Full backs and wing backs

The full back's main defensive job is to deal with the opposition winger on their side of the pitch. They tackle, force the winger inside or outside as instructed, and cut out crosses played into the box. Behind them, the centre back covers if they are beaten.

In attack, full backs join the play down the wings. They overlap the winger to deliver crosses, underlap inside to attack the half-space, or stay deeper to give the team a passing option behind the front line. How aggressive they are in attack depends on the team's style and how much defensive cover they have.

Wing backs cover almost the entire wide area on their side of the pitch. In defence, they usually drop back to make a back five with the three centre backs. In attack, they push forward to make a front five, providing the width that wingers would in a back four.

The role is physically demanding. A wing back needs to defend like a full back and attack like a winger, often within the same passage of play. Most teams who play with wing backs choose players who are comfortable in both halves of the pitch.

The basics are the same as any one-on-one defence — body shape, distance from the attacker, and patience to wait for the right moment to challenge. Most full backs try to force the winger onto their weaker foot, where they cannot cross or shoot as effectively.

When the winger cuts inside, the full back's job changes. Instead of defending the touchline, they have to deny the shot or pass through to a teammate, often with the centre back stepping across to help.

Forty years ago, a full back's job was largely defensive — stop the winger and clear the ball. Modern full backs have to do that and play as attacking players, often delivering more crosses than wingers and starting attacks from deep. Some now step into central midfield in possession as inverted full backs, leaving the wide area for the wide attacker in front to hold.

The change has been driven by tactics. As wingers cut inside more often, full backs were left with the wide area to attack into. As teams want to build up the pitch in possession, full backs have become a key passing option. Different football traditions have developed different specialist roles — the attacking full back, the inverted full back, the defensive full back, and the various wing back variants used in back-three systems — each suited to a different kind of team.

A possession team often uses inverted full backs who step into midfield to help control the ball. A counter-attacking team usually wants attacking full backs who can drive forward at speed when the ball is won. A team built around crosses needs full backs who can deliver into the box reliably with their stronger foot. A team in a back three uses wing backs instead, with much greater attacking responsibility than a typical full back.

Few positions are as dependent on the wider tactical setup as the full back. The same player can look like a defender, a midfielder or an attacker depending on the system around them. The full guide to the different full back and wing back roles, and which one fits which system, sits in the tactics section.