Finding the best full backs from OBOS-Ligaen – data analysis

In our second data analysis piece on OBOS-ligaen, we will be looking out for the best full-backs currently playing in the league using data. Full-backs have come a long way in redefining their traits in the modern game. Gone are the days when 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 registered at least 900 minutes of football in the 2021 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. 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.

Sondre Norheim  The 24-year old defender from Bryne FK. The youngster has played in multiple positions for his side and has featured across the backline. He is a full-back by trade though and mostly plays as a right-back for his side. He averaged 3 successful attacking actions per game and 11.84 successful defensive actions per game. He had also won 58.6% of duels that he contested.