We desperately need a right back

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Wednesday at Stoke

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With all due respect to Tony V and Ashley Young, who have both put in a shift as fullbacks, we need to stop messing with these positions and find reliable players there.

I can understand the left back slot being a peculiar circumstance as we have 3 options, a starter (Shaw) who's injured, the first choice back up who's injured (Blind) and the next option having to fill in at center back. There were instances in last game where the midfielder would look up and see a vast void in space on that right side with no one to pass to.

I love Rafael and he does a fantastic job when fit but he's far too susceptible to pick up injuries and suspensions quickly and we need a reliable option B for him, either a starter or a very good back up. In my opinion, this is even more important than a center back or winger as the fullback positions are specialist positions where a makeshift player can be easily found out.

So, what are our options and who's available?
 
De Sciglio's not been at his best recently but seems to be the case with most of the Milan team. Can play both sides too, should take a punt on him.

Raoul said:
Its probably the position where we least need to make a change.
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With Rafael's persistent injury problems it really isn't, Valencia is a shite back up.
 
Santos J said:
De Sciglio's not been at his best recently but seems to be the case with most of the Milan team. Can play both sides too, should take a punt on him.



With Rafael's persistent injury problems it really isn't, Valencia is a shite back up.
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Rafael just needs to get healthy and match fit. Valencia is a capable backup. We need a CB more than anything right now.
 
Raoul said:
Rafael just needs to get healthy and match fit. Valencia is a capable backup. We need a CB more than anything right now.
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He's needed to get healthy and match fit for years but he can't do it consistently and having good back up doesn't hurt either way. If Valencia's 'capable' we need better than that. It isn't one or the other in terms of signing a RB/CB.
 
Raoul said:
Its probably the position where we least need to make a change.
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We could get away with it if we were playing with wingers but as it stands now, the fullbacks are the only width and Valencia, I'm not sure if it is by instruction from Van Gaal has completely stopped venturing into the final third. You'd probably not notice it until you see the difference a true right back makes in a game.
 
I'm not sure if there's a way to get cumulative ratings per position for our season other than counting it manually from the caf but I'd venture to say that the right back spot must rarely ever get any more than a 6 on a good day.
 
Raoul said:
Rafael just needs to get healthy and match fit. Valencia is a capable backup. We need a CB more than anything right now.
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Unfortunately I have recently started coming to terms with the idea of accepting a lesser right back than Rafael who we can rely on to play 40+ games a season
 
I actually think, which is strange to say, Ashley Young's been a better makeshift full back than Valencia. Neither is very good defensively, but Young seems to understand where he needs to be a bit better than Valencia. In other words, I agree - a right back would be very handy.
 
Locka1 said:
Unfortunately I have recently started coming to terms with the idea of accepting a lesser right back than Rafael who we can rely on to play 40+ games a season
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*Sigh* I'm coming to the same conclusion
 
I think we need a fullback who can play on both sides. I don't think there will be too many occasions where both of our fullbacks are out injured. Also, I think Rafael and Shaw are too good to be messed about with. A fullback being back up to both will ensure he gets enough game time and is kept happy.
 
iBoss said:
I think we need a fullback who can play on both sides. I don't think there will be too many occasions where both of our fullbacks are out injured. Also, I think Rafael and Shaw are too good to be messed about with. A fullback being back up to both will ensure he gets enough game time and is kept happy.
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Glen Johnson is available it seems.
 
You could screw Juve over by signing Lichtsteiner who only has 6 months left on his contract. Best RB in Serie A and certainly top ten in Europe.
 
Clyne in the summer. If he doesn't sign a new contract he will only have 1 year left as his contract runs out summer 2016.
 
We desperately need a RB and a CB. Rafael is made of glass - doesn't deserve an improved contract. Good when fit but if we can find a RB of similar, or better, ilk, then he is gone.
 
I say we need 2 defenders, a RB and a CB both need to be top class. I just think we need that world class CB to glue this defence together, and a RB that will play week in week out. We buy 2 of those we are going to be a far better organised team that can rely on a few defenders, as Rafeal jones smalling and Evans cannot be relied upon
 
Nedved said:
You could screw Juve over by signing Lichtsteiner who only has 6 months left on his contract. Best RB in Serie A and certainly top ten in Europe.
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Oooh, I like that. Would be a nice little bit of payback after the whole Pogba debacle.
 
Gerald G said:
Clyne in the summer. If he doesn't sign a new contract he will only have 1 year left as his contract runs out summer 2016.
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Kayo said:
Clyne.

Can play LB and RB giving us good cover for Shaw and Rafael for when he gets injured, which is pretty much every other week.
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Do you boys think that he's good enough? I'm starting to come to the conclusion that we indeed do need a new RB. As much as I love Rafael, he's another made of glass. Clyne has certainly looked good this season but I'm not sure how far he can go.
 
devil in me said:
Do you boys think that he's good enough? I'm starting to come to the conclusion that we indeed do need a new RB. As much as I love Rafael, he's another made of glass. Clyne has certainly looked good this season but I'm not sure how far he can go.
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I would keep Rafael for one more season.
 
NoLogo said:
Yeah Clyne really looks like a good option and would probably get a lot of games considering that at least on of our FBs is always injured.
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Clyne is definitely somebody we should consider. Are there young RB's on the continent we could get for cheaper though? I believe Chelsea purchased Azpilicueta for £7m and he's been quite the valuable purchase for them. Obviously not every signing from the continent will work out to be that cheap and transition that well to the PL, but it's definitely something to think about.
 
I hope we can sign Clyne in the summer as he's one of the best fullbacks in the league this season and can play either RB or LB. Credit to Young and Valencia though, both have done a really good job covering them positions and have proven themselves as good squad players especially Young.
 
I do love our Rafael debates, our theoretical "top 3 right back in the Premier League." :rolleyes:
It's not a desperate need considering Valencia's looked capeable (fair play to him) so far this year after a horror show at fullback under Moyes,
But yes.. we should address the issue in the summer.
 
Well we were linked to Srna a few weeks ago and the other day Mitten said the club have made enquiries about him.

Rafael is quality but his injury record means we could do with another option.
 
If we signed Clyne, having two young English full backs capable of making those positions their own for years to come would be brilliant.
 
We definitely need a new RB.

Rafael is good enough when fit but that doesn't count for much if he can't actually stay fit. Right now there's nothing to suggest his injury problems are going to just disappear so we have to make our plans with them in mind.

Valencia has done okay as cover but that can't be any more than a temporary measure. He is a winger and will inevitably be exposed if he continues to play as a right back.

I think we need to sign a RB who is good enough to displace Rafael (rather than just providing cover for him). That way we still have a class RB if Rafael's injury problems continue and, if they don't, we get actual competition for that place which is no bad thing.

If Chelsea are happy to have Azpilicueta and Luis competing for LB then why shouldn't we provide similar competition for Rafael?
 
We need an option A for rightback position. It has been some time since Rafael has been regular starter for us, for obvious reasons. We all like him, but IMO it’s time to accept the things how they are and look for a first-choice RB. And maybe that means we will be able to get rid of Valencia, who has been decent at RB but his contribution in attack is close to none, and it doesn’t seem he will play as a winger under LvG (and rightly so IMO).
 
Clyne and Coleman are so overrated on the cafe. Both would cost a ridiculous amount of money too.

We do need another right back though.
 
NinjaFletch said:
Oh great this bollocks again.
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Rafael has been sent off, and commited less fouls, then Zabaleta over the past 5 seasons.

Yet people still talk about Rafa being the liability. Its amazing.
 
Ramshock said:
We really do because when Rafael is fit, which is rarely, he is also a hand grenade waiting to go off. #

Coleman or Clyne for me
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There are no stats to back that up and in the past few years, Rafael has been one of the better FBs, defensively, in the league.

The only problem for me is that he is never fit. If he had the same injury record as someone like Zabaleta, he would be up there with the best in the league, even the world.
 
We wouldn't have to play wingers there if Moyes hadn't sold the other Da Silva twin who mightn't have been starting most games but was an able back-up for his brother (and could play LB - although LvGs OCD for only playing left footers on the left might have halted that part).
 
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