Tactical Theory: Different approaches when using inverted fullbacks – tactical analysis

Over the years, the fullback role, regarding its positioning, has suffered several changes. A few decades ago, the fullback’s main function was to support the team defensively, helping to not concede any goals. Only after the team was assured defensively, the fullback was allowed to intervene in the offensive process.

However, some teams began to use their fullbacks as players that were able to support the attack. In other words, the fullbacks started to position themselves wide open in more advanced areas. With this kind of positioning, not only can they force the opposite team to drop their own defensive line but also it allows the wide defender to link up with the winger, midfielders and more importantly the striker, through more precise crosses.

Yet, there is a relatively recent tactical current regarding the fullbacks’ positioning, called “inverted fullbacks”. This role was primarily conducted by Johan Cruyff in Barcelona but was Pep Guardiola the one who took these tactics into modern football, especially in teams like Bayern Munich and Manchester City.

However, with some variations as we are going to see further, this kind of positioning basically consists of the player positioning himself in the middle as a second midfielder helping the team to dominate the midfield area. While, defensively, everything goes back to normal with the player dropping back into the backline of four. In order to succeed in this kind of function, one must have a very good understanding of this tactical theory, so that it can be possible to perform well inside or out wide.

Besides that, excellent technical quality is also needed either to break lines and make simple short passes or to dribble past opponents. For instance, at Bayern, Pep had some outstanding players who met those requirements like Philipp Lahm, David Alaba and even Joshua Kimmich.

Although other coaches also started to play with inverted fullbacks, they made their own analysis and adapted it to their own game model, creating some different approaches. In this tactical analysis, we will try to enlighten some different variants, by some top teams.

Arsenal

Let’s start with the current leaders in the Premier League, Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal. As we know, Arteta spent some years being Guardiola’s assistant coach at Manchester City and naturally took out some of City’s ideas, adapting them to his current team. One of them is the necessity for having the ball as long as possible to hurt the opposition, and the use of inverted fullbacks is a good tool for that, simply because it gives more strength to the midfield.

The other main idea behind Arsenal’s moment of organisation is the mobility and the necessity of having the right spaces occupied by the right players. In Arsenal’s model, the left-back, normally played by Zinchenko, performs as an inverted fullback, whereas the right-back (Ben White) often intervenes in the build-up as a centre-back.

So, Arsenal has two main build-up structures, with three men (composed of Gabriel, Saliba/Holding and Ben White) and with two men (Saliba/Holding and Gabriel).

Let’s start with the three-man build-up. As we can see below in the figure, Tierney explores the space inside, giving the flank to Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus or Granit Xhaka. These three players are always in such mobility that we can see them both inside or outside always looking for the free space. This kind of mobility misguides the opposite team’s pressing plan and it creates even more space to play in the organisation.

As an alternative, Arsenal also builds up with two men, and this process has two phases. Firstly, Gabriel and Holding or Saliba (currently injured) stay at the back, relatively wide, and both Tierney and Ben White are also wide open, creating free space in the middle for Xhaka, Gabi and Ødegaard. Saka and Martinelli are normally deep on the field and wide open.

However, Arsenal are a very flexible team regarding positioning and suddenly, as shown below, Tierney searches for space inside, changing his teammates placements on the field. Martinelli drops deeper on the pitch, giving a solution near Gabriel and Xhaka, and Ødegaard looks for space deeper between the lines. Besides that, there are moments where Xhaka offers a solution behind Martinelli who is no longer deep on the field.