Marc Pubill: better at centre-back than at right-back?

Rubén Uría is surprised to be saying it about a player with a decade at right-back, but he sees him as more comfortable at centre-back. In the discussion, the reply is that as a centre-back he could play for any Champions League contender.

Rubén Uría admits it surprises him to have to say it about a footballer who has spent more than a decade playing at right-back and very little at centre-back, but his impression from the outside is clear: Marc Pubill is more comfortable at the heart of the defence. He accepts that Pubill has the attributes to cover the flank, and that this is how he reached the Under-21s and elite football, but insists he looks better in the middle.

The response in the discussion goes further. As a full-back, Pubill would be a good player for many LaLiga sides, but it is hard to see him as a starter in that position for a team aspiring to the Champions League, at least on what he has shown at Atlético. As a centre-back, on the other hand, he could be one for any club in Europe fighting for the Champions League.

The debate comes ahead of the line-up against Stuttgart, with Cuti Romero's absence forcing a reshuffle of the back line.