Redefining the Fullback Position: Joao Cancelo and Trent Alexander-Arnold

Traditionally, the fullback positions on the pitch, either in a 4-4-2 or 4-3-3 system were generally saddled with the major responsibility of defending, by stopping the opposition’s wingers and or wing forwards from creating goal-scoring situations as well as covering up spaces for center backs who move out of position.

On top of that, it is expected for fullbacks to occasionally overlap and or underlap during attacking transitions and counterattacks to give the team more attacking options. However, this latter responsibility was not always the standard in rating how good or effective a fullback was because if he fails in his defending responsibility, the player was not viewed as a proper defender.

Views have however changed over the course of the decade, starting probably with the likes of Roberto Carlos and Cafu. The former was deemed not to be a great defender of the ball, but his attacking prowess was so effective and solid, combined with his shooting power and accuracy such that, during the mid-90s and late 90-s, people played Roberto Carlos as an attacker in video games.

While Cafu was highly effective on both aspects of defensive and offensive parts, Roberto Carlos was generally perceived to be better offensively and Luiz Felipe Scolari got the best out of both players as well as the entire Brazilian squad during the FIFA World Cup in Japan 2002 where he utilized both players as wingbacks in a 3-5-2 system.