Page 31 - Soccer360 Issue 105

BOTTOM LEFT:
Alexander-Arnold holding the Premier League title
RIGHT:
Oleksandr Zinchenko is another full-back who comes forward into the midfield
BELOW:
Pep Guardiola set a long-standing trend in football
BOTTOM:
Phillip Lahm was guided into a full- back position by Pep Guardiola
BOTTOM RIGHT:
John Stones for Manchester City
FULL-BACKS UNLEASHED
The Evolution of Full-Backs: From Defensive Flanks to Midfield Maestros - A Trend Set by Guardiola, Transforming Tactical Dynamics in Modern Football.
Over the years we have seen plenty
of full-backs converted into wide midfielders or wingers, but until recently the very idea of one regularly taking
up a midfield position as part of their team’s build-up play with the ball would have been received with rather puzzled looks. But now, with possession-based football and technical ability in every position being favoured by most modern coaches, it has become the game’s latest trendy innovation.
Just like so many other novel tactical ploys, a lot of the credit for the development of a select few full-backs acting as attacking pivots or even deep-lying playmakers has gone the
way of Pep Guardiola. The Spaniard is responsible for much of football’s current look, and when he has a brainwave which leads to success for his side, coaches at all levels feel almost obliged to follow
his lead.
Indeed, it was Guardiola who pushed Philipp Lahm into a midfield role when he took charge of Bayern Munich in 2013. Already one of the world’s greatest full-backs, the then Germany captain was given a new lease of life and was able to showcase an even wider range
of attributes in a remarkably fluid and tactically astute Bayern side.
Perhaps surprisingly, it took over six years for Guardiola to do something similar at Manchester City. This time
it was with John Stones; a central defender who had occasionally filled in at right-back. For the final months of 2022-23 he was pushed forward into a dynamic midfield role where he could better utilise his ball skills, and the team became almost unbeatable on their way to a historic treble.
In light of Stones’ new role, other managers followed suit with Trent Alexander-Arnold taking his game to a new level with Liverpool and Guardiola’s former assistant Mikel Arteta giving the same licence to left-back Oleksandr Zinchenko. The advantage gained by pushing full-backs into midfield when
in possession is that it provides more control in that area of the field as well as greater flexibility, but only the best can perform the role effectively.
Halaand with the Gerd Muller Trophy
Alexander-Arnold has broken records for the number of assists by a defender in a single Premier League season, highlighting his offensive capabilities from a defensive position.