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#3 Ricardo Pereira (Leicester City)
Since his arrival from Porto in the summer of 2018, Pereira has lit up the Premier League with his energy, panache, and aggression in both attack and defence. Comfortable on the ball and strong in the tackle, the 26-year-old Portuguese has added a real dynamism down the Foxes’ right flank.
While he has scored 3 goals and assisted 2 more this season, he has also helped Leicester keep 10 clean sheets while claiming the third spot in terms of successful tackles made this season with 119. This is made even more impressive by the fact that Pereira has missed the entirety of the season post-lockdown, having damaged his knee ligaments earlier on in the season.
Also Read: Top 5 left-backs in the Premier League this season
#2 Matt Doherty (Wolverhampton Wanderers)
Wolves’ longest-serving outfield player, Doherty was singed for well under £100,000 from Ireland’s Bohemians in 2010. He has gone on to become one of the key players in Nuno Espirito Santo’s wonderful Wolves side. Like Baldock, Doherty is also usually deployed in a right wing-back role and is extremely tidy in defence, but it is his attacking threat that makes him truly dangerous.
The excellent timing of his overlapping runs, ability to compete aerially, and excellent crossing ability, ensure that he possesses the complete modern full-back skill-set. The Ireland international has scored 4 and set up 8 more this season (with 12 clean sheets to boot), making him a Fantasy Premier League favourite. However, no stat more comprehensively underlines his importance than the fact that Wolves have lost both games in which Doherty hasn’t featured in this season.
#1 Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool)
Not many footballers can be described as a right-back-cum-playmaker. However, Trent Alexander-Arnold’s displays from right-back have been so impressive in recent seasons that the term might have to be introduced into footballing parlance just for him. The youngster offers Liverpool what is potentially the most dangerous attacking outlet in Europe, let alone English football, with his ability to deliver panic-inducing crosses from practically anywhere on the field.
That’s not to forget his incredible ability from dead-ball situations. Alexander-Arnold is more than capable of smashing a free-kick into the top corner, which he has demonstrated on multiple occasions in his fledgling career.
Having made it into the Guinness Book of World Records for most assists by a defender in a single Premier League season over the 2018-19 campaign, Alexander-Arnold promptly broke his own record this season by assisting 13 goals this time around. He also scored 4 for good measure while playing his part in keeping 14 clean sheets.
The fact that Liverpool play with a constant high press suits his style of play perfectly as it allows him to play almost as a second winger, often to devastating effect. His performances have been key to Liverpool’s dominance in England and Europe over the past couple of seasons, and the fact that he’s just 21 and might not even have hit his peak yet is a scary thought for opposition teams.
