The notion of football as a game of chess on grass long ago
entered the realm of cliché, but the intricate tactical battles
that characterise the modern game have given the concept new
meaning. Nevertheless, the analogy has its limits: the rook or
castle is condemned to move in horizontal or vertical lines and the
bishop to running the diagonals, whereas total mobility, limited
only by the confines of the playing area, is an increasingly prized
attribute for footballers today.
Nowhere is this development of the modern game more marked
than in the ever-evolving position of full-back. Where once a
workmanlike defensive display, a turn of pace and a few decent
crosses was all that was required even at the highest level,
today's right and left-backs have become pivotal figures in
their sides' attacking efforts, complementing their defensive
skills with abilities normally reserved for creative midfielders.
Unsurprisingly, full-backs often top the match stats for number of
touches of the ball.
Now that the players traditionally wearing the numbers two
and three have evolved into all-round utility performers, it is by
no means too far-fetched to describe them as the clandestine
playmakers of the latest footballing generation. The full-backs are
in a position to call the offensive plays, as American sports
terminology puts it, as they usually initiate their teams'
attacking moves. They are also responsible for supplying the
passing midfielders with possession - or how else should the man in
the holding role or operating behind the striker receive the ball
in the first place? The currently most popular formations, 4-4-2,
4-5-1 and 4-3-3, live or die by the quality of the initial ball out
of defence.
Brazlians follow Facchetti's lead
No less a player than Italy's Giacinto Facchetti may well
have been the first conventional full-back to grasp the attacking
possibilities of the role. Later to become Internazionale President
before his untimely death at the age of 64 in September 2006,
Facchetti's pace, dribbling ability and slide-rule crosses were
the stuff of nightmares for defences in the 60s and 70s. Decades
later, the Italian legend's successors have come to embody the
blend of physique, pace and technical excellence demanded by the
modern game.
Brazilians were pioneers when it came to developing the
attacking range of the full-back position. Many rate the five-times
FIFA World Cup winners as the ultimate practitioners of wing-based
attacking play, with the wide men cast not merely as participants
but also instigators and finishers of offensive moves down the
flanks. 1980s stars Jorginho and Branco and their successors
Roberto Carlos and Cafu provided the Brazilians with a vast range
of options and alternatives, often initiating the match-winning
move in tight situations. The likes of Cicinho and Maicon hold out
the potential of plenty more to come in the next few years.
High interchangeability
Europe long ago woke up to the critical influence exerted by
the full-backs, and it is notable that many of the leading nations
favour converted midfielders in the position. Willy Sagnol of
France, by common consent one of the best full-backs in world
football, worked his way through the national youth ranks as a
midfielder. His Bayern Munich team-mate Philipp Lahm was similarly
a holding midfielder at U-17 and U-19 levels. When injury robbed
Germany boss Joachim Low of his usual midfield enforcers for a
recent friendly, it was the diminutive but mobile Lahm who stepped
in as a not-so-makeshift alternative.
No-one would deny that modern full-backs are considerably
more skillful than their counterparts of yore, and are thus
perfectly capable of operating in midfield when the occasion
demands, and vice-versa, as the examples of Germany aces Torsten
Frings and Bernd Schneider show. Recognised as midfield players,
the pair frequently help out at full-back should the need arise.
Attacking initiators
Looking more closely at modern tactics, it is clear that the
range of wing-based options allowing today's defenders to open
up the play means the full-backs have become an integral part of
the midfield, providing the extra man or offering another passing
option. The full-back commands a range of alternatives including a
diagonal pass, a short ball into the hole, or tracking his own
forward to provide an overlap. Full-backs are required to take
split-second decisions, usually under pressure from the opposing
defence, but they are often central to the to the direction and
nature of the next attacking move.
"Full-backs are becoming more and more important in
modern football," Germany coach Low has frequently said. To
underline his case, Italy superstar Fabio Grosso provided the
decisive edge for the
Azzurri in both the semi-final and Final of the 2006 FIFA
World Cup Germany™ as his team advanced to claim the trophy, while
Lahm was hailed as the embodiment of the hosts' new commitment
to flowing offensive football.
Modern football is grounded in wing play then, where the new
covert playmakers ply their trade. It is an area of the field where
matches are increasingly won and lost.
World Football
The undercover playmakers
(FIFA.com)
© AFP