Having been a season ticket holder since our 2005/6 season, I can’t recall a time where we’ve had a defensive line which was exceptional in its entirety. For the most part, it’s rubber-banded between being solid at best to an absolute train wreck at worst – this usually being down mainly to an inconsistent or inadequate centre back pairing. Conflictingly though, the problem area of our defence over the last two to three seasons has in my mind been our full backs – an issue which has only been exacerbated by a sharp decline in Olsson’s performances since our last campaign and, if we’re being honest, Whittaker’s unrelenting deterioration since we signed him.
Having already mentioned Olsson’s below par displays in recent games, it’s key to note that he has at least proven to be an exceptional player for us in the past – a player who I believe he can be exceptional again. Moreover, our only real alternate option bar signing a new left back would be the long term implementation of Garrido into the side, and while I believe him to be a very capable fringe player, he’s not consistent starting material unless necessary. Perhaps the simplest way to get Olsson back to his peak would be to give him a rest in one of our next few games; it’d allow him some recovery time whilst also giving Garrido a morale boost – a win-win situation.
Martin and Whittaker on the other hand are a totally contrasting issue. When the latter was initially signed in 2012 he was Martin’s subordinate, but for reason unclear to myself or seemingly anyone else (neutral or otherwise) he was the preferred choice throughout much of Adams’ reign and started against Bournemouth in Neil’s first game in charge despite battling a virus. The thing that perplexes me the most about the recently consistent selection of Whittaker at right back is the fact that he is categorically inferior to Martin in nigh on every aspect on the pitch. I’m by no means placing Martin on a pedestal as he’s far from outstanding, but he is at least defensively competent and understands the fundamentals of his position – such as actually tracking his man… what a revelation!
Essentially what our right back situation distils down two is the unquestionable need for a new signing in the position – ideally in this window but it seems unlikely. Both the Scotsman are getting on a bit and perhaps have two to three season left in the main picture at the club. Now is the time to begin integrating a new face into our group, in fact I’d argue it’s essential. Ideally, Sam Byram is the man we need (at least in my view) and what he could bring to the table has been outlined excellently by Seb Ward in one of our latest articles on the site, so give it a read if you want to know more.
To conclude then, for now I believe our best full back options to be Russell Martin and Martin Olsson but I couldn’t be more clear that this setup currently is not optimal. We are in desperate need of a new right back which would allow for the demotion of Martin to the fringe of our squad and hopefully the ultimate removal of Whittaker altogether – the stuff dreams are made of.
