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It's always a blessing for teams when their defenders can help out in the assists department by setting up chances for their teammates.
Full-backs are some of the most hard-working players in football. They are usually tasked with covering the length of their flanks for the entirety of the game. They shuttle up and down the wings as they try to help out their team both in attack and in defence.
While they are primarily defenders and need to maintain great positional discipline, they cannot afford to just sit back like the centre-backs. The full-backs provide the width for their side as they foray forward and they are given the responsibility of whipping in crosses into the box.
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We have some high-quality full-backs in Europe right now. Thanks to the diverse systems that coaches use these days, some of these players are also the primary playmakers for their teams.
Without further ado, let's take a look at five defenders with the most assists in Europe's top five leagues so far this season.
#5 Christian Gunter (SC Freiburg) - 6 assists
SC Freiburg have been one of the more improved teams in the Bundesliga this term. They finished 10th in the league table in the 2020-21 season with 45 points from 34 games. They are currently sixth, with 30 points from 19 games and are only two points behind third-placed Bayer Leverkusen.
28 year old left-back Christian Gunter has been a standout performer for Freiburg this season. He possesses great pace and can whip in some delightful deliveries from the left flank. Gunter is the club captain and he has been leading them from the front this term.
The German international has registered six assists in 19 Bundesliga appearances this season.
#4 Caio Henrique (AS Monaco) - 6 assists
Caio Henrique joined Atletico Madrid in 2016 but only made one senior appearance for them over the next couple of years. He was subsequently loaned out to Parana, Fluminese and Gremio before signing for AS Monaco in August 2020.
Henrique had quite an impressive first season in France. He recorded five assists in 31 appearances for AS Monaco in the 2020-21 season. This resulted in him garnering attention from the likes of Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2021.
The Brazilian has turned it up a notch this season and has been one of Monaco's best players so far this term. Henrique has scored a goal and provided six assists in 19 Ligue 1 appearances in the ongoing season.
He used to play as a midfielder in his younger days and is still occasionally deployed as a number 10 at Monaco.
#3 David Raum (TSG 1899 Hoffenheim) - 6 assists
1899 Hoffenheim left-back David Raum is one of the most exciting prospects in Germany right now. The 23 year old is a technically proficient player who rose through the ranks at Greuther Fürth before making his senior debut for them in 2016 as a teenager.
Raum was part of the German u21 side that won the European championship. He also represented Germany at the 2021 Olympics. What sets him apart from most of the other full-backs is the fact that he is an exquisite passer of the ball.
Most of his assists have flowed out of passes rather than crosses as we've come to expect from a full-back. Raum can play as a left-back and as a defensive midfielder as well thanks to his technical qualities and tactical acumen.
He has scored two goals and provided six assists in 18 Bundesliga appearances so far this season.
#2 Andrew Robertson (Liverpool) - 6 assists
Scottish left-back Andrew Robertson is one of the best value-for-money signings that Liverpool have made in recent times. The 27 year old joined the Merseysiders from Hull City on an £8 million deal in the summer of 2017.
He has been a vital cog in Jurgen Klopp's system since then and played a crucial role in Liverpool's Champions League triumph in 2018-19. Robertson was a standout performer as they won the league in the 2019-20 season as well.
The Scottish international's blistering pace, doggedness and quality delivery make him one of the best full-backs in the world. He is one of Liverpool's sharpest weapons in attack.
After a rather underwhelming 2020-21 season by his own lofty standards, Robertson seems to be getting back to his best this term. He has scored one goal and provided six assists in just 15 Premier League appearances so far this season.
#1 Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool) - 10 assists
Trent Alexander-Arnold is the best full-back in the world right now. Jurgen Klopp relies on his full-backs to create chances. Alexander-Arnold has the technical proficiency to match the best midfielders in the game. In fact, he is one of the best passers in the English top-flight right now.
Alexander-Arnold's passing range and set-piece ability have made him one of Liverpool's most dangerous players. It is not easy to grab the headlines for a team that has the likes of Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane but the 23 year old has managed to do it quite often.
He has been absolutely brilliant for Liverpool in the Premier League this term, scoring two goals and providing 10 assists in 19 appearances.
