Few individuals in the history of football can reasonably claim to have invented a new position. Even fewer managers have done so. The evolution of football tactics is often seen as having to do with coaches, but it is equally, if not more so, about players, who interpret their roles in different or unique ways and often spark a revolution of sorts.
Pep Guardiola’s innovative use of full-backs, however, is a rare example of a manager sitting in front of a board and inventing something original. When he pushed David Alaba and Philipp Lahm inside Bayern Munich, he was doing something genuinely different. This changed the structure of his team: it allowed the central midfielders to push higher, it created passing lanes to the wingers and it kept the defense in central positions to deal with counter-attacks.
Initially, he seemed specifically suited to the skills of Alaba and Lahm, who had both played in central midfield in Bayern’s youth system. But Guardiola then found it so useful that he continued this approach at Manchester City. Bacary Sagna and Gaël Clichy were on the wrong side of 30 and unable to adapt. Oleksandr Zinchenko and Joao Cancelo proved more suitable. Rico Lewis was specially trained to play this role.
Guardiola’s former assistant Mikel Arteta also bought into the idea by signing Zinchenko specifically for this purpose at Arsenal.
It is therefore a shame that both managers have largely turned away from this idea recently. When Manchester City and Arsenal met last weekend for what should have been an exciting match in the title race, the result was a horribly cagey, defensive and negative 0-0. The reverse match was the same, except for a late Arsenal winner thanks to a fortunate deflection.
Guardiola and Arteta began fielding a system of essentially four central defenders, once the domain of old-school negative English managers. They are, of course, very talented centre-backs in possession – John Stones appeared 10th in points this season and Ben White carried a formidable attacking threat from right-back. But the two teams clearly have very different feelings.
In recent weeks, both have looked better with this more adventurous and free-spirited ‘halfback’. This City v Arsenal match was briefly enlivened by the appearance of Lewis on the bench. Unfortunately, both Stones and Kyle Walker were injured. And Nathan Ake asked Guardiola to give it to him, but he immediately took some unusual positions, finding space in the pockets and allowing City to play through Arsenal.
A wonderful turn to escape Kai Havertz shortly before half-time was the first exciting moment of the match, and Lewis was disappointed that Rodri did not find his run with the next pass.
Lewis was outstanding again in the 4-1 win over Aston Villa, his mastery of midfield allowing Phil Foden and Rodri to enjoy arguably their best games of the season, then also shone in Victory 4 -2 from last Saturday at Crystal Palace, bursting into the box to score the crucial second goal to give City the lead.
Of course, a conventional defender would not have been in this position.
Unfortunately, although it was inevitable, Lewis was ruled out of the trip to Real Madrid last night, with Guardiola believing a return to the four centre-back approach was desirable against Real’s attacking flair.
Right-back Manuel Akanji surprisingly faced Rodrygo rather than Vinicius Junior, who played centrally. Akanji was surprised when Rodrygo passed him, then dribbled at him and scored Real’s second goal. Calling on a pure defender is obviously not a guarantee of defensive solidity.
For Arteta, it was essentially the same story.
He left out Zinchenko to field Jakub Kiwior against the speed of Leroy Sane. This is understandable: Zinchenko struggles against direct wingers. But again, Kiwior wasn’t exactly waterproof. He was on the trail and partly to blame for Arsenal conceding possession of the first goal.
Granted, a mix-up between David Raya and Gabriel was also to blame and the pass to him wasn’t great, but perhaps the more agile Zinchenko would have handled the situation better.
Kiwior was transformed and beaten by Sane’s speed in the build-up to Arsenal’s concession of a penalty, which Harry Kane calmly dispatched to make it 2-1.
At half-time, Arteta corrected the situation. Kiwior came off and Zinchenko came on. Arsenal’s shape changed, with Zinchenko drifting into midfield and playing positive forward passes. Some were finicky, but that’s the price you pay for an attempted incision.
His positioning also allowed Declan Rice to advance: at one point, the Ukrainian literally pointed him forward.
Arsenal improved and won at Bayern, although it took two more substitutes – Gabriel Jesus and Leandro Trossard – for Arteta’s side to secure the equaliser. But on the balance of play, it was deserved. And although Arsenal were a little more exposed at left back, particularly when Kane came deep and generally played balls around the corner for Sane, this was no longer a problem in the first half.
It’s a shame that two otherwise progressive managers have become so cautious in defensive positions. What is remarkable about Guardiola’s early career is not just that he was so successful, but that he believed overwhelmingly in technical and tactical ability rather than physical ability. His approach at Barcelona felt like an individual mission to reorient the game towards the qualities he possessed as a player: qualities that were forgotten in an era when football was about defense and physicality. Arteta was pretty much the same type of footballer.
Of course, both teams continue to play possession-based football and all the defenders involved are very proficient with the ball. Guardiola can quite reasonably argue that his system works almost the same when it is Stones advancing from the middle of defense, as he did last night, rather than Lewis from the right.
That said, when he was without Stones against Arsenal and used Akanji in that role instead, it felt like a regressive step. Arteta has at times moved the Whites into this narrow midfield role, although he is more dangerous in the overlaps. Kiwior, as of now, doesn’t have the ball-playing skills or tactical awareness to make him a significant upgrade over Zinchenko in most situations.
Using an extra central defender means more strength on set pieces, an area in which both teams – particularly Arsenal – have thrived this season. But if Guardiola and Arteta favor set-piece height over midfield ingenuity, it appears their shared philosophy has been diluted.
Technical full-backs such as Lewis and Zinchenko are more enjoyable to watch. Based on matches since the international break, this also means that their respective teams are playing better.
GO FURTHER
Guardiola’s evolution: from half-backs and false nines to full-backs who stay back and Haaland
(Top photo: Darren Staples/AFP via Getty Images)