Football News: Top 10 - British Left-Backs

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Top 10 British Left-Backs

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10. Omar Richards - Reading

The youngster has done enough to earn himself a move to Bayern Munich in the summer and it is easy to see why they thought he was worth taking a punt on. Skillful, technically gifted, quick, strong and with very fast feet, he could well be a star there, if he can get enough gametime. Though that is a very big if.

9. Luke Thomas - Leicester City

Another youngster who is impressing, though he is only above Richards because he is impressing in the Premier League rather than the Championship. It is easy to see why Leicester were willing to lose Chilwell in the summer with Thomas as a long term replacement.

8. Tyrick Mitchell - Crystal Palace

Once again Palace seem to have unearthed a gem at full-back, this time left side rather than right. Mitchell looks a seasoned pro every time he plays. While Palace's set up do aid the full-backs, as they are given excellent protection by the wide players, Mitchell has stood out as a top class prospect.

7. Rico Henry - Brentford

Like Richards, the only thing holding him back is that he is putting in the performances in the Championship, rather than the top flight. It can only be a matter of time before he is in the Prem, as someone is bound to pay big money to get him if Brentford once again fall short of promotion.

6. Matt Targett - Aston Villa

In the youth system at Southampton, Targett was seen as the better prospect than Luke Shaw and only injury stopped him being the one to be given the first team chance. Since then his career has been stilting as injuries disrupt it far too often. The last couple of seasons he has had less injury problems and his performances have improved as a consequence to finally be able to show why he was highly rated as a youngster.

5. Ryan Bertrand - Southampton

His performances have been slowly dipping lower in recent years, but he is still an excellent left-back on his day. It is just that he is clearly on a downward trajectory. It will be a surprise if he is still in the top 10 by the time I next do this list the way he is declining. He really only just made it in this time due to fitness issues with Targett and lack of experience from the others.

4. Luke Shaw - Manchester United

He has improved his performance level massively this season, going forward at least. Defensively he still has little positional idea and is often caught ball watching but his recovery runs are at least improving and he is getting back a lot more often. Going forward he is becoming a key part of the United attack, linking up really well. If he could just sort out his positioning it would make a massive difference.

3. Ben Chilwell - Chelsea

After a few off field disciplinary issues at Leicester City, the move to Chelsea seemed to have been good for Chilwell, though he is clearly not a favourite of new manager Thomas Tuchel. Defensively he is suspect, though not the worst in the world, going forward he can be outstanding. If he can win Tuchel's trust, behave himself off the pitch and continue to perform on the pitch, then he will be pushing the top 2.

2. Kieran Tierney - Arsenal

Good going forward and decent defensively, if only he could stay fit this would have been a much harder choice for number 1. A truly top-class left-back, but those injury problems are costing him badly and making it difficult for the Gunners to rely on him.

1. Andrew Robertson - Liverpool

His performances recently have dipped and it would have cost him top spot if Tierney was ever able to stay fit. As it is, if you are going to look at a left-back to sign for a league season, you would have to choose Robertson as you would not know if Tierney is going to be available to play. At his best, Robertson is arguably the best in the world, as is Tierney, but consistency of fitness puts him clearly ahead of his Scotland teammate.

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Written by Tris Burke April 29 2021 06:49:16