As the game advances at a rapid rate, the ever-changing perceptions of footballers continuously alter. For example, strikers are no longer needed to be the battering ram of a team, with the impetus shifting from looking to physically dominate the opposition to dropping deeper to link up play with the midfield and retain possession.
The patient approach has benefitted those in the middle of the park also, with slighter, technically superior midfielders - Oscar, Juan Mata and Ever Banega, to name but three examples - coming to prominence. With this innovative means of attacking, the onus on defenders to instigate offensive moves has increased, as Spain expertly showcased during their impressive dismantling of the likes of Norway, Italy and the Netherlands in their recent success at the European U21 Championship. Both Marc Bartra and Iñigo Martínez completed a substantial amount of their attempted passes over the tournament, ending the competition with pass success rates of 93.4% and 92%, respectively; the best of centre-backs to have started two or more games in Israel.
The pairing played the most accurate passes of every defender at the U21 Championship, Martínez making 411 and Bartra 298, as Spain ended their time in Israel with an average of 66.1% possession; the best of every team. That was made possible by the ability of the defensive pairing to move the ball forward into the midfield, where the likes of Thiago Alcântara, Asier Illarramendi and Isco were able to pull the strings from the middle of the park, the trio matching the slight but technically gifted midfielder persona to a tee.
But it isn’t just pass success that can highlight the benfit of boasting a ball playing defender, with the percentage also including long ball success. For example, Torino defender Angelo Ogbonna completed 92.7% of his passes, yet only 12.6% of his total 1212 attempted passes were long balls, a low proportion for a centre-back. It isn't just this factor that needs to be taken into account when determining whether a ball playing defender can be deemed successful or not, as while Ogbonna's pass accuracy can't be called into question, the fact that he plays so many short insinuates that he has a player ahead of him to take over possession rather than the Italian pushing forward.
Taking more touches per long pass attempted offers another indication as to which defenders are more comfortable on the ball, instigating attacks from the back by allowing the midfield to utilise possession. In regards to centre-backs who made more than 20 appearances in the position, Arsenal’s Per Mertesacker excels in that respect. The Germany international took 25.5 touches per long ball last season, the most of centre-backs in Europe's top 5 leagues, with it coming as no surprise to see Mertesacker, like Ogbonna, play a low proprtion of his passes long (4.7%). Much of that could be down to Mikel Arteta operating in midfield.
The Spaniard attempted 13.0% of Arsenal’s total passes last season, signifying his eminence to the current system integrated by manager Arsene Wenger. Yet Mertesacker has become a crucial member of the Arsenal first team as proven by his resistance to play the ball upfield and instead pick out a midfielder with a simple pass. Often, the goalkeeper will look to pass it out to the German, who will soon have Arteta offering himself to receive a pass.
Being comfortable in possession is of great importance to a defender that can move the ball forward into midfield, adding a new dimension to the attack, while providing a further threat from deep. While the art of dribbling is usually associated with wingers, the ball skills of centre-backs has aided in the development of defenders, while allowing managers to alter their formations and system to ensure the best is brought out of his team. A prime example of this is Hugo Campagnaro of Napoli, who is set to move to Inter Milan in the summer. Of every centre-back in Europe's top five leagues, the Argentine attempted the most dribbles (65), with an impressive success rate of 56.9%.
Much of this is down to the formation former manager Walter Mazzarri utilised over the past campaign with Napoli, having started three defenders in all 38 Serie A games last season. With an extra man in midfield providing the necessary protection to the back four, this has allowed Campagnaro to break forward on the right flank as noted in his above heatmap, with the 32-year-old having flourished with the responsibility that was thrust upon him, ending the season with an average WhoScored.com rating of 7.59; only Edinson Cavani (7.68) amassed a higher score for Napoli.
What this further notes is that while passing is a vital asset of any defender, especially with regards to a team that aims to play possession football, this particular aspect isn't a necessesarily a determinant for a ball playing centre-back, a facet touched upon in relation to Ogbonna and his 92.7% pass success. Mertesacker, while playing fewer long passes, wouldn't be as mobile in a system that Campagnaro thrives in. Both respective heatmaps from last season show Mertesacker maintaining a relatively central position further limiting his versatility in the backline that a modern day defender would be expected to integrate into his game, much like Jan Vertonghen of Tottenham Hotspur, for example.
Campagnaro, on the other hand, showcases a heatmap that bears a striking resemblance to that of a right wing-back rather than a centre-back and while his pass accuracy in Serie A (86.2%) was lower than that of Mertesacker (91.5%) in the Premier League, the Italian's ability to drive forward while in possession would see him fit the mould of a continental centre-back better than his German counterpart, yet in boasting a lower pass success maybe that Campagnaro is prepared to take more risks when pushing forward compared to that of Mertesacker.
It's this capability to bring the ball forward that Campagnaro, amongst other centre backs, possesses in abundance that has seen his stock rise considerably, while allowing the team to exploit any weaknesses in the opposition that can be capitalised upon when another body is pushed forward to support the attack.
Interesingly, however, while Campagnaro is heavily involved in both the build up play and attacking moves with Napoli, the Argentine was responsible for 8.2% of the club's overall touches last season, a figure eclipsed by that of Hamburg's Heiko Westermann. The German was responsible for 12.1% of the Bundesliga side's overall touches last season, representing that Westermann was an important member of the Hamburg team over the 2012/13 campaign. Much of their play went through the 29-year-old, evidenced in that the defender played the most forward passes (1022) in the Bundesliga last season.
This showcases that Westermann enjoyed being in possession with Hamburg last season across the defence, as noted in his heatmap, but in mustering a pass success of only 81.1% - with 18.86% of his passess being long - the defender wasn't perhaps the best player to be dubbed a ball playing defender, especially when taking dribbling into account, where Westermann attempted just 0.5 per game last season.
When factoring in all three facets that would generally be associated with a ball playing defender - pass accuracy, low percentage of long balls played and dribble success - then Andrea Barzagli would rank highly in that respect. The Juventus defender played only 11% of his total passes long, mustered a pass success of 90.4% for the Serie A champions, while attaining a 95.2% dribble success; the highest of any centre-back to have attempted 20 or more dribbles last season.
While each of the aformentioned trio of centre-backs excel in their respective category, it's Barzagli who boasts the best overall stats when factoring in the three primary assets that a ball playing defender should possess. Furthermore, in playing in a team that regularly utilises a three man defence, much like Napoli in relation to Campagnaro, the 32-year-old is allowed to promulgate his exceptional dribbling capabilties that helped Juventus dominate in Italy last season.
Moreover, while Barzagli plays a low proportion of his passes long with a player of Andrea Pirlo's capability operating in the Juventus midfield, the Italy international is comfortable with bringing the ball forward into midfield himself, thereby able to start attacks on his own.
