Coming from the emphatic victory by Manchester City over Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-finals, we look to analyse the tweak that many teams around Europe—especially Premier League clubs—are implementing. This tweak is coined as hybrid defenders or inverted full-backs, which in the game mentioned, we saw John Stones produce a man-of-the-match performance both as a centre-back in defensive phases and a pivot alongside Rodri.
Join us as we dive into the tactical analysis of this new phenomenon and see if this is what will be asked from defenders going forward. Make sure to check LV BET Sports Blog for more interesting articles about tactics and the latest news about football.
Inverted full-backs
The technical definition of a fullback is a wide defensive position in a back four. As football evolves across the decades, formations changed and adapted to new ideologies. The previous big thing for fullbacks was that they were required to storm up and down the wing to provide the team with width. When sporting a 4-3-3 with a diamond midfield, the team does not have natural width, so that will need to be provided by the fullbacks. Two fullbacks that perfected this method of play were Cafu and Roberto Carlos in Brazil’s National team in the FIFA World Cup in 2002.
Now, the term inverted ‘full-back’ is used when the respective full-backs are being asked to push inwards rather than down the line to assist with the build-up of play. Pep Guardiola is mainly credited with this tactic, during his time managing in the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich, where he used Philip Lahm and David Alaba as inverted full-backs.
What is the upside of having an inverted fullback?
- Provide coverage for the attacking midfielder to roam freely and press the opposition high up.
- Compactness, should a ball be lost in the middle of the pitch, with two full-backs and a defensive midfielder in place, a team can press effectively, providing numerical superiority which aids in winning the ball back.
- More numbers in the midfield mean more passing lanes and options for the player in possession of the ball.
- Open up wide areas so wingers can enjoy their 1v1 duels.
These systems are normally adopted by teams who are capable of snatching highly intelligent players who can make correct decisions. This system works if the players involved can assess and read the game properly.
An Emerging Trend
Other teams are doing this, notably Trent Alexander Arnold, who always looked more comfortable going forward than defending. In the latest game against Leeds, he produced a man-of-the-match performance stepping into the midfield and zipping balls into the forwards and wingers. This also aids the burden that Jurgen Klopp has to endure this season—not having enough midfield players to progress ball to the forward line, with Bajcetic being injured, Thiago missing out on a lot of games, and Fabinho being overwhelmed as their sole pivot.
Another team that has adopted this tactic is Arsenal. With the acquisition of Zinchenko from Man City, Mikel Arteta knows what the Ukrainian is capable of, and he is the only experienced player when it comes to winning titles. Zinchenko commonly plays the centre midfield role with his national team, so he is well acquainted moving into the midfield, which is something that Mikel Arteta was looking for when recruiting players, they are able to play in more than one position.
We are also seeing Reece James trying this position, but he is not getting the expected results; it could be that the implementation of this tactic is not correct or that the Englishman is more comfortable bombarding the wing and whipping in crosses.
Out-of-possession advantage
So far, we’ve focused mainly on the control that this gives a team in possession, now let’s investigate what the benefits of having an inverted full-back out of possession are. So let’s say Arsenal are attacking and they are set up in a back three with two pivots with Zinchenko and Partey in front of them. Should a turnover happen and the opposing side go on the counter-attack, Arsenal are well equipped to stop that transition, having a total of five players covering. Additionally, the block of five will occupy the middle part of the pitch forcing the attacking players towards the wings, allowing them more time to adjust and for the other players to recover their position. By pushing the attacking team in wide areas, the attacker needs to go the long way around to get into a dangerous goal-scoring area.
This is where there is a tactical difference between coaches and teams when they use inverted full-backs. City are inverting a centre-back who can easily slot in between the back three, making it a solid back four in defensive transitional play. Arsenal, on the other hand, keeps their shape with Zinchenko inverted.
For Manchester City to have built such a strong and dominant squad, it has been a long journey, and the missing piece in their jigsaw puzzle was Erling Haaland. This very tactical switch by Pep Guardiola might have been specifically to accommodate the big Norwegian even more. This is a tactic that is taking the football world by storm, but only if the team has players with a certain skill set could this be achieved.