After last week’s look at the most creative players in Ligue 1, it seems only fair to look a little further down the pitch to the players that not only bring a defensive presence to their team, but glide down the flanks to provide extra support.
In modern day football the full back is one of the most important positions. Providing cover to the centre-backs, tracking the forwards that drift wide and then bombing forward to provide much needed width and an extra option in attack.
Ligue 1 is blessed with so many talented full backs it is really hard to narrow them down, you just have to look at some of the talent that has been produced recently to see how important an area it is in French football. Patrice Evra and Bacaray Sagna both lead the way in England and in the past the likes of Bixente Lizarazu and Eric Abidal were both superb players for Marseille and Lyon.
MATHIEU DEBUCHY – LILLE – 4.1 clearances
As Lille pushed forward to win Le Championnat last season, one of their most consistent players was right-back Debuchy. Showing superb stamina to join every attack he provides cross after cross into the box. Seconds later he will be back in defence, never looking out of place.
Interestingly, Debuchy was not always natural full back. Under Claude Puel he was played as a midfielder, though using his energy and determination further up the pitch never really got the best out of him.
As talented as Debuchy is going forward, his defensive abilities are often played down. He is prone to a few yellow cards now and then but he is strong in the air and never bows down to the challenge. Very rarely do teams find success down Lille’s right hand side. It is clear to see why he is now a French international.
SEBASTIEN CORCHIA – SOCHAUX – 2 assists
Before their relegation to Ligue 2 Le Mans were doing a great job in bringing through some excellent Ligue 1 talent. Gervinho and Tulio de Melo to name a couple; one player that started to gain a little attention before the drop was Sebastien Corchia - the young right-back had broken through the first team and looked a wonderful prospect.
After a season in Ligue 2 it was no surprise that someone from Ligue 1 would invest in this kid. After only four months at Sochaux, no one at the club will be regretting the decision. Positionally he is very good, superb timing in his tackles and a desire to get forward and provide wonderful crosses with his right foot.
When Sochaux battled bravely to an excellent 2-2 draw in Lille it was Corchia who stood out that night. Constantly getting forward, stopping Franck Beria doing the same for Lille, his deliveries from the right caused constant problems and it’s no surprise he has two assists already this season. The u21 captain is definitely a star in the making.
HENRI BEDIMO – MONTPELLIER – 1.1 accurate crosses per game
When Bedimo decided to trade in Ligue 2 football with Lens to the sunnier pastures of southern France, not a lot was made of his transfer. A very low key signing in the summer is now looking like one of the best pieces of business this season.
The left-back has seamlessly settled in to Montpellier’s backline and has easily been one of the best players in Ligue 1 this season. His willingness to get forward combined with unrivalled power and pace has seen Bedimo terrorise his fellow full backs this season.
With 7.19 he has the highest rating of all the full-backs in WhoScored's Ligue 1 Player Statistics. As well as his one assist, he also picked up a superb goal against Lyon. The goals of Olivier Giroud this season have been in part down to the supply from Bedimo down the left-flank. Rene Girard will be blessing his lucky starts that Cameroon are not in the African Cup of Nations.
KÉVIN THÉOPHILE-CATHERINE – RENNES – 3.2 tackles per game
When Chris Mavinga was signed from Liverpool many thought that the French U21 would take Théophile-Catherine’s spot in the Rennes line-up. Luckily for Rennes it seems to have brought the best out of the full-back.
Not as determined to get forward as the other full-backs on this list, as the 0.3 crosses per game will back up, he has been one of the best defenders in the league. Rennes’ formation doesn’t require extra width from the full backs, but it does require concentration and great positioning; two things that Théophile-Catherine has excelled in so far.
Showing his versatility, he has also been able to cover at right-back and centre-back as Rennes have suffered some injury and suspension problems. Having a player that can maintain a level of performance no matter where you put him on the pitch is a quality you just can’t put a price on.
