Full Backs!

Juliano Belletti is the kind of player that Chelsea have needed for a long time, a full back who knows how to push forward in devastating fashion. Believe me there is nothing more satisfying for me than to see a marauding full back.

The club is blessed as it has 3 very effective full backs in Ashley Cole, Wayne Bridge and Belletti who love to bomb forward. This provides an extra dimension and an impetuous to the attack, which opposition teams fear. In fact I believe in Brazil the best overall football players were full backs. These guys could play midfield, wing positions and even as strikers. A high quality full back has pace, can tackle well, can mark well, can pass well, dribble, try tricks, shoot, cross and also has to be at least decent in the air.

Look at Lahm, he played in midfield against England at Wembley and still outclassed the English midfield...Zambrotta like many full backs was a winger in his earlier days. The versatility, which is crucial in modern football, which full backs provide is invaluable.

If you look around Europe you will find plenty of high quality players in other positions but not enough full backs of quality. In fact they are so few in numbers that I can name them now (remember high quality) -

Clichy, A.Cole, Evra, Abidal, Zambrotta, Sagna, Sagnol, Lahm, Alves, Maicon and well that`s about it.

Now some of you may wonder as to why I have not included Neville, Ramos,(in Mrs Merlin's case) Ferriera, well the answer as they are very good defensively but that`s about it. They are what I like to call typical English full backs, just defend and maybe maraud forward and with luck the ball may touch my feet...Lescott anybody.

So you can see that there not many real quality full backs. Although there are some decent to semi good ones around like - Miguel, Boswinga, Lopez, Bridgey, Rafinha...but still far not enough. I think this explains as to why Sevilla and their thug of a President wanted so much for Alves. And I for one really hope that we consider getting him or Schalke's Rafinha in the summer.

Good football, especially in South America, has been always about the use of full backs. Without them you cannot possibly put pressure on the opposition. For years the sight of Cafu and Roberto Carlos created fear in teams.

So Belletti and Bridgey may not have been on my list of quality full backs but they are still a precious commodity and it`s an honor to see them marauding in opposition halves.

If we truly aim to play great football, then how we use our full backs will be crucial. And as for Ashley Cole, do not worry he will come good eventually.

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