 Key Passes and Successful Dribbles per game

No player made more crosses in the Premier League than Leighton Baines last season. The Everton left-back made a total of 249, averaging 2.6 successful crosses per game. Baines is as much of a creative force for David Moyes as their midfield playmaker Mikel Arteta, with 1.9 key passes to the Spaniard’s 2. His key passes clearly lay on a better quality of goalscoring opportunity than Arteta, however- Baines picked up 11 assists, more than double Arteta’s 5, though this is helped by his set-piece duties, something none of our other four full-backs have under their belts. 

Baines’ relatively low successful dribbles is down both to the high number of crosses he attempts and the fact that he plays higher up the pitch than the other four here, therefore having less space ahead of him on the pitch than a typical full-back. His 0.5 shots is another facet boosted by free-kicks and penalty duties- as a result, Baines helped himself to 5 goals in 2010/11.

Of Everton’s back-four, only Phil Jagielka impressed more than Baines in terms of defensive work- Baines made 2.2 tackles and 1.3 interceptions to the centre-half’s 2.4 and 2 respectively, though in the air, Baines was joint-top for aerial success with Sylvain Distin, as the pair won 63% of their challenges. Surprisingly, he picked up just 1 Man of the Match award but Baines’ consistency week-in, week-out saw him average 7.12 in WhoScored.com’s ratings for the season.

Jose Enrique - 2.6 Key Passes and Successful Dribbles per game

Only two players -Chiek Tiote and Joey Barton- saw more of the ball than Jose Enrique for Newcastle last season; the left-back’s 46.2 passes per game sums up his vital role within Alan Pardew’s side.  Enrique is joint-top of our featured 5 full-backs for successful dribbles, with 1.8 per game also highlighting his ability to take on an opponent with ease. Pardew’s side were heavily reliant on the Spaniard’s ability here, with just Hatim Ben Arfa and Jonas Gutierrez making more dribbles.

Seeing so much of the ball give Enrique the time to fire in 0.9 crosses per game- again only Barton and Gutierrez manage more at Newcastle- but with just 1 assist, he can count himself unlucky not to have grabbed a higher amount. Defensively, his stats suggest Enrique is a solid, if unspectacular, performer at the back- it’s clear his real quality lies in going forward and is easy to see just why the likes of Arsenal and Liverpool have been linked with a move for his services this summer.

Enrique made 1.7 tackles and 1.6 interceptions on average, similar to Newcastle’s right-back Danny Simpson, with 1.6 and 1.9 respectively, though he did fall down on clearances, 1.7 to Simpson’s 3.2. Compared to the other full-backs here, Enrique’s defensive contribution fares poorly- he makes less tackles and interceptions than any of the others. Over his 36 matches last season, Enrique picked up 1 Man of the Match award and averaged 6.81 in WhoScored.com’s ratings.

Rafael - 1.9 Successful Dribbles and Key Passes per game

With 1 key pass and 0.9 successful dribbles per game, Rafael offered plenty in attack for Man United. While the likes of Nani and Antonio Valencia lead the way for dribbles and key passes, a fairer comparison with United’s more established left-back, Patrice Evra (1 and 0.7 respectively) indicates the young Brazilian’s capabilities. Clearly, he’s already at the same level as the Frenchman going forward.

Rafael also made more crosses than Evra, with 0.8 to 0.5, and played more long balls, 1.9 to 1.2. In possession, he’s joint-top with our other featured defenders, with an 80% pass accuracy showing his calm and efficient distribution when on the ball.

It’s not just his attacking prowess that impresses- Rafael made 3.6 tackles per game for United- more than Nemanja Vidic (2.1) and Rio Ferdinand (1.3) combined. His tackles ratio is far and away the most of our defenders here, too, with Rafael joined by Kyle Walker at the top for interceptions, with 2 per game. Despite his diminutive stature, he’s proved to be great in the air, winning 63% of aerial duels, and Rafael also picked up 1 Man of the Match award from his 16 games, averaging 7.02 per game for Sir Alex Ferguson’s side on their way to the title.