Finding the best full-backs from Danish Superliga – data analysis

In our second data analysis piece on Danish Superliga, we will be looking out for the best full-backs currently playing in Superliga using data. Full-backs have come a long way in redefining their traits in the modern game. Gone are the days where they had a very limited task to do only defending. Modern managers are hugely dependent on their full-backs for the team’s successful tactics and their roles have also evolved where some of them play as a midfielder by inverting into the midfield during possession.

In our analysis, we will be considering both the attacking as well as defensive attributes. We will be looking at players who have registered at least 800 minutes of football in the 2021-22 league season. Also, only proper full-backs are taken into consideration i.e. no makeshift options included. 

We will shortlist the best options according to the statistics and data analysis. The success of players like Kasper Schmeichel and Christian Eriksen in EPL has definitely made Superliga a hotspot to find players. Let’s dive deep into the analysis.

Player Profiling

The most important thing for any player or position in football is probably to identify their best-suited abilities. Different players playing in the same position will have different abilities both offensively and defensively. Likewise, full-backs will show both defensive as well as offensive capabilities. In order to account for the profile of the FBs that we are looking into we compare them with respect to how well they perform their attacking and defensive actions. We can see the plot in the image below that compares the FBs in Superliga with this regard.

Looking at the graph, we see the following players are performing in huge volumes with respect to these metrics.

Emil Holm  The 21-year old young right-back from SønderjyskE. The youngster has been a very consistent performer for his team despite them struggling this season and are in contention to get relegated. He has averaged 5.38 successful attacking actions per game along with 13.23 successful defensive actions per game, both of which are highest from the full-backs in the league showing that he is equally balanced in his approach to both phases of the game. Despite recording or contesting in high volume, he still has a 46.9% duel win rate which is a very good measure.