Who's the current better left back, Ashely Cole or Patrice Evra?

[R_9-Ronaldo]

Who's better as of right now

[Big Soccer Member]

I would normally say Evra, but from Christmas onwards last year he was exceptionally poor, whilst Cole's performances keep improving at Chelsea. I'll say Cole.

[Harry Boulton]

Cole is the more assured player defensively, in my opinion. His form when he moved to Chelsea disappeared down the pan for a while but slowly he'd got some of it back and last season was a good season for him. This season we'll see him kick on again.

Evra's first 6 months were aweful, but the following 18 months after that have been exceptional. Towards the end of last season yhe appeared to struggle against wingers with pace, which is worrying when you consider how athletic he is. He seemed to be commiting too early and getting wrong-footed all the time. Lennon tore him a new one at Old Trafford.

Head says Cole, heart says Evra which I guess makes Cole the more assured, rounded player.

[Dear_Claudio]

Currently it's Ashley Cole, who had a stupendous 08/09 campaign while Evra started to tail off. I am a huge fan of Evra and love his athleticism and attacking flair, but Cole hasn't put in a poor performance in a very long time for Chelsea so he just barely edges it atm.

[wellz]

I guess if the question is RIGHT NOW I can see how a lot of people are praising Ashely Cole's good form but Patrice Evra is without a shadow of doubt a better LB overall and will continue to be.

[Dear_Claudio]

I guess if the question is RIGHT NOW I can see how a lot of people are praising Ashely Cole's good form but Patrice Evra is without a shadow of doubt a better LB overall and will continue to be.
Cole's good 'form' has been running for over a year now. I love Evra's game but I've seen him made into the wingers' bitch a few times. Ashley Cole never has a bad game at the back. His defensive positioning, awareness and recovery skills are second to no fullback on the planet. To rate Evra slightly better is obviously an acceptable viewpoint, especially for a Manc, but to say Evra is without a shadow of doubt a better player is ridiculous.

[sendorange]

I'd have to say Cole.

[wellz]

Ashley Cole never has a bad game at the back. His defensive positioning, awareness and recovery skills are second to no fullback on the planet

Eh I don't find the need to start a big debate about this but Ashely Cole is regarded by many as "overrated"

[billyireland]

Last 6 months - Cole, by a distance.
Last 12 months - Cole, but a lot closer.
Last 2-3 years - Evra, quite noticeably.
Last decade - Cole, due to longevity.

[Dear_Claudio]

Eh I don't find the need to start a big debate about this but Ashely Cole is regarded by many as "overrated"
I think that's more down to those who question his attitude and personality rather than his abilities as a footballer. That's a massive cop out attempting to avoid debate. If you think Cole is overrated then I'd love to hear why.

[quintessence]

Last 6 months - Cole, by a distance.
Last 12 months - Cole, but a lot closer.
Last 2-3 years - Evra, quite noticeably.
Last decade - Cole, due to longevity.

This.

[wellz]

I am getting a little fed up with the fawning over Ashley Cole. From a technical perspective of the qualities required to be a full back he lacks in the following areas
1 He has no right foot, indeed he has no way of modifying his game around the inefficency, frequenlty either having to spin round or fouling as he is off balance.
2 He is a poor header of the ball (he is a bit small)
3 His tackling, unless it is a slide tackle from the side is usually clumsy
4 His positional play in defence is appalling, I do not have the stats but I think that on my subjective analysis that opposition have scored significantly more goals from the chanel between him and the centre backs.
5 He gets caught up field far too much

I dont doubt that he has qualities going forwrad, but I would challenge anyone to tell me the number of quality crosses he has actually produced, more often than not there is a breakdown as he runs out of ideas and we revert back to my point 4 and 5
I just dont think he is a very intelliegent player, and at full back I would rather have someone who is canny, than a quasi winger.

It seems we all must bow at the alter of A Cole being the best in class, just listen to Alan Green on 606, however if I were in opposition he would be who I would target as the true achilles heel of England, at club level I think he is better covered.

Hey ho, nothing personal about the guy, I just think he should be dropped until he learns a few more skills.

[Dear_Claudio]

:rolleyes::rolleyes:

Find me another fullback that would make Fergie switch Ronaldo to the opposite side in a Champions League final simply so he wouldn't be marked out of the game. Ashley Cole may have been the best defender in the Premier League last season and yet, according to you, he can neither tackle nor position himself correctly. And he plays as a quasi winger?!? Cole has the physical attributes (pace, stamina, agility, balance, acceleration) to get up field quickly and recover just as fast. Also, Chelsea usually have the opposition pinned in their own half so of course he gets forward a lot. But that is a ridiculous statement when the player he's being compared to in this thread would much rather be marauding around the opponents penalty area than marking the world's best attackers - something Cole revels in.

The only valid points you have are that Cole is quite left-footed and he is a poor crosser. Chelsea fans constantly complain about Cole's lack of crossing but despite his one-footedness he very rarely fails to clear danger due to this. He is actually, similar to Makelele in a way, brilliant at playing out of trouble despite his small frame.

[nurspec]

None of those two are the best , Clichy is the best.
He's been the most consistent at the highest level ,he defends better than Evra and attacks better than him also. Cole is second to Clichy and one of England best players period ,regardless of his repulsive personality.
Clichy had a poor season ,for him, last season ,but even though he was playing injured and was still better than Evra.
Clichy was able to shut down Ronaldo buy him self with ease every time the came up against each other. CHeck Ronaldo's stats against Arsenal for a clearer explanation,he swapped sides if of the field more times than any player ,when he played them ,but couldn't get any joy against Sagna either.

[mafi_oso]

Defensively both are the same level. Ashley has more offensive skills. Is a more usable player. Cole is a bit better.But is we looking for future, G.bale I think;)

[Harry Boulton]

Clichey is a decent player. Very positionally sound, fast, technically great. He is an absolutely brilliant player.

However, he's not first choice for his country, is he? So someone somewhere is seeing something from Evra that puts him ahead in the pecking order.

Personally I think that, had Evra's form not dipped so badly towards the end of last season this discussion could be very different. Evra's form during the final 2 or 3 months of last term is affecting many people's opinions of him.

[nurspec]

Clichey is a decent player. Very positionally sound, fast, technically great. He is an absolutely brilliant player.

However, he's not first choice for his country, is he? So someone somewhere is seeing something from Evra that puts him ahead in the pecking order.

Personally I think that, had Evra's form not dipped so badly towards the end of last season this discussion could be very different. Evra's form during the final 2 or 3 months of last term is affecting many people's opinions of him.

Not being first choice for his country really means nothing and gives Domenech more credit than he desereves. Just look how long it took him to realize Lass Diarra was the best defensive mid fielder in the country! Clichy is the better of the two imo off of last season ,but i rate evra very highly.You are correct about Evra's form, as a man u fans you must have seen what Aaron Lennon did to him last season. He shuoldn't feel too bad ,Lennon did the same to Clichy last season around the same time. BUT Evra season overall was not the Evra of season's before.

[Harry Boulton]

The first half of his season was fine. When our defence went 14 games without conceding he was as good as the rest, despite his ban.

But in the run up to that Tottenham game he was wobbling a little bit and it was obvious he was struggling to find some rhythm or form. Then Lennon tore him a new one and he got worse and worse. He did pick it up towards the end of the season a little bit though.

I hope he starts this season as well as he started the last one. He is a good player but when a player plays that well and then suffers a drop in form it's more noticeable I guess.

[Dear_Claudio]

Clichy post
Clichy is a pace merchant playing in defense. Good player but nowhere near the level of Cole or Evra. He was unbelievably poor at times last season.

Defensively both are the same level. Ashley has more offensive skills. Is a more usable player. Cole is a bit better.But is we looking for future, G.bale I think;)
I think you've got that backwards. Evra is a quality attacker and could play LM with relative ease. Ashley Cole is good at supporting in the attacking third and adding that extra body but his direct running and crossing aren't up to snuff. Evra is more suspect at the back than Cole.

[barroldinho]

Ashley Cole has had one good season so far at Chelsea. Evra, despite a patch of iffy form at the end of the season and his wobbly start when he first signed, has been phenomenal as United's left back. If you based the argument on every bad patch a player has had, Cole wouldn't even get a mention. Decent for Arsenal, inconsistent for Chelsea til last season, mediocre for England.

I'll stick my neck out and say that when Evra is on form, there isn't a better all-round LB in the world.