Bundesliga’s Top 5 Attacking Full-Backs for 2010/11

Next up in our series of articles focusing on the most attacking full-backs across Europe’s top five divisions sees the Bundesliga come under analysis. Top of the list is Georgios Tzavellas, in his debut season at left-back for relegated Eintracht Frankfurt. Sixth-placed Nurnberg have two players in our rankings, with youngster Daniel Schwaab of Leverkusen the only player from the top five clubs in Germany’s top-flight.

Georgios Tzavellas - Combined Total 2.8 Key Passes and Successful Dribbles per game

The left-back joined Eintracht Frankfurt last summer and immediately established himself as a first-choice. His presence in the side proved crucial but Tzavellas suffered a partial rupture of the cruciate ligament in his left knee in early April and subsequently missed the remainder of a campaign that saw his club relegated from Germany’s top division. 

Tzavellas made 1.8 key passes per game, far and away the best of any Eintracht player- Benjamin Kohler, the club’s left winger, was next best on 1.3. The side clearly lacked any real creativity, as only two other players managed 1 or more key passes on average. Compared to our featured full-backs, Tzavellas again fares well- top for key passes, the nearest to him, Timothy Chandler and Dennis Aogo, both register 1.1. 

Despite making a total of 50 key passes for the season, the Greek picked up just 2 assists, a clear example of the poor finishing that plagued Eintracht’s season. With 1 successful dribble per match, he was bettered only by wingers Caio and Halil Altintop, who managed 1.2 and 1.1 respectively. 

Tzavellas was Eintracht’s only real threat when it came to delivery from out wide, though- he managed 2 successful crosses per game, with the pair of wingers only recording 0.5 between them. He was far ahead of any of our featured full-back for crossing, too- Chandler and Aogo were next best on 0.9 apiece.

Defensively, his performance was solid in comparison to his team mates- with 2.4 tackles per game, he was third best at Eintracht, with only one other defender- fellow full-back Sebastian Jung- managing more. His 2.3 interceptions were joint-top of our full-backs with Javier Pinola, though when it came to clearances, Tzavellas leads the way. With an aerial success rate of 68%, his presence was clearly vital to the club and the left-back’s injury was a critical factor in their subsequent relegation. Tzavellas averaged 6.83 in WhoScored.com’s rating, the fourth-best Eintracht player last term.

Timothy Chandler - Combined Total 2.4 Key Passes and Successful Dribbles per game

Drafted into the Nurnberg starting XI in late January, Chandler established himself at right-back and even made 2 of his 14 appearances in right midfield as his side switched between 4-1-4-1 and 4-2-3-1. With 1.3 successful dribbles per game, he leads the way for our full-backs though his club team saw four players make more, with versatile attacking midfielder Mehmet Ekici the particular stand out with 2 per match. 

Chandler was just as impressive creating chances- he made 1.1 key passes per game, the second best of our full-backs, and from a total of 15 key passes, he picked up 2 assists. He made just 26.9 passes per game, the lowest of our five full-backs but made a respectable 0.9 successful crosses per game, joint-second here with Aogo.

He fares well for tackles here- Chandler’s 2.6 per game is second of our full-backs, behind his Nurnberg team mate Pinola. Chandler’s combined total of 2.6 interceptions and clearances is the second worst of our full-backs- 1.8 for the former category is acceptable but with just 0.8 clearances, it’s clear how much work needs to be done on the defensive side of his game. Over the season, Chandler averaged 6.87 per game in WhoScored.com’s ratings.

Javier Pinola - Combined Total 2.2 Key Passes and Successful Dribbles per game

Our third place player also plays for Nurnberg- it’s the first time two team mates have appeared together in our full-backs series. The Spanish left-back was consistent across all our key areas- going forward, he made 1 key pass per game and was joint-second of our full-backs for successful dribbles, with 1.2. Pinola made 36.7 passes per game, the third most of any Nurnberg player and almost 10 per game more than right-back Chandler- it’s clear he has more of a hand in the side’s overall play. 

With 1.1 shots per game, though, he was easily the most impressive goal threat of our featured five- Pinola had a total of 31 shots during the season, finding the net on 2 occasions. Only two Nurnberg players managed more shots, forward Julian Scheiber with 2.2 and Mehmet Ekici on 1.7. Pinola also made 0.6 successful crosses per game, and grabbed 2 assists.

Pinola was the top tackler of our players on show- with 2.9 tackles, he edges Chandler into second. He was second overall in this category at Nurnberg, with Juri Judt leading the way on 3.3. His 2.3 interceptions per game, the equal here of Tzavellas, are also the most impressive. Pinola’s performance saw him pick up 2 Man of the Match awards on his way to a WhoScored.com rating of 6.80 per game.

Dennis Aogo - Combined Total 2.1 Key Passes and Successful Dribbles per game

The left-back broke into Hamburg’s first XI in early December and from there on in made the position his own. Aogo made a total of 20 appearances last term, with his attacking performances helping his side to an eighth place finish. 

A look at Hamburg’s stats show their squad is full of dribblers- eleven players made more than 1 successful dribble per game; Aogo, with 1 per game, was as low as thirteenth for his side, making the same number as Ruud Van Nistelrooy. He was third for key passes, with 1.1, and fourth for successful crosses, with 0.9.

This highlights a better intelligence and accuracy in distribution than the majority of his team mates and is backed up by an 83% pass accuracy, the best of our featured full-backs. With 43.3 passes per game, Aogo comes in second here, and was fifth at Hamburg, as his forays forward from the back were a key part of the side’s attacking play.

At the back for Hamburg, Aogo was second best defender for tackles, with 2.2. Given that he’s bottom of our list here indicates his side were not exactly the most solid defensively- they conceded 52 goals, the sixth-worst defence in the Bundesliga. Aogo was also bottom here for interceptions (1.4) and only recorded more clearances than Chandler, 1.1 to 0.9. He was the most impressive in the air of our full-backs, though, winning 73% of aerial duels and averaged 6.80 in WhoScored.com’s match ratings.

Daniel Schwaab - Combined Total 2.0 Key Passes and Successful Dribbles per game

Leverkusen’s young right-back made 30 appearances last season. Their 4-2-3-1 system, with Arturo Vidal sitting deep and dictating matters, allowed Schwaab plenty of opportunity to bomb down the right flank time and again. He made 47.1 passes per game for the Bundesliga runners-up, third highest for his side behind Vidal and centre-half Stefan Reinartz, and had more possession than any of the full-backs here.

He demonstrated plenty of skill on the flank with an average of 1.2 successful dribbles, edged into second here by Chandler, and his delivery from the flank saw him make 0.9 successful crosses- Renato Augusto was top for Leverkusen with 1.1, indicating his key contribution from the wing. Schwaab also impressed in distribution, with a 78% pass accuracy the second best here, too.

At the back, Schwaab’s 2.3 tackles per game were the third best of any Leverkusen player- although he doesn’t top any of the three categories for challenges here, Schwaab’s stats are the most consistent, demonstrating a more all-round game than most of the other four- 2.3 tackles, 2.2 interceptions, 2.1 clearances shows there’s not any apparent weakness to his game. As a result, it’s no surprise to see he averaged more than any of our five in WhoScored.com’s rankings, with 6.90 per game, and also picked up 2 Man of the Match awards last season.