In today's video, we'll analyze one of
the best fullbacks in world football, Liverpool's Trent Alexander Arnold. Here
are the main topics that I'll be covering, so feel free to jump to the
part which interests you the most, using the timestamps in the description.
I'll be using in-game examples for telling you the concepts behind the
decisions made by him during the course of the game and I'll
also be including some examples from other great fullbacks
in order to make the video as comprehensive as possible, so that you
can accentuate your overall game be a better footballer and an
outstanding fullback. At the end of the vid, I'll also be
giving you some tips aimed at helping you, in case you need to climb up the
pecking order. I guess that's enough incentive to stick
around, right? In case it's the first time here,
probably consider subscribing, maybe even liking the vid-
will make my day if you do but it's fine nevertheless. With that being said,
let's dive right into the vid. A world class fullback is expected to defend as
good as a Centre Back or CDM and make attacking runs that are typical
of a great winger. It is one of the toughest positions on the pitch
and requires the player to be one of the fittest on the team. When we are talking
about the lower levels, this position is perhaps the most fun
position to play at- as it allows you to dart forward to help your team in attack
and rush back to prevent a counter attack when possession is lost.
However, this is no easy task and the list of responsibilities of a
fullback is quite big. For fullbacks, important traits include athleticism,
great decision making, discipline, composure
and communication with the players around them. Legends like Roberto Carlos,
Cafu, Dani Alves and Philip Lahm have played
this position and they were brilliant footballers in their own right.
From the heat maps of some of the best fullbacks in the business, it is clear
that the area of influence that a fullback can potentially have on a team,
is massive. Just another reason why this position is so important.
If you had even a bit of doubt in your mind regarding this position, I hope I
have been able to clear it. As far as TAA is considered, he's
arguably the best at his position at the moment.
This season, he has the second highest number of assists in the premier
league and he's only behind Kevin de Bruyne. Not far behind these two is
Liverpool's "other" fullback, Andrew Robertson ,with eight assists. Such
stats show how important the role of fullbacks is in the modern game. In recent years, Liverpool has been the team that has benefited the most
from fullbacks. Another fascinating insights that can be gained from the heat
maps of TAA and KDB is that they are amazingly similar to
each other. Surprised? Well, you shouldn't be. Both of them are
involved a lot on the right wing and influence the game mostly from the right
side only. In comparison to other top fullbacks, TAA
stats for key passes and interceptions per game
are the highest and he performs really good in other fields such as total duels won, pass accuracy per game, accurate crosses
and long balls as well. One of the most important things that
I'd like to talk about today is the right defensive stance
and 1v1 positioning, If you are going to take only a single tip away from the
video, take this one- because this is the most
fundamental aspect of defending. Look at TAA defending in this image, he is
using the side on approach and is always on his toes. Not only does
this stance allow him to quickly change direction and react to a quick change of
turn by the forward, but also helps in forcing the attacker
wide. Obviously, it's not something unique to taa.
Here is wan-bissaka using the same approach. This is a very fundamental tip
and almost all fullbacks do it. The logic behind this is to put yourself
between the goal and the forward limiting the attacker's ability to
maneuver. You don't want him to cut inside and that should be the main
concern for you. However, you also want to restrict the
space available to him as much as possible.
It doesn't matter if you have to shove him a bit as well; look at taa pushing
Delle Alli towards the touch line here. The less space the winger has, the better.
This is especially true in case he is faster than you.
If you can't win the race, nick the ball off him or limit his options so that he
has little to no influence on the match. Don't let him cut inside as it can lead
to an opportunity for a clear shot on goal
or an easy through ball. In Liverpool's UCL Quarterfinals against City.
TAA was able to keep an in-form Sterling in check throughout the course of
the whole match. The sideways defensive stance is really
good near the touchline as it allows you to react quickly in case you get beaten
and need to turn around. Also, in case there is an overload of a
attackers in your zone, you can keep more than just one player under control.
However, there are a couple of things that must be kept in mind while using
this approach. Firstly, always ensure that the sideways
stance is kept in relation to the ball and not the man. If you focus on the man
instead of the ball, you will leave one of your sides exposed,
making it difficult to defend. Secondly, no where the approach isn't
effective. As you move closer to your goal- for
example, inside the penalty box, defending sideways isn't a smart move.
This is because you'll be losing a lot of width control.
If an attacker is able to dribble past you near the touchline, your CB or CDM
can still try to reduce his influence, but when you are inside the box there is
little time for your teammates to react and the attacker might take an
uncontested shot at goal. So, inside your box, stay face to face
with your opponent, as both cutting inside and moving further up the pitch
are equally dangerous scenarios for you. Secondly, you must remember
that the touchline is your friend while defending. If you force the
attacker wide, the touchline can act as hundreds of
defenders working for you. This is obviously because you'll regain
possession as soon as the ball goes out of bounds,
the opportunity for the winger to cut inside is no longer available
which also means that the opposition full pack cannot properly overlap either.
A winger who is near the touch line would also face difficulty in crossing
the ball as most wingers generally take a bit of touch inside before crossing.
At the lower levels, this longer distance may even mean a lower quality of
cross played. Use the touchline whenever possible to
minimize breathing space for the opposition winger and even the fullback.
In modern football, the full back position is one of the most vulnerable
positions considering opposition press. Sometimes, even the trigger for starting
the press is when the ball is passed to the fullback.
Example- Pep Guardiola's City on several occasions.
The touchline logic applies here as well, but now it will be acting against you so
you have to be aware of it. for effectively resisting the opposition
press you must have a good first touch and accurate passing- but that's
true for any position, right? For fullback, however the passing options
are generally quite limited. In a standard 433 formation, the short
passing options available to a fullback are generally the following-
the CB closest to you, your goalkeeper, a central midfielder
and your winger. You have to understand that play-making isn't your job- so don't
force it. It is fine if you can't play the ball
forward. Don't hesitate in passing the ball to your
CB or even your goalkeeper; clear it if you need to. It's any day better than
losing the ball and running back to get it.
Sometimes, a situation may arise when you feel that the pressure is too much from
the opposition and it's difficult to pass the ball to anyone
or maybe you just want to get a free kick in the last 10 minutes of the game
when your team is already winning. Then, you can try to win fouls. Going down
too easily after waiting for contact from a forward
is one way of soaking up the pressure; although it's definitely not the most
beautiful one. Moving on- positioning. When the ball is
in your team's possession, you have to consider a few factors
before deciding how to exactly position yourself during the buildup phase.
Firstly, ask yourself this question- Is the opposition team pressing you
or are they cutting the passing lanes? If they are covering the passing lanes, you
have more time to think on the ball and make the best decision.
If all angles for progressive plays are covered, pass the ball back.
It should be a no-brainer. If you are technically sound,
you can switch wings by passing to a winger or sometimes midfielder playing
wide. In case the opposition team is pressing,
check whether their formation is narrow or lopsided.
That is, whether it's concentrated on the middle of the pitch or the side where the ball is. Generally, teams prefer the latter. In
this case, you're automatically pinned the touchline
and your passing lanes are mostly covered. Apart from this,
the forwards are quickly closing in on you. In this case, it is best to pass to
your CB or Goalkeeper. In case of a narrower
press, you can always use your winger, probably your midfielder and of course a
pass to your goalkeeper is always there. Another thing to consider is, how wide
the pitch is and how wide your wingers are playing?
Although the former is generally applicable for lower levels only, it is an
important consideration nevertheless. On a narrow pitch, you want to stick close
to the touchline in order to maximize the space available to you and your
teammates. But this means that it will be difficult
to use your winger and the passing lane is pretty easy to cover.
On a wider pitch, you can tuck inside a bit to use your wingers,
so do make sure to utilize it. On attack, a fullback has to play really high up
the pitch. For being able to overlap, your winger
must push inside so that a lot of space is available to you.
Here is an example of a typical TAA overlap, Salah is inside,
creating loads of space for Trent and it is an easy pass to him in an advanced
position. Not only this, you should also be ready for
long balls from your midfielders. In fact, make those runs while asking for
the ball. Here is an example from Real's Dani Carvajal.
He knows that Kr oos likes to switch wings, time and time again.
The understanding is well established and Carvajal starts to run
almost as soon as Kroos receives the ball. Toni Kroos switches the wing with a
perfect long ball and Carvajal can easily cross the ball
now, for a scoring opportunity. You can definitely implement this in
your game if you ensure that there is clear communication with your midfielder
and that you are willing to make those runs every single time.
Once the pass is played, you can either take a touch in space and play a cross
or play a short pass to retain possession (in case there is no one in the box).
While crossing is something that is more of a technical skill that you can get
right with practice only, I'll just like to remind you that it's
always easier to cross if you take a touch inside first,
because of the more natural movement of the hip. This way, since you'll always be
setting up your crosses in the same fashion,
over time, you'll be able to develop muscle memory for those perfect whipped
crosses. However, don't be a one trick pony, switch
things up with an early cross or maybe fake a cross now and then. If your team
has a midfielder who likes to make late runs into the box,
try to practice cut backs with him. we all know how lethal the Jordi Alba and
Messi connection is. It's almost certain that Alba is going
to pass the ball to Messi, after his late run into the box-
but its still impossible to defend against. Communication is key-
understanding your teammates' playing style will always help you in making
better decisions. None of your efforts will help your team
if there is no proper plan and mutual understanding.
A topic which is not much talked about is that of professional fouls.
I've already covered this in my "How to Become a Smart Centre Back" video for
which you can click the link in the description.
But the gist of it is that as a defender, you don't want to commit professional
fouls unless it's really important. Getting a
yellow when your team is winning 3-0 seems stupid while stopping an attack while your team is clanging onto a
narrow 1-0 victory, is massive. It's always better if your
forwards are the ones that do the dirty work for you.
In fact, two of the three players for the most fouls in the premier league this
season are forwards. Although Guardiola never
accepts it, Man City apply this regularly -it's a part of the game and you have to
do it to better your chances at winning. The throw-in responsibilities are
generally taken up by fullbacks The reasoning is quite simple- the
midfielders are too centrally positioned to take them
while winger's are better positioned to receive the ball- to either play a
through ball or pass it back to the fullback to make a cross.
Ajax and Barcelona legend Johan Cruyff once said that he always took throw-ins
as it would leave him as the only unmarked player when he got the ball back.
Well, that's one great way of looking at it. TAA
is so technically sound that he has been assigned the corner duties for Liverpool
and you can find him taking free kicks as well.
Undoubtedly, he's a complete player. We have almost reached the end of the video,
so here are the tips i promised at the beginning.
If you want to you, can even use them as a summary of sorts.Note that these are
the things that you have to put on display whenever you get playing time
or even in training sessions. Stamina to run all game, combined with great pace.
The best fullbacks are great athletes so this is something you should constantly
be working on. Frequent overlaps with good crossing-
just getting the ball to the head of your striker is enough to grab some attention.
It doesn't matter whether he scores or not. Your job is getting the ball to him,
each and every time. Defensive solidarity, decent positioning and never losing the
ball. While being a rock in defense and always being in the best possible
position to play the ball are things that will only come with time,
losing the ball is inexcusable. If you're not getting any playing time (been there, done that),
keep asking for it. I know it's not easy (I genuinely do, mate) but if there is a
particular problem that your team faces when playing you,
identify it and work on making that your strength instead.
You should always try to work on being more flexible. If you can play both
as a left back and a right back and maybe even subbed in for a winger in
case your team is trying to take that narrow win,
you become that much more important. That's about it for the video guys.
I really hope that i was able to provide something of value to you.
If i did, don't forget to hit that like button. Keep working hard,
see you in the next one. (Peace!)
