Left back who can defend - best in the world

[Jumanji]

Coentrao - attacking 9/10, defending 7/10 £20-25m
Enrique - attacking 8/10, defending 8/10 £10-20m
Abidal - attacking 7/10, defending 9/10 £15-25m
Baines - attacking 8/10, defending 8/10 £20-25m
Clichy - attacking 8/10, defending 7/10 £10-15m
A. Cole - attacking 9/10, defending 9/10 £25-30m
Bastos - attacking 9/10, defending 6/10 £15-25m
Riise - attacking 7/10, defending 7/10 £10-15m
Olsson - attacking 7/10, defending 6/10 £5-10m

my choice would be abidal or coentrao

Eh for Ceontrao, I'd go as far as to say he's an 8 for defending to be honest. He really can defend and he's continuously getting better at it. He's also brave, which in reality means a lot.

 

[waspish]

We could av the best fucking left back in the history of football and teams will still get crosses in against us! It's how we are set up!

 

[blinkblue]

Coentrao please, he will be as good as Cashley.

 

[citizens_1976]

Yeh, he's impvoved alot defensively. He's better then Kolarov attacking and defending and would be a great addition to the squad. I'd love him here, he's very skillful too.

 

[Freestyler]

Yep definitely Coentrao.

 

[GStar]

The trend seems to be to have full backs that can attack. Whilst I agree this adds to a team's threat I would prefer to have full backs who can defend. If we could find a left footed Zabaleta then I think this would strengthen our team and help when we take on the more physical teams.

Any ideas as to who may be out there?

Looking at the 'modern day fullback' - the ability to actually defend isn't high on the list.

Ashley Cole aside, there's not many that can provide both top attacking and defensive duties. Full backs seem to simply be a 'body' to stand between the winger and the box and hopefully block crosses.

Maicon was meant to be the best fullback in the world and Bale of all people ripped him to pieces. Alves at Barca has never been a strong defender, Roberto Carlos will be remembered for a free kick, not an impeccable challenge.

The list of attacking and defensive fullbacks isn't a long one:
Cole, Zanetti, Evra isn't bad at both...

I'm looking forward to seeing Kolarov next year.

 

[LongsightM13]

Surprised to say the least that Aly Cissohko of Lyon hasn't had a mention. Great engine up and down the entire left side, aggressive, good pace, decent delivery and a big lad.
Imagine if Micah was left footed and could actually cross the ball and you are in the right ball park. Only 23 as well.
Would probably cost less than most of the others mentioned as well.

 

[Dax777]

The trend seems to be to have full backs that can attack. Whilst I agree this adds to a team's threat I would prefer to have full backs who can defend. If we could find a left footed Zabaleta then I think this would strengthen our team and help when we take on the more physical teams.

Any ideas as to who may be out there?

Looking at the 'modern day fullback' - the ability to actually defend isn't high on the list.

Ashley Cole aside, there's not many that can provide both top attacking and defensive duties. Full backs seem to simply be a 'body' to stand between the winger and the box and hopefully block crosses.

Maicon was meant to be the best fullback in the world and Bale of all people ripped him to pieces. Alves at Barca has never been a strong defender, Roberto Carlos will be remembered for a free kick, not an impeccable challenge.

The list of attacking and defensive fullbacks isn't a long one:
Cole, Zanetti, Evra isn't bad at both...

I'm looking forward to seeing Kolarov next year.

While an old Maicon was eviscerated by the speed of Bale, he is or was a far better defensive player than Ashley Cole.<br /><br />-- Sun May 08, 2011 8:34 pm --<br /><br />

Surprised to say the least that Aly Cissohko of Lyon hasn't had a mention. Great engine up and down the entire left side, aggressive, good pace, decent delivery and a big lad.
Imagine if Micah was left footed and could actually cross the ball and you are in the right ball park. Only 23 as well.
Would probably cost less than most of the others mentioned as well.

15 - 20 million is that much less.

 

[adrianr]

I'm looking forward to seeing Kolarov next year.

Me too. I think he's got a lot more to show us, and his constant shots from range are nothing more than an attempt to prove himself, feeling like he still has too after being out with injury, maybe not being up to fitness, etc. He can be really good for us. Very much look forward to seeing him next season.

 

[Joga Bonito]

I would argue that in today's game the attacking runs of fullbacks are arguably the most crucial on the pitch, as they have the most time and space than anyone else.

I understand where you are coming from but we have holding midfielders for a reason, if at any time we are presented with a challenging winger to deal with our fullback and midfielder simply need to work together to close down the opposition effectively.

Some would argue Kolarov is not the greatest defender, and that may be the case but I can recall several times this season he has come up with a great block or goal-line save at important moments. Hopefully the team can train well this off-season and learn how we can utilize Kolarov's power to our benefit, instead of what looks like more aimless hard low crosses into the box. I'll take his thunderbolt shot any day of the week though, that could be the difference in a tight match and if we have a player capable of producing magic at the fullback position we should stick with him.