Full-backs: Slump in quality or too high expectations?

I'm under the impression that football fans are under the impression that the quality of full-backs is not great at the moment.

Off the top of my head, the best full-backs right now are, in no particular order: Alves, Alaba, Azpilicueta, Alba, Marcelo, Rodriguez, The Red Cafu and Zabaleta. I wouldn't say that's a very impressive list.

We, Liverpool, are in need of at least one good full-back in this window. The list of options we've been linked to is: Clyne.

This has got me thinking that why is it seemingly so difficult to find good full-backs in this moment in time? Is there a slump in quality or are the expectations on full-backs too high?

There are a lot of expectations on full-backs, certainly. You need to be at least somewhat solid defensively, any mistakes you make in defense get noticed quickly. You need to be able to play in a wide midfield role, meaning decent passing and ball control, more so than from a center-back. And you will not be considered a great full-back if you don't contribute in attack, too.

I don't think any other position asks you to be as versatile as full-back. Wingers may be expected to track back, yeah, but their defensive mistakes don't get highlighted the way full-backs' do. A box-to-box CM needs to contribute in all thirds of the pitch, but again, they're not as much under the microscope as full-backs are.

So, what's the deal with full-backs: is there a lack of top quality in that position or should we lower our expectations on them? Or neither or both?

Fullbacks have been crap in quality for years, it's not really anything new. Which is why the real quality ones are such game changers.

You forgot Bellerin

Fullbacks nowadays can be summed with this old quote from MDS:

"Which side i want to play on? I prefer to play on the left so i can cut in and shoot"

El Shaarawy wrote:Fullbacks nowadays can be summed with this old quote from MDS:

"Which side i want to play on? I prefer to play on the left so i can cut in and shoot"

True, very attack-minded full-backs are admired in this time and age. But if full-backs were the better the more winger-like they were, why don't teams just play wingers as full-backs?

Thats why Barca bought a winger to play RB.

Says a lot

Great Leader Sprucenuce wrote:Fullbacks have been crap in quality for years, it's not really anything new. Which is why the real quality ones are such game changers.

If their quality is perceived to be crap for a long period of time, isn't that a sign that the expectations are just too high?

linetty wrote:Thats why Barca bought a winger to play RB.

Says a lot

Barca are a bit special case, imo, they buy DMs to play CB, too.

Art Morte wrote:

Great Leader Sprucenuce wrote:Fullbacks have been crap in quality for years, it's not really anything new. Which is why the real quality ones are such game changers.

If their quality is perceived to be crap for a long period of time, isn't that a sign that the expectations are just too high?

Nope, just quality fullbacks are not developed as much as strikers or centre backs or attacking midfielders. Most kids don't dream of being a full back lol. The expectations are fine, the quality is just low in terms of general fullbacks and has been for a long time.

it is the hardest position to play tbh. i mean, you have to be a very complete player to be a good FB.

Art Morte wrote:

linetty wrote:Thats why Barca bought a winger to play RB.

Says a lot

Barca are a bit special case, imo, they buy DMs to play CB, too.

Yeah thats also true. Maybe it wasn't the best example. But still the other players Barca followed were Darmian and Fabinho. Signing on of 'em would be a major disappointment imo.

Danilo was the only true RB worthy of the Barca spot but Real snatched him. There's no other I can think of so i'm glad they got Aleix Vidal.

Good fullback are indeed game changers. Just look at how porto miased their pair and got shanked by bayern. Not saying they wouldnt have lost anyway but as fullbacka go, tgey were incredibly important for how porto was defending wide, 1v1 outside, pressing and counter attacking.

Is whoscored Rodriguez really that good?

But the fact fullbacks arenoften coming from other positions were they couldnt succeed might explain why young they look so underdevelopped and why they need time to progress.

That being said i see a lot more quality fullbacks out there than what you described, quite a few more actually

Ganso wrote:it is the hardest position to play tbh. i mean, you have to be a very complete player to be a good FB.

Or that maybe you have to either dribble like Dani Alves or cross/shoot like Roberto Carlos to be highly rated these days.

If you consider the requirements for being a great full back then it’s easy to understand why there aren’t many around.
For starters they need to be adept in both defence and attack and of course have speed to complement their attacking/defensive qualities. In every other position either great marking or attacking qualities would be enough and speed is not always a prerequisite. But as a full back you have to have the full package to be considered really great.

A bit from column A and a bit from column B.

I think that the responsibilities of a FB have increased over the years. No longer is it acceptable to park yourself in the back corner of the field and prevent the other side crossing it in. You need to get forward and make crosses yourself to be considered half-decent! Another problem faced by the FB is the prevalence of the side-overload as a tactic these days coupled with coaches commonly targeting the space behind the full-backs as fertile ground for attacks instead of going through the centre-backs while they are facing you head-on. The phrase "get in behind the defence" springs to mind.

On the other hand, we had some really top quality, well-rounded GOAT FBs playing the game about a decade ago and I don't think that we've seen those heights in recent years.

S wrote:

Ganso wrote:it is the hardest position to play tbh. i mean, you have to be a very complete player to be a good FB.

Or that maybe you have to either dribble like Dani Alves or cross/shoot like Roberto Carlos to be highly rated these days.

That's not true.

I think it's a myth that there are no good fullbacks.

Same as the myth that there are no good CBs anymore.

etc. pp.

Profiles have changed corresponding to changing football styles. That's it.

Nick, imo Rodriguez is an outstanding full back.

Hans who's the best fullback in the world?

I dont really agree.

There are many good fullbacks, its just nobody cares about them/watches their teams enough to really take notice.

Nobody really cared about Danilo before this season, but he has been the same player for about 3. In a couple years I can imagine him being a important player for Madrid and then he would be recognised on that list there. So we are talking about a situation where it took the world 5 years to recongise how good someone is.

Now im not saying this will happen with Danilo (I think he is good, but I cant say he is special really), but the point im making is nobody cares about Porto's quality right back..do you think they will care about Sporting Lisboa's? Or Nice's? Or Villareal?

Now im not saying there are Zambrotta's, Thuram'ss, Mihajlovic's just walking around going unnoticed...but I think there are some really good players who just wont be noticed unless they play for a top team.

Fullbacks are the most irrelevant position in football. The position you can get away with it.

Have you ever wondered, why is it that when a team is promoted to a top league, it's their full backs who look LEAST out of place ?

Some GL lads can be fullbacks in leagues and it won't be a huge disaster.

Investing time and money on fullbacks unless you are alerady stacked and ready in other positions is useless.

Natalie Portman wrote:Fullbacks are the most irrelevant position in football. The position you can get away with it.

Have you ever wondered, why is it that when a team is promoted to a top league, it's their full backs who look LEAST out of place ?

Some GL lads can be fullbacks in leagues and it won't be a huge disaster.

Investing time and money on fullbacks unless you are alerady stacked and ready in other positions is useless.

In my humble opinion what you just wrote there is quite some nonsense.

Cruijf wrote:Hans who's the best fullback in the world?

I'm not qualified to answer that. I have my favourite, which isn't hard to guess, but that's not the same.

Hapless_Hans wrote:

Natalie Portman wrote:Fullbacks are the most irrelevant position in football. The position you can get away with it.

Have you ever wondered, why is it that when a team is promoted to a top league, it's their full backs who look LEAST out of place ?

Some GL lads can be fullbacks in leagues and it won't be a huge disaster.

Investing time and money on fullbacks unless you are alerady stacked and ready in other positions is useless.

In my humble opinion what you just wrote there is quite some nonsense.

Let's say your team is in need of a ST, CM/CB, GK and a Fullback.

You have a limited budget and have to prioritize.

In which order would you list and prioritize the positions you want to strengthen given limited money?

For super clubs like Bayern, Barca, Madrid who have unlimited money already have world clcass players in other positions and only need 1-2 players each window max, they can focus on top top talent at Fullback. Clubs at tiers below (minus oligarchs), should prioritize and fullbacks come way down the list IMO.

Natalie Portman wrote:

Hapless_Hans wrote:

Natalie Portman wrote:Fullbacks are the most irrelevant position in football. The position you can get away with it.

Have you ever wondered, why is it that when a team is promoted to a top league, it's their full backs who look LEAST out of place ?

Some GL lads can be fullbacks in leagues and it won't be a huge disaster.

Investing time and money on fullbacks unless you are alerady stacked and ready in other positions is useless.

In my humble opinion what you just wrote there is quite some nonsense.

Let's say your team is in need of a ST, CM/CB, GK and a Fullback.

You have a limited budget and have to prioritize.

In which order would you list and prioritize the positions you want to strengthen given limited money?

For super clubs like Bayern, Barca, Madrid who have unlimited money already have world clcass players in other positions and only need 1-2 players each window max, they can focus on top top talent at Fullback. Clubs at tiers below (minus oligarchs), should prioritize and fullbacks come way down the list IMO.

I think that very much depends on how urgently you need a reinforcement in which position.
If you have shit fullbacks who keep getting exploited time and time again, like say Tottenham or Liverpool, I'd very much proritize buying for that position.

^ I respectfully disagree.

Goals win games and goal keepers win points.

Most important positions in the world is getting the top and the back right. Things in between can wait.

You can't win anything with shit strikers/goalkeeper....you can however win things with shit fullbacks.