Premier League defenders with the most assists
Full-back was once the most undesirable position in football. As Jamie Carragher crudely put it on Monday Night Football back in 2013: "Nobody wants to grow up to be a Gary Neville". Carragher was suggesting that no aspiring footballer desired to be a conservative full-back who rarely ventured forward and whose primary focus was defending. The former Liverpool defender would add that full-backs were either failed wingers or failed centre-halves. At the time, there was certainly a lot of truth in Carragher's sentiment. But the role of the full-back, as a result of samba influence and Pep Guardiola, has evolved drastically in a relatively short space of time. A once unflattering position has morphed into one of trend, style, and significant tactical importance to elite sides. Thus, it's no surprise that four of the top ten and two of the top three when it comes to Premier League assist leaders among defenders are current players. The leading ten are all full-backs an...