We Need a Left Back. But Do We Need a Left Back?

All summer, I’ve seen West Ham fans saying that we need a new left back to upgrade on Aaron Cresswell. But all summer, I’ve also seen football commentators and some other West Ham fans saying that we don’t, and that Cresswell is plenty good enough to be our starting left back.

So, which is it? As we enter our 9^th season with the Liverpudlian as our first choice left back, are we making a mistake?

WHAT’S HE GOOD AT?

Statistically speaking, you aren’t going to find many fullbacks that are as competent on the ball as Cress. He averages nearly 70 passes per game – which puts him in the top 10% of fullbacks in the top 5 leagues. He averages 5.20 progressive passes per 90, and 4.02 passes into the final third. It’s not shown in this graphic, but he has 0.85 shot creating actions from dead balls per 90 minutes. That’s insanely high. The guy has an absolute wand of a left foot, and it’s been incredibly effective for us for a long time now.

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There’s almost a complete consensus that Cresswell’s ‘legs have gone’, and that he no longer has the engine to get up and down the flank in the way he used to. I’m not so sure that’s the case.

If you look at his heat maps for the past 8 years, there isn’t a great deal of change. Last season, there is just as much red in the attacking half of the pitch as ever before, which suggest Cress is coping pretty well with the demands of getting up and down the wing.

 

And when he does get forward, that’s where we see that wand of a left peg again. According to Understat, Cresswell is above average for fullbacks in every “expected” measure apart from goals per 90. He creates more xA (expected assists) per 90 than average, more key passes per 90 than average, and is basically on average for his build up play and xG chain.

As a creative, ball playing fullback, you really aren’t going to find many better players.

In terms of West Ham players, he had the 5^th highest expected assists last season, and had the highest xA of West Ham players the year before.

 

WHAT’S HE NOT SO GOOD AT?

The guy can’t defend anymore.

He’s in the bottom 1% of all fullbacks in the top 5 leagues when it comes to attempting tackles. He’s in the top 10% of fullbacks for having people dribble past them. He doesn’t pressure the ball, and he doesn’t intercept the ball very often either.

The poor interception figures are really crucial. He’s had his injuries, and he’s not as quick as he once was, and that lack of ability to intercept the ball hints at a bigger problem – his lack of ability to adapt and read the game. It’s not rare to see Cress out of position and failing to recover. It’s also not rare to see him switch off only for a winger to steal in and score a goal.

Tackling is becoming a serious issue, as he is in the top 6% of fullbacks for fouls committed – anyone remember his red cards in the Europa League last year?

But it’s not just that. He’s in the bottom 20% of fullbacks for getting beat in aerial duels. He might win 56%, but he loses out in the air nearly once a game. Now, that might not seem like a huge deal, but we’ve seen several occasions where he’s been out leapt at the back post.

 

CONCLUSION

If you ask me, we need a left back.

Aaron Cresswell is an excellent footballer, but he's not an excellent defender. He's not even a very good defender. West Ham are still a side that need to be able to defend. The manager wants us to build from the back, and if a quarter of your back four is bad at defending, there's a big old problem there.

We're not at a stage where Cresswell needs to be got rid of, but he can't be a first choice left back from a Premier League side that wants to be competing for Europe.

I love the guy, but he's just not the guy anymore.

*NOTE: Unless stated otherwise, all stats are taken from the past year*