'Who's laughing now?': The surprise shift changing football

There used to be a joke told in England whereby you would ask someone playing at left-back what position they played in, and already knowing their answer your response would be “what, left back in the changing room?”

Well, who is laughing now? As in a world full of Andy Robertsons and Kieren Tierneys, the left-backs are no longer the butt of football fans’ jokes.

During the opening game of Euro 2020 between Italy and Turkey, the whole world noticed a man of the match performance by Italy’s left-back Leonardo Spinazzola. Equally good at both his attacking and defensive duties, he was often seen further forward than the left-sided attacker Lorenzo Insigne, as this lopsided formation turned out to be Italy’s not-so-secret weapon.

Another noticeable moment in this game was the own goal scored by the Turks, which occurred as result of a passage of play down the Turkish left-hand side. While the Turkish centre-half Merih Demiral was credited with the own goal, the damage was done when Domenico Berardi was given time to send in the ball after the woeful Turkish left-back was on his backside after a poor challenge.

Once the game opened up following this mistake on the Turkish left, it allowed Spinazzola and Insigne, in turn, to do their damage on the opposite side.

Thus you could conclude that the game was lost and then won on each side’s left flank.

Consequently, it’s no coincidence that Italy have been the best team so far and have the tournament’s best left-back, while Turkey were statistically the worst team in the group stage and arguably had the tournament’s worst left-back in French second-division player Umut Meras.

Full-backs (or wing-backs) have scored 13 of the 135 goals so far, which is just under ten per cent – compare this to Euro 2016, which saw Neil Taylor being the only full-back who scored, representing less than one per cent of the overall goals.

The last five tournaments have seen four midfielders and a forward crowned as the competition’s best player with Zinedine Zidane, Theodoros Zagorakis, Xavi, Andreas Iniesta and then Antoine Griezmann winning the respective honours.

However this year, there is a strong argument that it should go to a left-back.

In addition to Spinazzola, who was arguably the competition’s best player so far before his unfortunate tournament-ending injury that will most likely prevent him from winning any awards, there is a long list of other left-backs who would probably sit in the list of top ten players of Euro 2020 to date.

Leonardo Spinazzola of Italy runs with the ball. (Photo by Emmanuele Ciancaglini/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images)

First there is Steven Zuber for Switzerland, who did not start the first two games but when he came into the team, the Swiss’ trajectory changed. He still leads the tournament’s assists stats with the four goals he created during their run to the quarter-finals and it’s quite obvious that his team’s attacking and defensive performance picked up following his introduction.

Secondly there is Robin Gosens, who despite eventually being shut down by England had been one of Germany’s best players in the group stage, particularly with his man of the match performance against Portugal where he was involved in all four goals, scoring the fourth by converting a cross from his equally-effective German counterpart Joshua Kimmich.

Alternatively, there is Thorgan Hazard of Belgium, who is an attacker for his club playing as a left wing-back for his country, while Oleksandr Zinchenko of Ukraine is a left-back for his club playing in midfield for his country, both of whom have been two of their countries’ better players, and both scored the goals that put them into the quarters before both succumbing to teams with better left-backs.

Jordi Alba was Spain’s most dangerous player against Switzerland and Luke Shaw was instrumental in both of the goals in England’s 2-0 win over Germany and then directly assisted two more in the 4-0 demolition of Ukraine.

Jordi Alba of Spain. (Photo by Martin Rose – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)

Raheem Sterling and Pedri have probably shaded public opinion of the respective teams’ most valuable players, nonetheless they have both been two vital cogs in their teams’ respective journeys to the semi-finals.

Then finally we come to Denmark’s Joakim Maehle, who has really stood out as a rival to Spinazzola, and along with Kasper Schmeichel, was probably Denmark’s best player in their fairytale run to the semi-finals.

Against Belgium he stood out as a strong performer despite coming up against Romelu Lukaku and then in the 4-1 rout against Russia, the 4-0 annihilation of Wales and the recent 2-1 victory over the Czech Republic, he was the one constant down the left flank of the Danish attack scoring two and assisting one. His outside of the boot cross for Kasper Golberg’s strike against the Czech Republic was the cross of the tournament and highlighted his quality.

If the Danes are to make the final he will need to keep both Kyle Walker and whoever plays on the right of England’s attack from their plethora of talent quiet, and then most likely Federico Chiesa. However if he succeeds, he is as likely as anyone to become the first left-back to be given this award.

It’s no coincidence that the four teams remaining have four of the six standout left-backs, while Switzerland and Germany were eventually eliminated by teams whose left-back shone on the day. Moreover, the pre-tournament favourites France won their first game when fielding their first choice left-back, then started to draw games when their left-backs both struggled with fitness and eventually went out to the Swiss with no natural left-backs available.

Ultimately it is unlikely that player of the tournament is actually going to be given to a left-back, as whoever shines the brightest during the next three Wembley games will be granted this honour, but what is undeniable is the collection of left wing-backs this tournament has on show is the best in history.

Nevertheless in a tournament won and lost on the flanks, it may be time for those handing out the awards to finally acknowledge the wing-back position. If this happens, then it will be the left-backs who have the last laugh.