Hutton v Corluka
There can’t have been many people who could have predicted Alan Hutton’s rise to first team prominence this season. With Hutton going out on loan to Sunderland last season, and Vedran Corluka making the right-back position his own, reports suggested that the Scot had no future at White Hart Lane.
However it was Hutton’s half-time introduction against Wolves that began to change his fortunes. Hutton’s attacking play from right-back netted him his first goal for the club and won Spurs the penalty that turned the game on it’s head. Hutton has been an ever present in the side since and is looking to cement himself as first choice full-back.
While Hutton’s resurgence has come as a bit of a surprise, his quality should never have been in doubt. Just after Juande Ramos signed him, Alex Ferguson revealed his admiration for the player saying: “He (Hutton) looks as though he will become a superstar once he gets that little extra bit of experience”. But soon after he joined, Hutton suffered a foot injury which saw him face around five months on the sidelines.
But should Hutton continue to fill the right-back position, or is Corluka the right man for the job?
There are a few different trails of thought in regards to this subject. While no one can deny that Hutton has made a huge impact since coming into the side, it is arguable that his style of play doesn’t compliment that of Aaron Lennon. Playing in front of an attacking full-back reduces the effectiveness of Lennon’s style of play and holes can be left in defense when he and Hutton are both making their forward advances. So in much the same way that Benoit Assou-Ekotto’s defensive capabilities compliment Gareth Bale’s attacking nature, Corluka plays well with Aaron Lennon. It is generally accepted that Corluka is the better defender of the two, and when you’re looking at putting together a back four that should really be the most important criteria.
But there’s also a case for choosing the right right-back for the right game, just like you would a midfield or a front-line and play Corluka or Hutton depending on the strength of the opponents. When Tottenham go to Old Trafford on Saturday, Corluka could be the better choice, but when a team comes to White Hart Lane to defend or play for a draw then Hutton, like he did against Wolves, could be the deciding factor.
When discussing the subject of who should play right-back for Spurs, young players Kyle Walker and Kyle Naughton shouldn’t be overlooked. Both were signed in July 2009 from Sheffield United as players for the future and are on loan at QPR and Leicester City respectively. Walker especially is highly regarded amongst Spurs fans and many believe that he will take over the right-back position in the seasons to come.
But for the immediate future the question remains. Should Hutton or Corluka get the position? What do you think?
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Has to be Charlie, Hutton is pretty poor, yes he gets forward (which is good as the further a he is from our goal he is the better as he is a liability) but no so good as he eats up Lennons space and has a cross that makes Walcott look good!
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To be honest I don’t think either one of them is good enough in the long term. Hutton is not great at defending and Corluka just is not moblie enough! I would keep Corluk as back up and sign a new right back!
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I agree: Corluka/Lennon complement (please note the “e”) each other. Hutton/Bentley should do the same. It’s very much horses for courses.
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The answer is to play Younes Kaboul at Right Back, with Dawson & King/woodgate c/b and Gallas Left back!! That way with all the attacking flair we do have in the team we can let them loose with a solid 4 defensive line in place.
Kaboul was our best right back last season, we won the biggest games with him in that position and Gallas played well as a left back for Chelsea as he is too small for centre back.
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Elmarshio Reply:
October 26th, 2010 at 4:39 pm
Of course that is when they are all back and fit.
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Corluka vs Hutton? I’d say Corluka due to the height and weight advantage he should win hands down. Mind you Hutton is from Glasgow, and we all know about how hard they are up there so it might be a closer bout than you think. If Corluka fails to knock him out, then it may come down to stamina, which then gives Hutton an advantage. However Hutton is prone to the odd lapse in concentration so I’d say Corluka will catch him with a telling right hook. I’d say Corluka in the 8th.
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Elmarshio – you may Gallas sound like he is Chris Perry. Gallas surely is 6ft. Not too short at all, and he has (or had) a better leap than most so it is/was not an issue anyway. Kaboul is not a right back – he coincidentally played in our hot streak. I saw him play right back this season vs Wigan and he was terrible. Corluka was easily better than him last season – as Kaboul only played about 10 games. This season Corluka is struggling a little and Hutton has been much better.
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Hutton please. I don’t think Corluka wants to be a footballer, he watches wingers walk past him, takes an age to track back when caught upfield, and contributes very little when going forward. I mean when was his last assist?
Hutton is better, quicker and generally more interested. I’m not saying he’s a world-beater, but certainly the best of a bad bunch.
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I personally find it frustrating watching Charlie. He is the better defender but just TOO SLOW. If he is not quick enough he is never going to compete. Hutton is the one for me for now, but looking forward to improvement against the bigger teams and/or a replacement in the form of Naughton!
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Has to be Corluka. He has always been reassuring at the back since he arrived. He consistently nullifies threats with his casual attitude and strong demeanor. Hutton is always on edge, whether he’s bombing forward or nervously defending. Watching Hutton defend makes my blood pressure sky rocket, Charlie keeps it steady.
Hutton is better going forward, but that’s not our problem… We need a better back line. Charlie has done it for over a year and was a massive reason for our top 4 push.
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Corluka had 2-3 bad games while Hutton was terrible for over a year. Give the guy a break. Harry wasn’t able to get him out of the lineup last year even if he wanted to…
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