Kyle Walker, Reece James and the best full-backs in the Premier League 2023/24

In modern football, the role of full-backs is becoming increasingly important. The full-back positions not only know how to defend, they also have to participate in coordinating play, creating assists, and even scoring goals. Each coach will have a different way of using full-backs, and that variation is based on each strategist’s philosophy.

 

The Premier League is where the world’s top coaches gather such as Pep Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp, Erik Ten Hag or Mikel Arteta. Each person has their own philosophy, and it is clearly shown in the way the fullbacks play.

Reece James (Chelsea)

 

Besides Walker, Reece James is also a complete fullback. Chelsea’s defender is agile, strong but also technical. Not only is he good at defending, he is also very good at rising up to support attacks by dribbling or crossing the ball.

Kyle Walker (Manchester City)

 

Kyle Walker was once very close to Bayern Munich, but due to Pep Guardiola’s efforts, the English defender decided to extend his contract and stay at Etihad Stadium. For many years, Walker has always been praised as the best defender in the Premier League.

Andrew Robertson (Liverpool)

 

Robertson cannot support the attack as well as Arnold on the opposite wing, but the Scottish defender has a balance between attack and defense. Robertson’s dynamism helps Liverpool’s pressing system work effectively. In particular, he plays durably and rarely gets injured.

Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool)

 

Arnold was the fullback with the most assists last season with 9. He is hailed as the best attacking full-back in the world. Arnold possesses very accurate passing and crossing abilities, skills that have been compared to David Beckham in the past.

Kieran Trippier (Newcastle United)

 

Trippier joined Newcastle in January 2022. His leadership and classy performance at right-back helped Newcastle return to the Champions League. Trippier plays well both in attack and defense, especially the former Atletico Madrid star also possesses outstanding free kick ability.

Luke Shaw (Manchester United)

 

Luke Shaw is one of the best names at MU at the moment. The English defender possesses a comprehensive set of skills and is the most important name in the Red Devils squad. Not only is he a solid defender, Shaw is the one tasked with pulling the ball up for MU thanks to his speed and technique.

Ben White (Arsenal)

 

Ben White has emerged as an excellent midfielder since his time at Brighton. However, since last season, he was pushed to the right wing by coach Mikel Arteta. This innovation of the Spanish captain changed both White and Arsenal.

Ben Chilwell (Chelsea)

 

Chilwell was once expected to be England’s number 1 full-back. Chilwell has a comprehensive defense, but is often injured. The constant absence from competition affected his psychology and ability to develop.