Liverpool’s Greatest Right Backs Of All Time

Posted on May 8, 2020

Historically, the role of a full back was always the most uninteresting out of all roles in the field. Full backs were expected to hold their defensive position, discouraged to venture out and to pass sensibly.

As years passed however, so did the style of play in football. A role which was considered to be the easiest amongst all, now expected players to have the ability to dribble and make lethal crosses while also having defensive awareness and a strong communication with defenders at the other end of the field. Full backs need to be the fittest and the fastest in the league, to track back against wingers and make use of any hole in the opposition’s defense.

As the game evolved into the modern style of counter-attacking football it is today, full backs gained popularity. Liverpool doesn’t have a record of fielding the greatest full backs in recent memory, until now with the likes of Andrew Robertson and Trent Alexander Arnold. However Merseyside had its fair share of legends donning the historical number 2 shirt. Here we take a look at some of the best right backs to wear Liverpool’s red jersey and rank them.

5 Best Right Backs At Liverpool

5. Ephraim Longworth

Starting off the list we take a trip more than 100 years ago to pre WW1 England. Liverpool signed Longworth from Leyton Orient in June 1910. He made his debut against Sheffield United two months later in September, although Liverpool lost the match 2-0 in the end.

Known for his composure and level-headedness, Longworth was solid at the back. He was known for his versatility in both the left and the right flank, sticking to right in his later days. Back then the notion of a full back wandering ahead making incursions into enemy territory in the channels was frowned upon, and full backs were supposed to hang back in a strictly defensive role.

Perhaps that explains the lack of goals for a man making 370 appearances over 18 years for the club. A span which saw him win 2 consecutive league titles in 1922 and 1923, a time in which Liverpool were known for their solid defensive structure more than their attacking threat. He is also known to be the first Red ever to captain the England national team.

He made his last appearance for the club in April of 1928, at 40 years of age. That enough is the epitome of his loyalty and contribution to the Reds, and is one of the finest defenders Liverpool ever had.

STATS:

CUP NAME	APPEARANCES	GOALS
League	341	0
FA Cup	28	0
Charity Shield	1	0

4. Trent Alexander-Arnold

Trent Alexander-Arnold is arguably one of the best right backs in the world right now, and definitely one of the best to sport the Liverpool jersey. A scouser through and through, he was picked up by the Liverpool youth academy at a mere age of six. Initially starting as a winger, Trent Alexander-Arnold shifted to being a right back as it offered him the best chance to break through to the professional team. And breakthrough he did.

Making his professional debut against Hotspurs in 2016 in the EFL Cup, he was eased into the first team in the league by the following season. A mere 19 year old at the time, he quickly garnered attention for his attacking style of play, often filling in the role of a winger and whipping in crosses after crosses into the box.

He naturally slotted into Jurgen Klopp’s counterattacking gegenpressing philosophy and holds the record for the most number of assists by a defender, 12, which came last season as Liverpool finished just 2 points shy of clinching the Premier League. He was also fundamental in Liverpool’s triumph in the Champions League in 2019, garnering worldwide attention for taking THAT cheeky corner against Barcelona in the semi-finals.

Defensively his records aren’t bad either. As a part of the strongest defensive setup in the league in the past two years, he has made 493 recoveries in the league, 194 clearances, and has a decent tackle rate of 65%. It’s safe to say that Trent Alexander Arnold has made a name for himself in the annals of Liverpool’s history, and has a bright future lying ahead of him in a redshirt.

STATS (As on April 2020):

CUP NAME	APPEARANCES	GOALS	ASSISTS
Premier League	84	4	26
Champions League	30	2	6
FA Cup	4	0	0
League Cup	3	0	1

3. Chris Lawler

Chris Lawler rose through the junior ranks of the club and broke through to the professional side on his 17th birthday in October 1960. However he had to wait three years for his debut until March 1963, starting against West Bromwich Albion.

He was a member of the Liverpool team that won its first FA Cup in 1965 and subsequently missed just 3 matches in 336 consecutive appearances for the club, a period in which he won the league, and the English Super Cup twice along with the FA Cup.

Described as a quiet uncomplicated person off the pitch, Chris Lawler let his boots do the talking while playing. A whopping 61 goals in 549 appearances for the club as a right back, he earned the nickname “The Silent Knight” by the Anfield faithful as a consequence. Bob Paisley, the then manager, described that he had a “striker like brain” with a knack of slotting in the right place at the right time.

His consistency was challenged when he sustained an injury playing against QPR in 1973, and underwent a cartilage operation. He never quite achieved the same heights after the injury however, and moved to Portsmouth in October 1975.

STATS:

CUP NAME	APPEARANCES	GOALS
League	406	41
FA Cup	47	4
League Cup	27	5
European Fairs Cup	22	3
European Cup	16	3
European Cup Winners Cup	15	5
UEFA Cup	13	0
Charity Shield	3	0

2. Steve Nicol

As a 19-year-old, Nicol signed up for Liverpool from Ayr United in October 1981 at a price of 300,000 pounds. Before he joined Liverpool, the Scot was only a part-time footballer and out of work as a building laborer.

Like most players with a working-class background, Steve Nicol had a tremendous work rate and was extremely known for his versatility, slotting in as right midfielder, left back, a center back, and even as an attacker once. However with the retirement of Phil Neal (remember the name), Steve routinely started as a right back.

He started 32 out of 67 in his first full season as a Red and was known to be quite an accurate crosser of the ball, breaking the opposition’s defense with his marauding runs. He even led the goalscoring charts at one point, scoring 7 goals in the first 7 opening matches of the 1987-88 season. He filled in 6 different positions in the next season and was also awarded the FWA Player of the Year.

After making 468 appearances and scoring 46 goals for the Reds, a time in which he won 4 league titles and 3 FA Cups, he finally left Anfield after 14 years at the club in 1995. He was named “Chico” by his teammates and fans. He cemented his position as a certified club legend.

STATS:

CUP NAME	APPEARANCES	GOALS
League	343	36
FA Cup	50	3
League Cup	42	4
European Cup	10	2
UEFA Cup	7	0
European Super Cup	1	0
Charity Shield	2	0

Also Read – 3 Best Left Backs At Liverpool

1. Phil Neal

Undeniably the best right back to ever play for Liverpool across generations, Phil Neal is also the most decorated player in the club’s history, with 22 trophies won during his time at Liverpool. A lot of nicknames have cropped up to describe him over the years, but “Zico” as he was known during his time by the Kopites was a fan favorite right from the start.

As a 23-year-old, he signed for Liverpool from Northampton Town in November 1974. Initially making his debut as a left back, he was quickly shifted to his more preferred and natural right wing position. He won the league in his first full season at Anfield in 1975/76, and went on to slot home the penalty that earned Liverpool their first ever European Cup, a cup that Phil Neal would eventually lift 4 times with the club.

Along with the most decorated player in the history of the team, Phil Neal also holds the record for the most number of consecutive appearances for the club – a whopping 417 games for 7 years from October 1976 to September 1983, never missing a single game in those 7 years. Perhaps that is testament enough to his legend at Anfield, if not for a healthy amount of 59 goals in his time as well.

Only when he was in his mid-30’s that his position as a regular was reconsidered, and eventually was replaced by Steve Nicol. After playing 11 years at Anfield, Neal departed the club to join Bolton Wanderers as a player-manager in 1975.

STATS: