Playing with Inverted Full Backs: A Guide for Modern Football Coaches

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Inverted full backs are a tactical innovation that has been used by some of the most successful teams in recent years, such as Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester City, Jurgen Klopp‘s Liverpool and recently in Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham. But what is an inverted fullback position and why is so effective? How can you implement them in your own team? In this blog post, we will answer these questions and more.

What are inverted full backs?

Inverted full backs are full backs who move into central or midfield positions when their team has the ball, instead of staying wide and providing width. This creates numerical superiority, one of the 4 Positional Play superiorities, in the middle of the pitch, allowing the team to dominate possession and create more passing options. It also frees up space for the wingers or forwards to exploit the flanks, creating width and depth in attack.

Inverted full backs can also contribute to the defensive phase by providing cover and balance for the midfielders or centre-backs who may push forward.

Why playing with inverted full backs?

The “false full backs” strategy provides several advantages for the team that employs them. Below we will explore the four main benefits that inverted full backs can offer to a team, always taking into consideration the coach’s Game Model and philosophy, and how they can improve the group’s overall performance.

• More defensive stability: One of the primary advantages of employing such a fullback player lies in their capacity to enhance defensive stability, particularly in situations of defensive transitions. By shifting towards the inside spaces, they have the potential to assist the center backs and the defensive midfielder in establishing a cohesive structure that proves formidable to breach. Moreover, they can safeguard the spaces left by the advancing midfielders or wingers, who can push forward without being concerned about leaving empty designated positions or neglecting their positional defensive responsibilities. In this manner, the squad can defend effectively, avoiding counterattacks before they evolve into opportunities for the opponents.
• More creativity in midfield: Another advantage of employing inverted fullbacks lies in their ability to provide additional creativity into the midfield. By integrating themselves into the central areas, they can offer a plethora of additional passing options and engage in combinations with their fellow midfielders. Furthermore, they provide a more safe solution for switching the gameplay through the use of short passes. This strategic positioning enables them to exploit openings that appear due to the dynamic movements of the forwards, who, in turn, can drag the opposing defenders away from their designated positions. In this manner, the team can build a greater number of goal-scoring opportunities while maintaining their domination through ball possession.
• More width in attack: One additional advantage of employing inverted full backs lies in their ability to enhance attacking width, one of the 5 fundamental football attacking principles. Through their inward movement, they enable the wingers or forwards to occupy a wider position, thus stretching the opposition’s defending lines. Furthermore, they possess the capacity to either overlap or underlap with their wide players, introducing a level of confusion to the opponents. In doing so, the team can generate additional opportunities for crossing and, increase their goal-scoring opportunities. Moreover, these full backs can actively participate in the offensive phase as extra midfielders or forwards, thereby establishing numerical superiority within the final third and elevating the threat level for goal-scoring.
• Create overloads and help with the ball possession: Inverted full backs can help break down compact and low-block defenses by creating overloads and triangles in the central areas, making it easier to find gaps and penetrate the opposition lines. They can create unpredictability and confusion for the opposition defenders, who may not know whether to follow them inside or stay with their assigned winger or forward. They can provide support and security for the ball-carrier, offering short and simple passes that can relieve pressure and maintain possession.

The challenges of inverted full backs

While the particular strategy presents a multitude of benefits, implementing the role of an inverted full-back is no simple task. It demands a number of skills, attributes, and a profound understanding of the game. Among the obstacles encountered by inverted full-backs are as follows:

• Requires good positional awareness and communication: An inverted modern full back needs to know when to move inside and when to stay wide, depending on the situation and the movement of his teammates. He also needs to communicate well with his centre-backs, midfielders and wingers, to avoid leaving gaps or creating confusion in the defensive and offensive transitions
• Requires good technical ability and passing range: A skillful inverted full-back must possess and be comfortable on the ball and have a high skill level in passing and receiving abilities. It is imperative for them to switch play, seek out vertical passes, and link up with the midfield and forward lines. Moreover, they should demonstrate the finesse to dribble past opponents or create spaces for themselves with fake movements, turns, and quality 1-touch.
• Requires good stamina and work rate: A false full-back must possess high levels of physical fitness and endurance. They are required to cover big spaces, both in width and depth and quickly recover back to the initial defensive positions. In addition to their responsibilities during the attacking phase, they must show excellence in pressing, tackling, and 1 v 1 defending duel.

Examples of teams that use inverted full backs

In this section, we will explore how some of the world’s most renowned football teams strategically employ inverted full backs to enhance their gameplay. These teams have embraced this innovative tactical approach, reshaping the role of traditional full backs and redefining the dynamics of modern soccer.

Manchester City: How Pep Guardiola uses inverted full backs to dominate possession and create overloads

Pep Guardiola is widely regarded as one of the pioneers of using inverted full backs in his teams. He first experimented with this idea at Bayern Munich using Philipp Lahm, one of the best full backs at that period, moving toward inside areas. Later on at Manchester City, in his first seasons, he used both full backs as inverted players in a 4-3-3 or a 4-1-4-1 formation.

At his time with Barcelona, he could not implement such football tactics because Dani Alves was a powerful traditional attacking fullback who could move up and down the line with much pace.

At Manchester City, Guardiola has deployed Kyle Walker, Oleksandr Zinchenko, and Joao Cancelo as his principal inverted full-backs. Nevertheless, under his management, the Blues have also used other players as fullbacks such as Benjamin Mendy and Fabian Delph in this specific role, with less success in fulfilling the requirements of an inverted fullback. Walker, Zinchenko, and Cancelo exhibit exceptional technical prowess and possess formidable physical attributes, equipping them to skillfully cope with the demands of central positions on the pitch. Furthermore, they consistently maintain unwavering concentration and demonstrate tactical precision, augmented by their exceptional endurance, enabling them to promptly recover to their defensive positions whenever the situation necessitates.

Guardiola uses his inverted full backs to dominate possession and create overloads in different areas of the pitch. By moving them inside, he frees up space for his wingers, Jack Grealish and Jeremy Doku (in previous seasons Raheem Sterling and Riyad Mahrez), who could stay wide and isolate their markers. He also pushes his central midfielders, Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva or other central midfielders, higher up the pitch, where they can link up with the forwards or shoot from distance. The inverted full backs also help create numerical superiority against teams that press high, by offering passing options behind the first line of pressure.

Liverpool: How Jurgen Klopp uses inverted full backs to vary the attacking options and exploit spaces

Jurgen Klopp is another coach who has used inverted full backs in his Liverpool team, although not as consistently as Guardiola. Klopp usually prefers his full backs, Trent Alexander Arnold and Andy Robertson, to play in wide positions and provide crosses for his front three. However, he has occasionally moved them inside to create more unpredictability and diversity in his attack.

Alexander-Arnold and Robertson are both excellent crossers of the ball, but they are also capable of playing in central areas, especially Trent. They have good vision and passing range, as well as good defensive awareness and work rate. Klopp uses them as inverted full backs mainly against teams that sit deep and defend with a low block, where crossing may not be as effective.

By moving them inside, Klopp creates more space for his wingers. Mohamed Salah and Luis Díaz or Cody Gakpo, can cut inside and shoot or combine with Roberto Firmino. He also allows his central midfielders, Dominik Szoboszlai and Curtis Jones, to make runs into the box or support the attack from behind. The inverted full backs also help create overloads in different zones of the pitch, either by switching play to the opposite flank where the other full back may have stayed as a winger, or by joining the attack from central positions.

Tottenham: How Ange Postecoglou has transformed Tottenham to a possession dominant team

In Tottenham’s recent games, manager Ange Postecoglu employed inverted full-backs, a notable tactical choice. Left-back Destiny Udogie and right-back Emerson Royal or Pedro Porro moved inside during settled possession.

Below is a clip from a Premier League match against Sheffield United when the use of two inverted full backs was obvious and offered Tottenham the opportunity to dominate the game.

This formation saw Udogie and Porro along with Yves Bissouma, the defensive midfielder to form a 2-3-5 setup against Sheffield United 5-3-2 formation. In that situation, Sarr was able to push up in more advanced positions. This tactic remains consistent in the majority of the matches.

How to train inverted full backs?

Training inverted full backs requires a lot of tactical understanding, positional awareness, technical ability and physical fitness. Some of the key aspects that need to be developed are:

• Decision-making: Inverted full backs need to know when to move inside and when to stay wide, depending on the situation and the movement of their teammates and opponents. They also need to know when to pass, dribble, shoot or cross, depending on the available options and the space they have.
• Communication: Inverted full backs need to communicate constantly with their teammates, especially with their centre backs, midfielders and wingers, to coordinate their movements and avoid leaving gaps or overlaps.
• Passing: The players must exhibit proficiency in both short and long passing, as they shall take part in numerous combinations and transitions. They need to possess the skill to execute one-touch passes with accuracy, switch the play, and timely deliver crosses when the situation necessitates
• Dribbling: Such fullbacks must have confidence in their dribbling abilities, they will frequently find themselves obliged to drive forward with the ball, shield it adeptly, or dribble their opponent within tight areas. Proficiency in ball control, agility, and balance is imperative, coupled with a creativity and a touch of finesse.
• Shooting: Inverted full backs must possess the capability to shoot from considerable distances or varied angles, as they may occasionally locate themselves in advanced positions, with a clear sight of the goal. They must have good shooting technique and power, high accuracy, alongside composure and timing
• Defending: Inverted fullbacks must be on a top level in regards to defending skills, both centrally and out wide, because above all they are considered defenders. They need to have positional awareness, anticipation, good tackling, precise marking, ability to intercept balls coupled with stamina and recovery capabilities.

Conclusion

Inverted full backs are a versatile and valuable asset for any team that wants to play modern football with possession, creativity and intensity. They can offer multiple solutions for both attack and defense, creating numerical superiority, width, depth, unpredictability and balance. However, they also require a lot of tactical knowledge, technical skill and physical fitness, as well as coordination and communication with their teammates. Therefore, training inverted full backs is not an easy task, but it can be rewarding if done properly.