Poor Scouser Tommy

With the news that Liverpool have agreed a price with Real Madrid for Alvara Arbeloa, another full back heads for the Anfield exit door.  Rafa has spent a lot (a hell of a lot, truth be told) on Glen Johnson to try and provide an answer to the right back problem – if, as expected, Andrea Dossena leaves as well will he sign another left back?  Why are these positions such a problem?

The full back position on both sides has proved to be a problem to Liverpool for many a year – there’s been a lot of players who have played okay there, but none that really excel.  John Arne Riise didn’t kick on to the levels his early promise suggested and was a shadow of his former self when he left the club, Arbeloa has been steady but prone to the odd lapse of concentration (and shouting at Carra isn’t likely to do anyone’s career or health any good – just ask Rigobert Song…), Steve Finnan was good but not brilliant (I still think it’s odd the way he was shipped out of the club – wonder what happened there?  Any which way, his one season in Spain did him no favours and he’s currently clubless and being linked with a newly skint Pompey.)

For me, the last really top class full-back we had was Markus Babbel – cool, calm, collected, he liked to bomb on and get a cross in, an aspect to the side that we’ve mostly lacked ever since (apart from Finnan, I’ll give him that – his ‘wrong foot’ crossing when he checked in from the right was consistently dangerous) and before him Rob Jones (who now runs nurseries – it’s a funny world, it really is).  I don’t think it’s just a problem at Liverpool mind – I think it’s a problem with the position itself.

A friend of mine who’s involved in youth football suggested that most teams now stick their worst player at full-back and maybe this is effecting the development of the position – thinking about the best teams in the country, who are the best full-backs? Johnson at Liverpool aside,  Cole at Chelsea seems to be returning to his previous best and Evra at United is a class player, Clichy at Arsenal seems solid, maybe Sagna but aside from that?

It’s a damning indictment of how bad full backs currently are that Bosingwa isn’t even the best right back at Chelsea, Essien is.  United have played Wes Brown and O’Shea at right (and left in O’Sheas case) back due to Nevilles constant injury issues (don’t know if Hargreaves has played there for United?), neither of them are world-beaters (although the young lad Rafael looked class when I saw him last year.)   Arsenal have got Silvestre (Arsene – what were you thinking son?  I know he’s French like but all the same….),  Traroes not much cop and Gibbs is really green.

There are some good players outside of the top four – Baines, Lescott (though a centre half by trade), Richards (another one in danger of not building on his early showings), Bridge (who valiantly came out of retirement to trot out for City last season)….but no-one to get excited about really, no-one who’d get you excited if you were linked with them.

Versatile defender Martin Kelly and right back Stephen Darby have both played for the first team and Emiliano Insua also seems to have the ability to make the left-back berth his own after his performances last year so perhaps it’s not all doom and gloom. Johnson has played at international level and at Chelsea so he should be able to cope with the pressure at a big club and he’s aiming to make the England right-back spot his own in a World Cup year.  He can bang in the odd screamers and he’s more than happy to get over the half way line so he’s already ahead of Arbeloa there.  If he strikes up a good partnership with Dirk Kuyt, I can see him making a major influence on the way next season pans out.

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