Why are there more top-level RBs than LBs?

Seems like the WC/elite/top count for LBs starts and ends in Alaba whereas for RB there are quite a few more names in contention. I would say this is cyclical but this has been the case since at least 2008, so I'm not so sure. Is there a reason that is escaping me? Or am I simply underrating all LBs?

Because there are more right footed players than left footed?

Because left footed people are rarer than even left handed people.

(My sister is a lefty, but she kicks with her right for example)

But if that were enough then wouldn't the same hold true for LWs and RWs? And the difference is not nearly as accentuated there.

Most top wingers are pretty comfortable with both feet really

No, it wouldn't..

There are plenty of left wingers who are right footed.. the same can't be said of full backs

BarrileteCosmico wrote:But if that were enough then wouldn't the same hold true for LWs and RWs? And the difference is not nearly as accentuated there.

Many wingers are ambidextrous with their feet, but there is also another reason.

Mainly, players with that rare left leg go for the more luxurious LW position than the LB most of the time.

elite count of LB starts and ends with alaba? disagree

When are we going to account for the fact that Alaba probably has/had the best coverage for a left back i have seen in recent years. I mean, he had schweini on his side backing up his runs forwards and the mighty ribery playing defense to help him out.

He is by no mean a scrub, but it's pretty obvious to me that unless you can somewhat offer proper coverage to your fullbacks, they will always be exposed. That of course doesnt discount their individual mistakes, but it's a start, and a great one.

Coentrao, marcelo are up there, when they are actually fit. Maxwell from PSG isnt so bad himself. Gibbs is good, the young Kurzawa at Monaco is playing good. Siqueira from Benfica is a good player. dare i say that Alba is good. Filipe Luis is elite, Digne whenever he is on for PSG looks great. Bedimo at Lyon is avery good player

just saying, there are some very good players at left back out there.

BarrileteCosmico wrote:But if that were enough then wouldn't the same hold true for LWs and RWs? And the difference is not nearly as accentuated there.

I wouldn't say like others that wingers are ambidextrous, but it's fine putting a left footed player on the right wing or a right footed player on the left to cut in, usually to great effect (either to shoot, play combination 1-2's or what have you) we see it all the time right?

But you don't do that as a full back. A full back wouldn't cut in on their stronger foot right into your own midfielders/ the opposing midfielders. And if they get high enough up the field where they are against the defense, now you're getting in the way of the winger, and the winger either has to pull out wide or basically become the full back.

As for the general LB problem. I really have no idea.

Id say RB is still hes prefered position, but Azpzi has been great for Chelsea this season at LB too

Mr Nick09 wrote:elite count of LB starts and ends with alaba? disagree

When are we going to account for the fact that Alaba probably has/had the best coverage for a left back i have seen in recent years. I mean, he had schweini on his side backing up his runs forwards and the mighty ribery playing defense to help him out.

He is by no mean a scrub, but it's pretty obvious to me that unless you can somewhat offer proper coverage to your fullbacks, they will always be exposed. That of course doesnt discount their individual mistakes, but it's a start, and a great one.

very true

Lord Spencer wrote:

Mainly, players with that rare left leg go for the more luxurious LW position than the LB most of the time.

this is it, along with the fact that left footed/handed people are relatively rare... my friend's dad coached some local youth team in england, basically so long as you have a functioning left foot they dump you on the wing to put in crosses... if you suck at that, you move back to left back... not sure how this is in other countries and higher levels but yeah

It's because right-wing policies have gained a lot of momentum in recent years.

both are equally miss or lack in current era

Agreed, loads of left backs are just plain average now

And yeah even though Alaba is quality, he has ridiculous cover in the form of Ribery

Like people said, it's partly to do with a lack of left footed players. As for the counter argument with Wingers, well as a Winger you can play on either side no matter what your strong foot is. Plenty of 'Wingers' just cut in on their stronger foot anyway.

Also, what with left footers being uncommon, I imagine most of them start at left back and eventually move to left wing



Full-backs in general have been mediocre for a long time.

I'm not sure if it's because they're all mediocre, or because it's become such a demanding and integral position, where as Nick said team support is crucial to look good.

There is also a lack of quality, on both side actually. I have to come to wonder if it's not just a transition period into a new generation. We can name a great number of quality young player on each positions, but they have yet to establish themselves at a high level, that's all.

Team support is integral tho, look at Rafinha at Bayern for crying out loud. Coentento gets on a he looks like alaba

Maybe it's the problem that many players just don't really want to play defensive positions as they usually get less recognition and even money? So the better players prefer to be on the attack line, while the defense positions mostly go to the not quite as good players?

Mr Nick09 wrote:There is also a lack of quality, on both side actually. I have to come to wonder if it's not just a transition period into a new generation. We can name a great number of quality young player on each positions, but they have yet to establish themselves at a high level, that's all.

Team support is integral tho, look at Rafinha at Bayern for crying out loud. Coentento gets on a he looks like alaba

It's true insofar as Contento can come on and do alright, however he isn't as good going forward, passing, combining, so it always feels like a downgrade.

The Rafinha one is case in point, he clearly should be the weakest link, but he's doing just fine the way we play.
At first I thought it was ludicrous to put him on while we have Lahm, but Pep had other plans and they're working out well.
Still curious if in the long run Lahm won't revert though, so many injuries this season.

There's plenty of solid enough CB's though, maybe not a tonne of World Class CBs but it's not too difficult to find a decent CB. Seems like most full-backs now come with a degree of risk. I mean we bought Asamoah who's naturally a CM but even though he's playing way out of position he's defensively better than most natural left backs out there

There's a sheer lack of quality. Hopefully in a few years some of the younger full backs will have breakout seasons.

Tomwin Lannister wrote:There's plenty of solid enough CB's though, maybe not a tonne of World Class CBs but it's not too difficult to find a decent CB. Seems like most full-backs now come with a degree of risk. I mean we bought Asamoah who's naturally a CM but even though he's playing way out of position he's defensively better than most natural left backs out there

There's a sheer lack of quality. Hopefully in a few years some of the younger full backs will have breakout seasons.

Full-backs nowadays are expected to be almost like wingers when it comes to attacking abilities. Didn't some figure say this recently, was it Neville? Anyway, it's quite rare that a full-back is recognised to be seriously good if he's only average going forward, even if his defending is world-class. The closest I can think off the top of my head is Ivanovic, but he's a bit of a freak example coz his originally a CB. A very good defender, though.

The right fotted ppl are more ambidextrous with their feet than left footed , the lefts usually have most difficulties to use the other  foot, this is a reason because no coach wants to play with 2 left central defenders while it' s a different matter for 2 right central defenders, who have less difficulty to adapt

Anyway I don't know if this can be an interpretation

There are a lot of fullbacks coming up actually, both left and right.  They're just 21 and under in age right now so they're not known... they'll start showing up pretty soon now.  In France at least, i know there are 4-5 really good FB prospects.  Namely, Digne, Benjamin Mendy, Kurzawa, Tisserand (who plays CB too), etc.  There's an army of kids who chose the positon here because they saw it as the best odds to make it into pro footy...  For example, Kurzawa, who is the starting LB for Monaco, was a striker 4 years ago and changed to fullback.

I also feel that the other kid fullback at Monaco, Fabinho, is going to be a good one too... he's Brazilian.

sportsczy wrote:
I also feel that the other kid fullback at Monaco, Fabinho, is going to be a good one too... he's Brazilian.

Is he the same Fabinho that flopped in Castilla was benched ?

lol yes... and he's not even the same player. Don't know what happened to him. He's become really, really good this year and has played Lucas Moura and Cavani both very tough in both PSG games. Nick will confirm. It's like he's a different player.

I feel that there was a managing problem in Castilla with a lot of players on the defense there. I mean look at Carvajal... he was good at Castilla, but offensively. He was extremely poor defensively. He goes to Germany and magically becomes a pretty good defender. Fabinho... same thing. His offense was great at Castilla but he was putrid on defense. Goes to Monaco... and suddenly he can defend well. Makes me wonder if Casado is really as bad defensively as i think he is...