The Left Footer

One of the ongoing sagas in football is the left-hand side of midfield and defence. This is a problem that plagued the England side for many years and resulted in the likes of Steve Guppy and Chris Powell receiving England call ups. If you despise Ashley Cole, at least admit that his presence as a world class full back allowed us to have some consistency on the left of defence.

This problem expands beyond the England side, with many Premier League teams facing this question with regards to left backs and left wingers:

Should we play the left footer or the better player?

Here's the formula:

If you play a right footed left winger it is more important to play a left footed left back because there is a need for width in attack. For example, Ferguson was able to play Rooney effectively on the left hand side because of Patrice Evra's infinite ability to get forward. Simultaneously, Rooney's willingness to cover back allowed Evra to bomb forward with confidence.

In contrast, Aston Villa often looked unbalanced when Martin O'Neill played the two right footed Youngs on the left hand side. Ashley Young looked fantastic last season, but on his forays inside, there was often space on the left that wasn't being exploited. In these situations, Abonglahor was often drawn into this space, consequently removing himself from goalscoring positions. With the signing of his former Boro teammate Stewart Downing, Luke Young will be able to be part of a more balanced left hand side. And hopefully, Downing's arrival will lead to Ashely Young being given the central roaming role that he could thrive in. Alternatively, Ashley Young will remain wide on the left, with Shorey (if he regains MON's confidence) providing the balance going forward.

This problem, has in fact become a template for success on the right hand side of the pitch. The case in point being the play of Lionel Messi for Barcelona. His runs from the the right hand side on his left foot have left defences with few answers, and caused Gus Hiddink to claim that, Jose Bosingwa, playing as a right footed left back would have an easier time defending him. Here it becomes truly odd, because Bosingwa defended Messi exceptionally well. Left footers can move to the right and vice versa -- it depends on the situation.

The point here is clear, the original notion that focused upon the lack of the left footed player, especially within the England setup, was in fact misguided, or perhaps, that area of the pitch has simply changed. Being balanced on the left, doesn't depend upon both players being left footed, it relies on the balance of the two players. Arguably, two right footers with a better understanding will be more successful than two left footers. Further, Messi proves that having the ability to come inside can be more dangerous than to the ability to go on the outside. Simply put, in modern football, the wide positions are becoming more diverse in their duties, and consequently, the traditional concept of the search for a 'good left foot' could be coming to an end.