Inverted Fullback: Football’s Hidden Genius Tactic Explained

The full-back position has never been a dream spot for the young boys who aspire to become footballers. 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 Portuguese Legend 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 Spanish Manager Pep Guardiola on the scene.

Before getting into the details of the origin and pioneers of inverted fullbacks, let’s understand what is an inverted fullback. 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 as the attackers do to wow the audience inside the stadium. However, the inverted fullback meaning changes this perception, as the role allows defenders to step into midfield, influence possession, and take part in building attacks.

What Is an Inverted Full Back?

When we think about the position of Full back, the picture that pops into our head is a player who is on either flank of the pitch, giving extra support to the backline and creating chances up top as soon as a possibility is seen by providing key passes into the penalty box or crosses that search for a striker to bury them in the net. That’s how we all have understood the conventional role of the position of fullback. However, recent changes in the role of a full back have altered the definition of the position, which was previously known for its defensive contributions only.

We have come to appreciate the inverted fullback, a role that’s anything but traditional. Instead of sticking to the wings, these players, whether on their natural or unnatural side, drift into the central midfield when the team has the ball. They also add numbers in the midfield, which makes the ball movement a little bit difficult for the opposition looking for goals. Let's see how the Inverted Full Back came into existence.

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, one of the most watched Leagues in the world, 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 German First Division Bundesliga, but with an improvisation. He wanted a strong Bayern Munich side that would not only retain possession but also resist the pressure of counterattacks. If you have seen Bayern play from the last decade, you would have noticed the likes of Austrian player 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.

What Makes an Effective Inverted Full Back?

The following points make an Inverted Full Back an Effective Inverted Full Back.

• Know When to Move Inside: An Effective Inverted Full Back knows when to move inside the central area of the pitch to give a numerical advantage. For example, if your team is in possession and you have to open the possession for the midfielders to drive forward, an inverted full back will step into the midfield to attract players and open space.
• Vision: Must have a strong ability to keep the ball and pass it when the opportunity appears. Errors from Inverted Full Backs can cost a team a goal.
• Game Management to Reserve Energy: Choose the right moment to step inside the midfield or stay back. Make sure not to make unnecessary movements on the ground to reserve the energy and use it when it matters the most.
• Be Flexible to Change Position: An Inverted full back must be ready to switch position as demanded by the situation.
• Stay Defensive: Even if the Inverted Full Back is in the middle of the ground, he must be ready to fall back and get ready to defend as soon as the team loses Possession.
• Follow Coach's Plan: Different Coaches use different tactics regarding Inverted full-backs. Some want their full back to step inside when the defender has the ball, some want their inverted full back to move inside the central area to gain numerical superiority. The decision is of coach and one should adhere to it to become an effective player in the match.

List of 5 Best Inverted Full Backs

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. However, in the past few seasons, we have hardly seen any full back playing in an as Inverted Full Back, except for the few that are listed below, alongside the best players to ever play as an Inverted Fullback.

Note: We have listed the players based on when they played their best as full-backs, not based on their current teams or roles

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 Trent Alexander-Arnold 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. However, due to his poor contribution at the back, he has lost his place in the first team under Xabi Alonso.

Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich)

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.

Joao Cancelo (Manchester City)

Joao Cancelo pioneered the role of Inverted FullBack when he was at one of the most successful clubs in the English Premier League under Pep Guardiola. Cancelo was instructed to come to the central area when the team had possession to gain numerical superiority in the midfield. His peak came in the 2020/21 season, where he completely adapted the role of Inverted Full Back and gave crucial contributions to team success. The current Al Hilal Player was known to own the position and made it popular among football fans and was considered one of the best inverted fullbacks.

Josko Gvardiol (Manchester City)

After Portuguese full back Joao Cancelo left the English side Manchester City, Manager Guardiola wanted a similar kind of player on the left flank that can fit into the inverted full back role. In 20223, he found the desired player in Josko Gvardiol, who shone at the position. To date, Josko Gvardiol plays as an inverted fullback, contributing to City's Success.

Myles Lewis-Skelly (Arsenal)

One of the few players who still plays as an Inverted fullback is Arsenal Left Winger Myles Lewis Skelly. However, he has limited appearances for Arsenal, but his last season heat map shows he used to drift from the left to the centre to assist his teammates. Arsenal academy graduate who started as a midfielder was brought to the left wing position by Spanish manager Mikel Arteta, who instructed Skelly to move to the central position when demanded.