The Evolving Roles of the Defensive Line
Modern football is forever evolving and changing. The tactical side of the game is becoming more and more intricate as both coaches and players seek solutions to exploit defenses and nullify attacks. This has meant that players’ roles and responsibilities have drastically changed as the technical and tactical qualities of every player on the pitch have improved. In an era where we discuss and argue about who is the GOAT, it shouldn’t be forgotten that the level of players in every position has risen.
With this improved level across the pitch, positions are becoming more valuable than they had been previously. They have evolved to help the team in all phases of the game, and also have implications on the players ahead of them. This article will look at how the roles of the defensive line have changed. Centre backs are moving wider and starting to look more like full backs. Full backs are moving not only higher up the pitch, but more central, becoming an integral part of a teams play when building up.
Full Backs
An obvious starting point is that of the full back. The full back has probably had the most publicised evolution. The initial evolution was for the full back to take up more advanced positions, similar to that of a winger. With the full back higher up the pitch, wingers were now able to move more central, into strategically superior positions without their team losing width. This can almost be seen as common place from a number of sides throughout world football:
The full back in a higher position could also be explained in relation to the rise of teams using a 3-man defensive line. Wing backs are now big tasked with occupying the whole width of the pitch for their teams. Their importance is now not just taking up a deep defensive position to negate opposition wingers, but also advancing higher up the pitch in attack to both provide width whilst also allowing attacking players to move more central, with less goals coming from crosses and an increase in chance creation from ‘Zone 14’
Linked to this idea of this advanced full back, the position has become more and more valuable for teams looking to maintain possession whilst building organized attacks. With their technical level and tactical understanding increasing year upon year, coaches have found new ways to deploy these players to benefit their team both in possession, as well as moments of transition. Pep Guardiola’s use of inverted full backs could be seen as a starting point here.
While at Bayern Munich, Pep Guardiola popularised the use of inverted full backs. To allow the wingers (Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery) to remain in wide positions, whilst also helping Bayern deal with opposition counter attacks, the full backs would often move centrally to support the defensive midfielder. Tifo Football’s video on the use of inverted full backs is a good explainer:
At Manchester City, Guardiola has found new ways to utilise the inverted full back. During the 2020/21 season, one pattern City would use in build up was to have one of the full backs move more centrally in the defensive line to become a 3rd centre back, while the other would invert to position alongside the defensive midfielder. There are multiple examples of Manchester City doing this, with Joao Canecelo or Oleksandr Zinchenko usually being tasked with inverting alongside the defensive midfielder during build up to create a 3–2 shape during build up:
Also, as mentioned by David Selini in his article on the idea of using wrong-footed full backs, an inverted position will help with regaining their position when the ball is lost. If a full back takes up a high position, then the distance to recover will be large, often meaning they will be out of position, or a central midfielder will have to drop into this space to cover, consequently giving away positional control in central areas. If however, the full back takes up an inverted position, the distances that both full backs and central midfielders have to move to take up defensive positions are shorter, and thus meaning quicker defensive transitions.
Similar to Guardiola’s Manchester City, Ajax are another example of using inverted full backs in centre midfield. Often in possession, with the wingers taking up high and wide positions, the full backs will move inside rather than stay wide and overlap. This allows the wingers to remain wide during the attack and potentially stretch the opposition defensive line. This positioning from the full backs also allows the team to occupy all five vertical channels when attacking, but also provides an element of rest defence. Similar to Pep Guardiola’s initial use of the inverted full back, Nicolas Tagliafico and Devyne Rensch being positioned centrally also allows them to take up a forward passing option, whilst also being in close proximity to press the ball if it is turned over ahead of them.
There is also the variation of this where one full back will be positioned in the half space to compliment the winger remaining wide, while the other full back may remain wide in relation to the opposite winger moving centrally:
The extent to which full backs are viewed in taking up advanced positions and seen as an attacking option has begun to come full circle. Spielverlagerung last year posted an article about how a full back taking up a deeper position in build up can help strategically against varying oppositional pressing.
Centre Backs
The centre back has had a different treatment to that of the full back. Unable to move higher up the pitch due to leaving a team vulnerable when the ball is lost, the technical qualities of the centre back has been utilised in a different way.
The individual attacking qualities of a central defender have been used in one of three ways. The first being their ability to advance the ball through a range of passing. Terms such as ‘ball playing’ centre back have become less and less common solely due to the fact that almost all defenders at the top level are expected to possess these sorts of skills. While the common viewer might think of this position as playing endless sideways passes between the defensive line, probing for an opening whilst not risking losing possession, stats such as ‘packing’ have redefined how possession is viewed. Centre backs are now showing themselves to be more adept at penetrating opposition lines and bypassing opposition players with the quality of their passing.
A prime example of this comes from Daley Blind. Not only is he able to play a pass that bypasses five opposition players, it is also in a central area, and done in such a way that allows Zakaria Labyad to receive the ball with relative ease (and eventually take a shot):
It isn’t just passing that centre backs now need to be proficient in. With more and more teams looking to deny access to central areas of the pitch, the ability to play these passes has become more difficult. To counteract this, centre backs are using their ability to carry the ball into midfield.
As noted by Oliver Walker in his article on carrying loads in the premier league, the aim for centre backs in these situations, where opposition teams sit deep and denies space near their own goal, is to:
‘Hold possession of the ball and probe into opposition territory until they draw out a defender, who in turn leaves space for one of the centre backs to pass into.’
Joseph Lowry makes a similar point in his article on the tactical trends that could emerge during this decade, the centre back being able to carry the ball into midfield has the advantage of creating a numerical overload. If both teams are using a 4–3–3 formation, a centre back moving into midfield creates a 4v3. This then creates decisional crisis for the opposition. If they move to pressure the centre back in possession then a centre midfielder is free to receive the ball. If they leave the centre back, theoretically, they could continue to carry the ball upfield.
Below are a few examples of how centre backs are able to carry the ball further upfield:
Finally, with the rise of teams deploying three central defenders, centre backs are now having to be more adept at positioning and advancing the ball in wide areas. Even with teams using a back four, and full backs advancing higher up the pitch, centre backs are being required more and more to be proficient in these wider areas.
As mentioned in Spielverlagerung’s article on Pep Guardiola’s Tactical development of Manchester City in the 2020/21 season, the principle of having width in the first line allows for multiple benefits. With the first line occupying the full width of the field, it aids a teams ability to possess the ball as their are increased distances that opposition players will need to cover in order to press the ball. If the opposition are able to press the ball, the width in the first line allows for a switch of play into space. The player on the ball-far side should then have ample space to advance the ball.
Also, with centre backs in these wider positions, the progression of the ball diagonally will allow for the ball to move into central areas. As explained by Marcelo Antonelli in his video on the concept of the diagonal pass in futsal being applied to football, the diagonal pass allows for the ball to move both vertically and laterally on the pitch, whilst also becoming easier for the receiving player to orientate their body to move forward upon receiving.
Using centre backs in this way is also becoming more prominent due to the coaching available to these players at all levels. Coaches are continually encouraging these players to be more confident in either carrying the ball or playing these vertical passes in order to prepare them to play in multiple ways against multiple styles of play. As Pablo Aimar comments in his interview with the coaches voice:
‘We want to play with bold centre-backs, for example, because we believe that it won’t be difficult for them to play in a team that operates with a more withdrawn shape. If we do it the opposite way round, it will then be difficult for them to adapt. If we tell them to get the ball away, play it long and look for the result, what happens if they end up playing for a coach who asks them to play in a more daring way? They won’t be able to do it.’
The Elbow Back: A Hybrid Role
With positional roles further evolving to the point where formations no longer exist, and are only really seen at the beginning of games before kick off as the teams line up, some positions are beginning to merge into one another. Centre backs are being tasked with possessing the ball in wider areas. Full backs are shifting more and more central.
As John Muller mentions in his newsletter, spacespacespace, the rise of positional play has meant that different aspects are needed during different phases of possession. Width may be required from the full backs in the initial phases, then a more central position may be needed to offer rest defence when the ball is further forward. This led John to coin the position of an elbow back. A defender that can play as both a centre back or full back dependent on the requirements of the game
Kyle Walker is probably the best example of this. A player who is able to offer width in all stages of a teams possession, but also skilled in moments of the game to shift beside the centre backs to create a back three. Within the same half he has the ability (and responsibility) to advance a support the attack as a wide player, but also position as a third centre back:
Implications Further Upfield
The evolution of these defensive roles has not only impacted upon a team’s build up. A team is a harmonious structure of 11 players. While we can look at and analyse individual players, their movements and actions during a game, they are never done in isolation. A player is constantly working in relation to all their teammates. Either, their actions are done to compliment another player, to position correctly and make sure the team as a whole is dispersed correctly, or they are moving, re-positioning and their teammates will need to react to these actions.
The implications that these defensive players have on players further upfield should also be noted. As Carlon Carpenter’s tweet suggests, the actions of the defensive players allow attacking players to position in a certain, uninhibited way:
The Manchester City example can really help to see the implications for the attacking players. In the past season (2019/20), Ilkay Gundogan was often tasked with dropping from a more advanced position to support Rodri both in and out of possession. With Gundagon in a deeper position, Man City lose an additional player in an advanced area of the pitch.
This season (2020/21), with the use of an inverted full back, the need for a midfield player to drop deeper has now been removed. This means that Gundagon can now take up a higher position to support the attack, as he no longer needs to drop deeper as much:
Also, the positioning that this player can take up to receive the ball has implications based on the full backs positioning. With the variation of one full back inverting while the other moves to become an auxiliary centre back, there is additional space in wide zones that midfielders and attacking players can now move into to receive outside of the opposition block. An example from Gundagon taking up this position v Tottenham in the Carabao Cup final:
Conclusion
The defensive line continues to evolve. No longer are defenders only required to stop the opposition from scoring. They are becoming a vastly important cog in a team’s attacking plan. Their roles are becoming more and more fluid in order to offer support in different phases of the game, whilst also complimenting the players around them (and further upfield). Centre backs are becoming required to control the full width of the pitch, while full backs are becoming so skilled and relied upon that they’re moving into the centre of the pitch.