Checking in: The best fullbacks in Europe this season
Where do Timber, Calafiori and Hincapié rank?
Fullback is such a tricky position to really judge, because there are simply so many ways to play the role.
Sometimes, a Jeremie Frimpong is your best bet because he can bomb forward and create chances. Other times, a “centre-back” like Jurrien Timber is the better of the two because he can progress the ball against a press and mop up when attacks get beyond the high line.
To that effect, I even hesitate to call this list a “fullback” ranking. After all, Patrick Dorgu has not entirely been playing as a fullback this season. What about Federico Dimarco or Alex Grimaldo? I don’t know, but they’re all in the same list, so deal with it!
At its core, this list is intended to give you the list of the guys who — to the best of my judgment — give you the strongest blend of defensive security, ball progression, carrying and security, creative passing and goal threat possible. As in life, there are many ways to skin this cat, and below is how I’ve done the skinning.
Things to keep in mind: This is based on stats, and stats aren’t always perfect, particularly for defensive players. I don’t watch spreadsheets — no matter what my haters might say — and neither should you.
The final rank is based on full two-season score, with guys in the top 25 fitting your standard profile for “transfer-friendly age,” which is usually slightly pre-prime.
Anyway, that’s probably enough. Let’s get into some numbers, shall we?
