Phillip Lahm, Daniel Alves, Javier Zanetti–have all been given a legend status at one point of time or another in their career. They have a good attacking record which shows the same. Is it just talent? No. Maldini, Beckenbauer, Franco Baresi are also talented and are considered as legends. What needs to be considered here is the fact that their record which is a combination of successful crosses, successful clearances, successful tackling has to do with their playing position. They play as defenders but, that is a large category isn’t it? The role of a defender can be further divided into Wing back, Center back, Sweeper, etc. The players mentioned earlier played as Full backs, a role which they excelled in. So what is this role? Let’s dig deeper.
The Job of a full back is mainly to defend but modern day football gives them the freedom to venture forward. They are expected to have speed, stamina, a good understanding of the game, mark wingers or other players that play out wide, maintain the defensive line along with their centre backs. Full Backs usually take throw-ins and they are also expected to provide support to the wingers by making themselves available for passes as well as overlap the winger when need be. They are also expected to obstruct the attacking play, focused on wings, by making tackles as well as key interceptions denying the opposition access to the final third from the flanks. They are key in deciding the direction of the play as they have the option to pass the ball to the wingers or the central midfield.
- Dani Alves(FC Barcelona) and Marcelo(Real Madrid) play as wing backs for Brazil.
Gareth Bale stated his career as a left back and due to the freedom given to him, the Welsh international was able to develop into one of the best attackers in the world. David Alaba is another player with the ability to play both as a wing back and as a winger, same applies for Marcelo. David Alaba has benefitted from the total football philosophy – a gift modern football – followed by the Bayern youth team development. Modern full backs are also expected to be good at dribbling as well as good at reading the game, both off the ball and on the ball.
- Phillip Lahm and David Alaba defenders for Bayern Munich.
From having purely defensive duties to providing crosses in the final third, the role has seen a drastic change over the years. It is due to this change that full back postion has created a variation – the wing back position. This position has taken prominence over the last few years and their job of more attack oriented than that of a full back. They are expected to help the wingers by providing them support as well as expected to provide crosses to the attackers in the middle of the box themselves. Their presence in the opponents half forces the opponents to fall back as they provide more attacking options on the wings. Where Lahm is more of a full back, Alves plays more like a wing back. These players have achieved on an international level as well club level. Watch Lahm showcase some of his defensive skills in the following video:
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