The Importance of Full-Backs

I had the pleasure of watching the dampest of squibs at the Stadium of Light last week, as Pulis' anti-football earned them a 0-0 draw. As soon as the teams were announced it looked as if it would be a dull game, for a few reasons, but one stood out to me.

None of the full-backs were playing in the right place.

Anthony Reveillere was playing on the left, which forced him to come inside onto his favoured right foot, clogging up the midfield. Santiago Vergini's lack of attacking attributes were exposed at right-back. Chris Brunt played at left-back for West Brom, which was the most attacking choice, but Craig Dawson played right back for the Baggies.

The lack of chances and subsequently goals had a lot to do with this, as both teams clogged the middle and never had enough players going forward to really do anything, proving just how important full-backs are to the modern game, offensively. Defensively, they are important, as Dawson provided valuable cover of the defence which helped West Brom's defensive solidity which maybe an out-and-out full back might not have done.

In the last 10-15 years the role has evolved from one of the least to one of the most important roles in football. Your choice of fullback has a large effect on how you play the game and often are an embodiment of the style of the team. Barcelona have attacking, technically gifted full-backs which allow them to control games and create overloads, whereas Chelsea have Ivanovic, who is physical and primarily defensive, but often scores scrappy, important goals. Chelsea's defensive full-backs means they tend to and are set-up to be solid at the back first, whereas Barca attack first and foremost.

It seems counter-intuitive to suggest that if you want to become a better attacking team you should start with your defence, but attack minded full-backs can turn an good team into a great one. Leighton Baines for years has provided goals and assists from left-back which have allowed the side to be more compact and defensive in midfield. In fact, without Baines and Coleman last year, it could be argued that Everton would be near where they are this season.

All that being said, there are cases when full-backs don't seem to matter that much. Germany's World Cup winning side played, essentially, with four central defenders. As you would expect they were generally very defensively solid, bar the odd game, but they managed to decimate Brazil in the semi-finals. By playing four central defenders, they could invite pressure and counter attack at pace - however, they rarely needed to, but this was more down to Brazil's capitulation. One of Germany's most important players, Philipp Lahm, is a right-back who did spend some time there, but mostly played in the centre of the park.

If full-backs are so important, then why are they generally so cheap? The importance of them as not only a defensive player but as an important attacking outlet has only recently been truly realised (at least in England) and teams have started to recognise the inefficiencies in the market. However, this summer saw Luke Shaw move to Manchester United for a reported £30 million, which shows that top clubs are starting to realise the importance that some have seen for a while.

Southampton's rise up the table has been noticed by many, and so have Nathaniel Clyne's performances at right-back. Clyne is a fantastic player and his defensive and importantly attacking qualities have helped Southampton to become a feared team. Having him as an option coming forward makes Southampton capable of dismantling different defensive structures. A good attacking full-back can make a team more flexible and therefore harder to counter, and that is exactly what Clyne but also importantly Ryan Bertrand has done this season.

West Ham's transformation has been largely down to the attacking talent brought in, but the acquisition of Cresswell has turned out to be one of the best buys of the season. His crossing ability and willingness to attack have helped West Ham to stretch teams and he has also directly contributed to quite a few goals this season. Those few goals can add up to a large amount of points.

Strikers and attacking midfielders will always be the most expensive players and the most revered, but it won't be long before full-backs will consistently be going for 8-figure transfer fees and they will be more recognised as one of the most important pieces of a football team, rather than as Sunderland seem to treat them - an after thought.

Written by Elliott Griffiths (@ElliottBCFC)

50 Shades of Dimmy Gray

• Full Name: Demarai 'Dimmy' Gray
• Club: Birmingham City
• Position: Left Winger, Number 10
• Birthday: 28 June 1996
• Born: Birmingham, England
• Nationality: English
• Height: 178cm (5'10)
• Preferred Foot: Right
• Type of Player: Inside Forward, Direct Winger
• Key Attributes: Pace, Ball Control, Acceleration
• He's like a young: Eden Hazard

 

 Breaking Into The Team:

Lee Clark's tenure at Birmingham City was, for want of a better word, a mess. Loads of players brought in, bombed out, thrown in at the deep end and yanked straight back out again. However, Clark must be praised with bringing some young players through, and Gray is one of those. At just 17 he was brought into the first team, but he struggled to make an impact, struggling with the physicality of the game. There were clear flashes of talent, but his lack of physicality made them infuriatingly infrequent.

Fast forward a year from his first inclusion, and it's a very different picture. Having started a lot more games and given a clear role, Gray has at times looked like a world-beater. Though his goal return is fairly modest (5 in 32 senior appearances) this is not all there is to the young winger's game. When Gray is at the top of his game he is frighteningly good with the ball at his feet, drifting past defenders as though were mere cardboard cut-outs.

Given space to roam on the left wing he can utilise his pace and tight ball control to manufacture chances for himself and others.

Strengths:

Obviously Gray's blistering pace is a huge part of what makes him dangerous. On the counter-attack he can be devastating, but his acceleration from standing make him equally difficult to deal with in a slower build-up. His hat-trick against Reading showed that he has the qualities to cause problems in many different ways. His first showed him cutting inside before placing a delightful strike just inside the post, then quickly following up by beating two defenders from standing and placing low into the net. He completed his hat-trick shortly after from a counter-attacking move.

His tight ball control and flair make him tricky to deal with and difficult to dispossess and means that many teams resort to doubling up on the winger - which shows the respect that Gray demands, even at just 18. With any young winger there are always questions when it comes to end product, but Gray has displayed his ability to finish - he just needs to work on his consistency. The reason he is so sought after is the potential he has. If he can find that consistency, he could reach the top. A player with his ability to run with the ball with end product is worth a fortune; Tottenham bought Lamela for £30m for that exact reason, and he isn't yet consistent.

Weaknesses:

As of yet, Gray still struggles physically. He is not weak, but he's not Wilfried Bony either, and of course he is still young and will grow to deal with the more physical defenders. I seem to remember a certain Cristiano Ronaldo was also quite lightweight at 18; not to suggest they are as good, but there are comparisons to be drawn.

As mentioned his consistency is not there just yet, but you wouldn't expect it to be. The one area I think he needs to improve is his creativity in the final third. He is very good at manipulating defenders and he can use the space he creates to bring other players in. Currently though, he is not being asked to do this and maybe he will be trained to be a very direct player rather than a wide creator a la Eden Hazard.

Conclusion and Scout Report:

The development of Gray depends vastly on the role he is required to fill. Currently it seems he will be deployed as a forward, attacking the box and being asked to score goals. The inherent risk here is that he becomes one-dimensional, always cutting inside and shooting. This can work if you are Arjen Robben or Cristiano Ronaldo and everyone knows what you're going to do, but are unable to stop it. Dimmy may be good, but he isn't world class and he may also need to become more versatile in the future, allowing him to influence from deeper positions. However, for now, Gray should be allowed to continue to play in his natural style, which is exciting and enjoyable to watch.

Gray would be a good signing for any lower half Premier League team, but Birmingham manager Rowett has warned Gray to wait for a top team to come in. Clearly, he is not the only one who believes Gray is destined for the top. Sporting Lisbon, famous for nurturing young talent and selling them to top teams, have reportedly been sniffing around the winger. With bids of £5m turned down in January from Championship high-fliers Bournemouth, Gray needs to plot his next move carefully. Currently it seems playing games is the best thing for him, and maybe his home club is the one to do that. At a reported fee of at the very least £7m, it's a big gamble for any team outside the top 6, who will be watching the youngster with intent. Unless something goes very wrong, you can expect to see the name Demarai Gray a lot more often in the near future.