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Fullbacks: How to defend opposition runs behind the defensive line?

Several times, fullbacks suffer in their intention to defend opposition runs behind the defensive line. After reviewing some of the Champions League goals of the week, group stage gameweek 4, it came to our attention the different goals scored by breaking the defensive line by the winger opponent.

These situations are very difficult to defend and very different from each other. The position of the player with ball, the winger starting run position when getting behind the defensive line, the path he takes, how the opponent team coordinates the tempo actions…are some of the variables that make each of these situations different.

So the question is: How should fullbacks defend opposition runs behind the defensive line?

Based on the different situations we saw during the last Champions League matchday, we will give the answers on how to solve these actions in the best possible way using the Individual Fundamentals per Position. Let’s analyze 3 different situations:

Situation 1: 

– Winger with ball possession looks for a holding midfielder next to him to make a one-two and receive the ball behind the fullback’s back.

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How to solve it optimally?

Fundament: Eliminate the deep clearance space / Keep the line with the central defender.

– The fullback must anticipate the intention of the player with the ball in his disruptive move, eliminating the open space at his back by making a backwards run and seeking contact to interrupt his movement and prevent the winger from receiving within a wide-open space. 

 

Situation 2:

– Holding midfielder in possession of the ball, with space and time to place it behind the defensive line, and disruptive movement of the opposite winger to the back of the second central defender.   

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How to solve it optimally?

Fundamental: Individual defense of players who try to pass behind the second central defender’s back (get in – get out).

– The fullback must always follow the winger in that breaking movement in a clear and forceful way, preventing the striker from winning the position, and will only get out to return to his line if the opponent is off-side and the ball still hasn’t left the possessor’s feet, or it has become strongly defended, making it impossible to make a move.

Situation 3:

– Right holding midfielder in possession of the ball, with space and time to filter a pass in the central-lateral interval, and the winger of the same side trying to make a clearence diagonally behind the defending fullback to receive the ball with advantage over him.

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Fundamental: Avoid internal passes that win the back.

– In this situation, where the opponent has the ball with no pressure at all, fullbacks should seek to minimize the central-lateral interval, prioritizing to close the gap, so that this possible pass does not get through, and therefore offer the space next to the throw-in line, and if he receives the ball there, you can continue defending it to avoid a cross to the area. 

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