Full-backs have become one of the most important components of a successful modern team.
They are entrusted to over-lap when necessary, to invert into midfield in the right moments, and all the while do their primary function which is to frustrate and negate speedy wingers.
These five left-sided defenders are masters of this convoluted craft.
5 - Josko Gvardiol (Man City)
Though the Croat has previously played left-back on numerous occasions Manchester City predominantly signed him as a centre-back, shelling out the substantial sum of £77m last summer to secure the RB Leipzig stopper.
A combination of injuries and some trademark Pep Guardiola reinvention however has seen the 22-year-old chiefly deployed out wide this term, and to very good effect too.
That Gvardiol is solid and hard to beat comes as no surprise, but witnessing his impactful driving runs into offensive areas has raised an eyebrow or two. Few knew he had that in his locker.
Another 12 months of this and he will be nailed-on in the football betting to be included in the Premier League Team of the Year, in a position that amounts to a second string to his bow.
4 - Pervis Estupinan (Brighton)
When the Seagulls sold Marc Cucurella to Chelsea for a lofty sum in the summer of 2021 many joked they would promptly go out and sign an upgrade for a fraction of the fee. So highly is the club’s recruitment regarded.
Few really believed they would though, which is why it staggers that for just £15m Brighton managed to source a sublime talent who embraced De Zerbi-ball from the off.
The Ecuadorian was sensational last season, accumulating 189 ball recoveries and 131 interceptions, all while posing a serious threat going forward.
This time out, injury has hugely curtailed Estupinan’s progress but a bright finish to 2023/24 beckons for one of the finds of recent times.
3 - Ben Chilwell (Chelsea)
Chelsea are a vastly improved proposition when Chilwell starts and subsequently, his regular absences since joining from Leicester in 2020 partly explains why the Blues have struggled to hit the heights in that time period.
More of a wing-back than a traditional defender, his forays down the left at the Bridge give Mauricio Pochettino a different dimension while at the back his overall numbers for interceptions and tackles is up there with the best of his peers.
It would be a crying shame if the 27-year-old – along with Luke Shaw – misses out at Euro 2024 due to injury. Presently, that looks likely for both.
2 - Vitaliy Mykolenko (Everton)
It has all told been a miserable year for the Toffees, deducted points after breaching FFP rules, and struggling to pick up any momentum under Sean Dyche.
All season long, the Premier League odds have had them pitched as relegation fodder.
One big plus though, amidst all of this doom and gloom has been the outstanding form of Mykolenko, a player who took his time to get going in English football after joining Everton in January, 2022.
Now fully up to pace the former Dynamo Kyiv star has excelled Saturday to Saturday, averaging 1.6 successful tackles per 90 and chipping in with a precious goal or two for good measure.
Statistically, he has been the best performing left-back in the top-flight this season.
1 - Andy Robertson (Liverpool)
In recent years, Robertson has come to epitomise the Reds’ ferocious attacking intent, at times displaying so much exhausting intensity and relentless energy you suspect there are two of him on the pitch.
Carving out 65 assists across seven trophy-laden years is a phenomenal return for a full-back but just as vitally for a team that plays with a high defensive line, his tenacity and pace means very little is conceded down his flank.
The Scot is the best in the business, simply that.
*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to Alamy*
