Full-back was once the most undesirable position in football. As Jamie Carragher crudely put it on Monday Night Football back in 2013: “Nobody wants to grow up to be a Gary Neville”.
Carragher was suggesting that no aspiring footballer desired to be a conservative full-back who rarely ventured forward and whose primary focus was defending. The former Liverpool defender would add that full-backs were either failed wingers or failed centre-halves.
At the time, there was certainly a lot of truth in Carragher’s sentiment. But the role of the full-back, as a result of samba influence and Pep Guardiola, has evolved drastically in a relatively short space of time. A once unflattering position has morphed into one of trend, style, and significant tactical importance to elite sides.
Thus, it’s no surprise that four of the top ten and two of the top three when it comes to Premier League assist leaders among defenders are current players. The leading ten are all full-backs and we saw a new leader emerge on Boxing Day as Liverpool beat Aston Villa 3-1 at Villa Park.
Here are the ten defenders with the most assists in Premier League history.
Premier League appearances: 343
Assists: 32
Once White Hart Lane’s flying wing-back, Walker has matured into a tactically astute serial winner at Manchester City. Guardiola has morphed the England international into one of the great full-backs of his generation, and the role he performs at City means he’s no longer required to contribute relentlessly in the final third.
His inverted function means his assist tallies have dwindled considerably since his first season at the Etihad, but his total of 32 is enough for him to sneak into the top ten.
Premier League appearances: 215
Assists: 33
Dan Petrescu was a key part of a crucial era at Chelsea in which the Blues began to emerge as a serious force in the Premier League.
The Romanian international, who was capped 96 times by his country, enjoyed spells at four different Premier League clubs but it was at Chelsea where he notched the vast majority of his 33 assists.
Premier League appearances: 400
Assists: 35
Perhaps the Carragher slander was a bit harsh! G Nev was as traditional as it gets in regards to full-back…
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