Our Left Back Blight

Enrique has been unable to retain fitness since joining Liverpool

What is it with Liverpool football club and the far left side of defense? Names of Traore, Insua, Konchesky and Aurelio, while capable footballers, don’t exactly throw themselves into the world class fullback category. These are the players I regrettably grew up with and while the club has had flickers of talent over the years in this position the fact remains that not a single left back has found themselves in the Official Liverpool Hall of Fame.

This is something that needs to change and there is no better time to start than now as we chase up such a successful past season. Currently we rely on the athletic yet erratic Jose Enrique and the solid but uncreative Jon Flanagan with up and comers Jack Robinson and Brad Smith battling in the margins. We need a player who is both defensively sound but contributes consistently in attack, a player of composure but who also throws themselves into the game as aligns with the Liverpool tradition. And this is where, I believe, we find ourselves looking straight in the direction of 21 year old Ben Davies.

I know every Liverpool fan might be sick at the idea of another mid table signing and would rather be looking at an article promoting the signing of the higher profile Alberto Moreno or Ricardo Rodriguez. However I believe that Ben Davies is the answer for both the present and future for a number of reasons.

For the sake of the argument I will compare Davies to Moreno as the popular choice, to Luke Shaw as the apparent peak of young, British left backs and then to Jon Flanagan as our previous first team left back.

Konchesky represented an all-time low, as left-backs go at Anfield

The first cause to turn towards Ben Davies is a matter of cost. Only recently did Tottenham Hotspur have an €8 million offer turned down, with €12 million considered a more likely figure. While still a considerable amount of money it still pales in comparison to the €20 million plus asking price for Moreno or the €31.5 million the Red Devils paid for Shaw. Liverpool fans constantly complain about the club overpaying for players (ie. Andy Carroll, Stewart Downing) and as such if Ben Davies is as competent as Moreno or Shaw then surely it makes sense financially to attempt the transfer.

Secondly and perhaps most importantly is the question of ability. Is Ben Davies good enough to be the first choice left back for a title challenging and Champions League competing team as is required. I think so. Davies played 36 games for Swansea last season, taking over from and then keeping out the extremely competent Neil Taylor. He accrued two goals and an assist in this time. He averaged 2.2 tackles, 3.3 clearances and two interceptions per game. He contributed on average 50 passes with an 85% success rate in each game. All of the above advertise his huge talent and point towards the need to bring him to Merseyside.

This is even more evident when comparing him to the other three aforementioned players.

Offensively, Alberto Moreno just tips it as he scored one extra goal however drastically falls behind with his 79% success rate on his average 29 passes a game. Shaw only managed a single assist and no goals as well as falling behind in regard to average passes (40 per game) and his 79% completion rate. Finally, Davies pips our own Jon

Ben Davies appears to be the current target to help with Liverpool’s LB issues

Flanagan as the academy product only managed a single assist and his sole screamer against Spurs. He is also outdone as he only managed 38 passes at 83% success rate on average.

Defensively these players are drawn into a tighter competition. Flanagan I am proud to say comes out on top with an average of 3.4 tackles a game compared to Davies 2.2 however falls behind in both interceptions (1.7 to 2) and clearances (3.3 to 3). Luke Shaw comes second to Davies in tackles (2 to 2.2) and interceptions (1.1 to 2.2) and draws level in clearances (3). Similarly Moreno loses two (2 to 2.2 in tackles and clearances 1.6 to 3.3) and draws in the interception category (2.2).

As all of that indicates, Ben Davies is, at the very least, greater than or equal to the above players and as such does it not make sense, if quality is similar and as I believe greater, to sign the cheaper player?

In Ben Davies, Liverpool could find a naturalized left back, not one transferred over from the right or pulled back from midfield. One in whom has already adapted to the rigors of the premier league (can I get an Iago Aspas anybody?). He is young enough that he could solve this problem for a decade to come and as such is by the far the best choice for the club going forward.