What Is an Inverted Fullback?

The full-back position has never been a dream spot for the young boys who aspire to become footballers, let alone an inverted full-back. But football has always scripted new stories, and the position that has been elusive from the dreams of young footballers has now become a reality. When Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi were donning the jerseys of Manchester United and Barcelona, many managers were not thinking of transitioning years-old defensive positions into the now popular positions of inverted fullbacks. However, this term has gradually become renowned and widely accepted after the arrival of Pep Guardiola on the scene.

Before getting into the details of the origin and pioneers of inverted fullbacks, let’s understand what an inverted fullback actually is. What do we know about the defensive line of four? Well, there will be four defenders guarding the line of defence for a team. It doesn’t sound so cool, right? As there is no opportunity for the players of the defensive unit to steal the show with beautiful passes, thunderous goals, or exquisite assists, just the way the attackers do to wow the audience inside the stadium.

Those days are long gone, and now, due to the introduction of inverted fullback positions in football, the players from the right and left wings are the definition of coolness if you ask. Before understanding the idea of inverted fullback, let’s take an example of a player who is deployed and instructed to play the role of a similar status: Trent Alexander-Arnold of Liverpool.

Breaking Down The Inverted Fullback Role

Full-backs play the roles of defenders in the wide areas and wings, and sometimes go higher up the pitch to deliver crosses into the opponents’ penalty boxes for the attackers to pounce. This is what we have known for decades about their roles. With time, the work and responsibilities of the full-backs have changed, and with that, the myth of defensive full-backs has also been exposed. Inverted full-back is not a simple full-back who will only guard the flank with a more defensive mentality. Instead, the inverted ones, be it on their natural side or unnatural, will move into the central area of the pitch rather than going toward the wide areas. Inverted fullbacks are tasked to crowd the midfield with their presence, helping the central midfielders and attackers enough space to attack without worries.

Also, these players are trained to keep possession while they are in the offensive mode, mounting a wave of pressure on the opponents. Inverted fullback is generally deployed to operate as a double pivot in both attack and defense. Let’s take an example to break down how these players are utilised by the managers. Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson, the two exciting full-backs under the stewardship of the former Reds’ coach Jurgen Klopp rushed toward the vacant place in the middle of the park, flanked the opponents’ defensive midfielders, roamed freely creating a bridge between the attacking and defensive units or even beyond in the halfway line and played the ball in the final third. This is a perfect example of what an inverted fullback is. When possession is lost, they either stop the counters by deploying bodies in the middle or tracking back the wingers in their usual positions of full-backs on the wings.

This transition is so fast that the opponents get only a few seconds of window to move the ball forward without any intervention because the inverted full-backs are quick to recover the ball to thwart the counter-attacks before those reach the two-man defensive line. In case of an attack in the wide areas, they make their way to their traditional defensive areas with haste to recover the normal shape of the team and find their momentum again. The sole purpose of this is to bring bodies in the middle to congest the area and acquire the numerical advantage and claim the majority of possession while the opponents run out of energy chasing after the ball.

The presence of at least one inverted full-back in the middle of the pitch against a defensive block gives the midfielders licence to move higher near the penalty box and play the ball in dangerous areas. If your team is up against a unit that has a defensive mindset, then inverted fullbacks are your solution to dictate the play on your terms. Remember Gary Neville, who also curated inversion when it came to his full-back role during the era of Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United? Since then, this footballing machinery has been weaponized more stylishly, making the inverted fullback look cool.

Who Started the Inverted Fullback – Origins of the Popular Tactic

Well, there are a lot of managers in Europe who are opting for the inversion of full-backs. But, the term inverted fullback made its way to popularity in the Premier League alongside European football, thanks to the footballing mastermind, Pep Guardiola, who has a habit of experimenting with new styles and strategies everywhere he has gone in his decorated career. While he was at Bayern Munich, he brought his Barcelona style Tiki-taka to the Bundesliga, but with an improvisation. He wanted a strong Bayern Munich side that would not only keep possession but would also resist the pressure of counter-attacks. If you have seen Bayern play from the last decade, you would have noticed the likes of David Alaba and Philipp Lahm getting tucked into the middle in a 2-3-5 shape to create a congested midfield, giving no room for opponents to move the ball forward through that area.

However, this was not the first time the world of football had seen inversion in the full-back position. The legendary player and coach Johan Cruyff also implemented the role of inverted fullback during his time at Barcelona, long before the current Manchester City coach came on the sidelines. Cruyff deployed Guardiola as a double pivot in the middle, keeping another full-back in his natural position to keep the ball in possession with short square passes. But this was also not the only instance of the inverted full-backs coming into effect. Now, at Manchester City, Guardiola is doing exactly what he learned about the inversion of full-backs from his master, Cruyff. He is deploying the young full-backs Rico Lewis and Josko Gvardiol as inverted full-backs who gradually move inside the pitch or go near the opponent’s box to help in attacks.

Years ago, teams used to go with 4-4-2 or 4-2-4 football formations, with the wide defenders sitting low to stop the attacks. But, as tactics evolved, managers began to push the full-backs forward with attacking purpose and focusing on creating space for the wingers to thrive.

Listing Some of the Best Inverted Fullbacks

Over the years, many teams with modern and aggressive tactics have seen several defenders reach their prime by playing as an inverted fullback. On that note, let’s delve into the list of some of the best inverted fullbacks who have graced the footballing pitch with their technicality and talent.

Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool)

Trent Alexander-Arnold was just an overlapping right back who started to go beyond the defensive line into the opponents’ territory in search of goals. Upon noticing that, his former Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp gave him license to move inward and help midfielders to keep possession while pushing the ball forward. Arnold is a blessed passer of the ball who can use any opening to hit the spaces and deliver pinpoint passes and crosses into the dangerous areas. In the youth academy, the English defender played as a midfielder, a position that now helps him transform his ability to control the tempo in the middle as an inverted fullback through his effective rotational and switch play and passing range.

Philipp Lahm

Philipp Lahm’s transition from an overlapping right back to a full-time inverted fullback happened under the management of Pep Guardiola at Bayern Munich. Backed with technical ability, extraordinary vision of play, and quick feet, the German, alongside his teammate David Alaba, used to throw bodies in the middle to move the ball forward and backward. When the single pivot would go down to collect balls from the center-backs, his ball receiving quality, possession awareness, and wide array of passing made him an effective tool in Guardiola’s setup.

David Alaba

Another defender who went through a much-needed transition for the right cause under Pep Guardiola’s coaching is David Alaba. The gifted left-footed player is one of the most versatile inverted fullbacks in the world, who can play on both sides of the flanks. Alaba, who is master of producing dangerous crosses behind the defensive line of opponents, often found himself behind the forwards or wingers in attacking positions. His pace and ability to carry the ball forward helped him to send the ball behind the opposition backline and return to his natural full-back space during counterattacks. This transition helped Bayern to prevent other teams from scoring goals in important matches.

Dani Alves

Pep Guardiola will definitely take pride in making the Brazilian legend Dani Alves one of the greatest right-backs, who played the role of an inverted fullback at Barcelona in almost every game. From collecting the ball in the middle to reaching the penalty box and sending the ball swiftly through a ground pass for goals, Alves made a habit of wandering in the middle to create a visible central defensive line ahead of the two center-backs. His dribbling skills and ability to collect the ball in tight spaces made it easy for midfielders to run the game. Alves played as a double pivot alongside Sergio Busquets to supply the ball for Xavi and Andres Iniesta.