5 high-profile defenders who are overrated
World football has changed a lot in the last decade and the top leagues in Europe have millions of followers all around the world. With more and more influx of money, the market has become inflated which is why we see mega-money transfer deals nowadays. With increased publicity in football, we often get to see some players getting much more traction than they actually deserve.
‘Overrated’ is a very difficult and a relative word. For some, a player might be overrated while he can also be a hero to many out there. In this article, we will take a look at five defenders who we feel are a bit overrated.
#5 Ricardo Rodriguez
World football has changed volumes in the last 10-15 years which is why we get to see more number of modern-day full-backs who often look like wingers when they burst forward. Modern full-backs move up and down the flanks and contribute equally in attack and in defence.
Ricardo Rodriguez has made a quite a reputation for himself as one of the best left-backs in the game in the last few years but the fuss about the Swiss is way more than he actually deserves.
Rodriguez lacks pace and makes the team vulnerable defensively majority of the time when he makes an attacking run down the left flank. His crossing ability and set-piece deliveries are top-notch but Wolfsburg have suffered a lot due to his poor defending skills.
Wolfsburg are 14th in Bundesliga this season having conceded a total of 31 goals in 21 games and Rodriguez has some part to play in such a poor defensive record. The Swiss international averages just 0.8 interceptions and 1.5 clearances every game which is far from impressive.