SQUAD REPORT 18/19: Defence – Can Wagner keep everyone happy?

Following Friday’s squad report about our goalkeeping talent, here’s a summary of how Town’s defence is looking ahead of the upcoming Premier League season. Terence Kongolo and Erik Durm are notable additions to a back line that was already pretty decent.

Here’s the case for the defence…

Right back – Flo set to keep Tommy Smith out of the starting XI

Florent Hadergjonaj

I’ve been really impressed with the 23-year-old Swiss right back since his arrival at Town last season. He had to be patient while he waited for his chance in the team, but when he’s been called upon he’s always done a good job.

Flo’s most obvious asset is his speed, as he can motor up and down the touchline all game. This means he’s able to take up good positions and support attacks but will still bust a gut to get back and help out in defence. I also really like how dependable he is. It’s very rare he makes costly errors and he’s a defender I’ve got confidence in when players are running at him.

An area for Hadergjonaj to improve upon this season is his crossing. His technique seems good to me, but the balls he plays into the box aren’t leading to enough goal scoring opportunities. Most games he’ll have either Steve Mounié or Laurent Depoitre to aim for, so decent deliveries will eventually lead to goals with those two in the box.

Tommy Smith

Last season was tough for Tommy Smith. There’s a big step up from the Championship to the Premier League, and he had to try to contain some incredible players. I’d say he did an admirable job, but at times struggled against the very top players. The fact he received seven yellow cards in 21 appearances tells that story.

I’m still a fan of Tommy Smith, and I think his performances improved as the season went on. It may be that he plays fewer games this coming season, but the amount of work David Wagner expects from his fullbacks makes me think there will still be opportunties for Smith to play a part.

Central Defence – Will Wagner switch to three at the back to accommodate his best players?

Christopher Schindler

It’s hard to overstate how influential Schindler was to Town last season. Most fans knew how great he’d been in the Championship the season before, but he was even better in the Premier League. He was our best player in the majority of our games last season, and I’m confident we’d have gone down without him in the team.

His one-on-one tackling was consistently superb, his ability to read the game and make a timely interceptions was awesome, and he was a commanding presence when we needed leadership at the back. I’m surprised he didn’t get on the scoresheet too, as he was a threat from set pieces.

It’s somewhat of a surprise that there haven’t been bigger clubs sniffing around him this transfer window, but his value to the club means it would take a ridiculous offer for Dean Hoyle to be tempted to sell our best player.

Mathias “Zanka” Jørgensen

The exceptional performances from Schindler overshadowed an otherwise excellent first season for Zanka at Town. His vast experience and success in Danish football meant he wasn’t overawed by the Premier League, having previously played in the Champions League. He was an absolute bargain at around £2.5m in the current market, and I’d expect we could sell him for a healthy profit now he’s proved himself at Town.

The biggest area of improvement for Zanka is his distribution. Most games he’d attempt an audacious 50-yard pass that would go absolutely nowhere near where he intended it to go. However, I suspect those punts upfield will start to look a bit more useful when Diakhaby can use his pace to try and latch onto them.

Terence Kongolo

It was absolutely the right thing for Town to break their transfer record on the dutch defender. He looked absolutely class when he came on loan to us in January last year and slotted straight into the team.

I’ve listed him here as a central defender, as I believe that’s his best position, but he’s played more games at left back for Town than he has in the middle. Given that Zanka and Schindler formed such a good partnership at the back last season it may be that Town start playing a three-man central defence, so we can fit everyone into the team.

Jon Gorenc Stanković

I’ve not been all that impressed with what I’ve seen of Stanković at Town. He’s still young and could improve, but he looks too slow to me. In the friendly against Lyon there were a few occasions where his turning circle seemed comparable to a cruise liner (though Lyon’s forward line were exceptionally quick).

I’m prepared to be completely wrong about this young man though, and if given a chance he might make the step up. With the quality of our other central defenders, I’d expect his opportunities to be limited to cup games this season unless we have an injury crisis.

Left back – doubts over Durm’s fitness could open the door for Löwe

Erik Durm

The World Cup winning left back was an eyecatching signature for Town this preseason, and David Wagner will hope to rehabilitate him to his best. I’ve heard rumours that he’s having to miss some team training sessions and train on his own, so it seems he’s going to take careful management. It could be a similar situation to Ledley King at Tottenham, where managing injuries meant he hardly ever trained, so he could be preserved for matches.

His reputation prior to his injuries was good, so it could be we’ve got a real wild card in the squad. Alternatively, we might have brought in a player that will spend more time in the treatment room than on the grass. It’ll be interesting to see how he gets on at Town.

Chris Löwe

I’m a big fan of Löwe’s no-nonsense approach to football. He had a few wobbly moments in our early Premier League games, but showed his true ability in the last few games of the season, when we played a deep-lying defensive system to snatch draws at Man City and Chelsea.

I see Löwe as a dependable but not exceptional option at left back. He’s a good one-on-one tackler, gets forward well, and can deliver a decent cross. He might not be the best in his position but he’ll rarely let you down.

Terrierspirit.com opinion

Our defence is pretty solid this season. Kongolo’s coming back on a permanent basis means we’ve got great options in central defence. Durm is less certain to be a hit, but could be useful if he stays fit. Even if he doesn’t work out, we’ve got decent fullbacks without him.

It’s quite possible that David Wagner will have the welcome problem of having too many quality defenders to fit in his starting XI. Given his preference for rotation and tactical tweaks, I think he’ll use his full squad this season.