In the last two Champions League seasons, Achraf Hakimi has been one of Paris Saint-Germain’s key players. In their 3-0 victory away at Chelsea in March, Hakimi made 59 passes with a 91.5% completion rate, and notched an assist – theoretically from a full-back position.
Full-backs often have a huge influence on the result of soccer matches. Fans who have watched even just a few live soccer games, or followed betting odds as they change mid-game, will know that if a world-class full-back is having a good day, their team is far more likely to win.
But what exactly is a “full-back” and why is the role so demanding?
Athleticism and technique
The term “full-back” originates from early soccer formations like the 2-3-5 and the W-M. In these systems, full-backs were defenders. Even up until the 1990s, a full-back’s primary responsibility was to defend. Rarely was a full-back more associated with attacking (Roberto Carlos was one such example).
Now, though, full-backs do just about everything. They run as much as ever, they still defend, and they’re often among their team’s most important players in possession. Art de Roché of The Athletic recently used Arsenal’s Ben White and Jurrien Timber to illustrate the extent of a full-back’s job. Asked before Arsenal’s trip to Sunderland about rarely having both White and Timber fit and to choose from, head coach Mikel Arteta pointed to the “huge physical demands” on modern full-backs.
While central midfielders arguably have the most rounded role in soccer, full-backs have to run at pace for much of the 90-plus minutes, defend one-on-one (often against the most talented player on the opposite team), and overlap their own wingers in possession – or venture inside, acting as either a wider central defender or central midfielder themselves (in the case of players like Oleksandr Zinchenko and Kyle Walker in recent seasons).
The latter, full-back-cum-midfielder role gathered steam partly through the influence of Pep Guardiola coaching Phillip Lahm at Bayern Munich. The German, a full-back until Guardiola’s arrival, was asked to act as one of several central playmakers. In such cases, full-backs need not just extreme physical abilities but the type of first touch, spatial awareness, reading of the game, and smart passing usually more associated with midfielders.
The physical demands of soccer are increasing
As de Roché pointed out, soccer is becoming “more obsessed with physicality”, so full-backs will likely be asked to run more, rather than less, in the near future. For teams like Arsenal, that means there will be even more emphasis on trying to keep players like White and Timber fit – especially since the club season has got longer with more games in European competitions.
Some Arsenal fans were calling for their team to sign a right-back in the summer, but Ezri Konsa (a centre-back, who admittedly can fill in at right-back) was prioritized and brought in for a reported €59.60m.
Other Premier League teams have benefitted from a consistent presence at full-back. On the left side of Manchester United’s defence, Luke Shaw (who previously had struggled with injuries himself) was ever-reliable last season, starting all 38 league matches. Similarly, Matty Cash at Aston Villa was dependable on the right, starting 34 league games. Both teams qualified for the Champions League. There were significant in-possession and out-of-possession demands on both players: Cash made an average of 39.8 passes and 1.9 tackles per 90 minutes; Shaw made the same number of average tackles and 45.1 passes per 90.
In short, a full-back may be the hardest role to play in soccer – and in reality, they’re often playing more than just one role.
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