Rode Duivel Player Profiles: Right Back

Ugh, it gets ugly here. Right back is almost without doubt the Rode Duivels' weakest position. It wasn't always like that; Eric Gerets and Eric Deflandre were ever present in the Belgian lineup and could always be counted on to give an excellent performance. Now though, there is a lack of a great, pure right back in Belgium. There's some interesting talents for sure, but none that would inspire any confidence for awhile. In a 4-3-3 (Leeken's preferred formation for Belgium), the fullbacks do not necessarily need to provide as much offense, since there are already two wingers on the flanks. So the preference (if I put myself in Georges Leekens' shoes) would be for defensive-minded fullbacks who do not need to reach the opponents' goal line, but provide the understaffed 3 man midfield with coverage.

The Contenders

Sepp De Roover: Here's a guy that's been pretty unlucky in terms of injuries. A few years ago, he was off to a blistering start with FC Groningen, defending well and hurting opposing teams with his banana-like crosses and freekicks. Then he got hurt, badly, forcing him to miss a season. Afterwards, after coming back from the injury, Advocaat called him up for Belgium and he performed very well against Hungary. And then he got injured again. Now with the ambitious Belgian league side Lokeren, De Roover is looking to get back in the national team picture. I think the right back positon is, right now, his to lose.

Guillaume Gillet: Ok, to be honest, I don't like Gillet at right back at all. He gets foward well enough and he has a nice right footed shot (especially on volleys), but he's constantly out of position, leaving Anderlecht open for a counter attack. In the Belgian league he doesn't get exposed too often since the pace is slower and his defensive partners, Juhasz and Mazuch can deal with the usually pedestrian threat offered by other Belgian teams. But it's in Europe where he looks out of his depth. I maintain that if Andelecht had a better right back than Gillet, they would have beaten Hamburg and probably made it to the finals of the Europa League. In his defense, when he played for Leekens at Gent, he was quite good at right back, so maybe he can recapture that form that bagged him his big transfer to Anderlecht.

Toby Alderweireld: Since I've already talked about him in the previous column, I'll make it brief. Alderweireld showed enough promise against Bulgaria to convince me he could be a good player at right back. But, in order to get better, he needs defend higher up the field and give the opposing winger little space. He needs also to be more willing to get past by half and support the midfield.

The Outsiders

Anthony Vanden Borre: Ah yes, the great, unfulfilled talent that is Vanden Borre. If his career had gone according to plan he'd be a world-class right back by now, storming up and down the right side for a big club. But then we learned that Football Manager 2005 isn't always right. After an awful display against Spain (funnily enough the year before he was man of the match against that same team), Vanden Borre hasn't been given a chance at redemption for Belgium. His poor judgement on and off the field has stunted his national team career, but the fact remains, he is fast, strong, technically gifted and not afraid to attack. He's been criticized for being extremely careless leading to defensive lapses, but to some extent, his loan spell with Portsmouth under Avram Grant put an end to that. If he has truly turned a corner and his mind is focused on football, he may warrant another selection.

Ritchie De Laet: De Laet is a reserve team player, so he really shouldn't be considered for a selection. But since he's a reserve (and the best one on his team judging by his award) at Manchester United, I'll cut him some slack. Because of his tremendous pace, De Laet could be a definite asset. He's defensively good, due to his experience at centre back as well. But tactically and offensively he comes up short. Lacking a good cross and big game experience, De Laet is a project and should only be considered once he's playing regular first team football (it needn't be as a starter if he's still at Man U).

Denis Odoi: He had a good season last year with STVV and was named the best left back (he's naturally a right back) in Belgium. He isn't brilliant in attack, but he's fast and is quite strong in the air. May become more prominent on Leeken's radar if he signs with a bigger team like Gent.

Laurent Ciman: Probably never given a fair chance at Club Brugge, Ciman is a rather slow but steady right back (though also comfortable at centre back) who plays for Standard Liege. With an incredibly hard right-footed shot and good aerial ability, Leeken's may be tempted to call him up, if he performs well with Liege.

Marnick Vermijl: An 18 year old Manchester United prospect, Vermijl is a natural right fullback. I must confess I don't know too much about him, but if Ferguson likes him, we may as well keep an eye on him for the future.

My Pick: Sepp De Roover, Anthony Vanden Borre as backup

Leekens' likely pick: Sepp De Roover, Toby Alderweireld as backup