How to Close Down the Fullback as a Winger

When you think of a modern winger, most people think of Lamine Yamal dribbling through defenders, Mo Salah cutting in and taking a shot, or Christian Pulisic flying down the flank.

What most people don’t think of is the defensive duties of a winger – specifically, closing down a fullback with the ball.

But the truth is, a good defense starts with the attacking players (as Cruyff famously said, the striker is the first defender). If you can win the ball high up the field, it’s a lot easier to score a goal.

A winger that can properly close down a fullback takes pressure of their midfielders and creates countless opportunities each game. Learn this skill as a winger and you’ll see yourself become even more valuable for your team.

The Common Mistake Wingers Make on Defense

Fullbacks and wingers are typically the fastest players on a team and they’re both used to doing a lot of running. So, when a fullback comes up the field with the ball, the winger charges full-force right at them in an attempt to quickly win the ball.

However, the winger’s speed also makes it very easy for the fullback to take a simple, well-timed touch around them and continue forward. We can’t tell you how many times we’ve seen a fullback make a simple move to the side to avoid a hard-charging winger and then comfortably move forward into plenty of space.

How to Close Down the Fullback

Though fullbacks have definitely become more offensive over the years, they usually have that same tingling fear in the back of their head when they know there is no one behind them and if they lose the ball your team is going to have a great chance on goal.

It’s not too difficult to move around a winger charging at you at full speed – it’s just timing it right. But when the winger doesn’t dive in to the tackle but instead stops three to four feet in front of you – well, that’s a different story. 

This is the key to closing down the fullback.

You can run towards them to cut off space, but stop when you get about three to four feet in front of them. In most cases, the fullback will hesitate because they don’t want to get into a 1v1 with you and risk giving up the ball without support.

Even at the highest levels, if you close down a fullback this way, they will be forced to choose between three options – take you on 1v1, try and pass forward to one of their midfielders, or drop it back to their keeper.

You win if they go for a 1v1 (just don’t let them by you), and if they try to pass it forward chances are it will be an imperfect pass and your teammate in midfield will be able to clean it up. If they play it back to their keeper, you have them pinned.

Want to See This Technique in Action?

To recap, closing down the fullback as a winger is all about patience. These days, fullbacks are so used to wingers charging at them that the sight of a winger standing in front of them, waiting for them to make a move, catches them off guard and puts all the pressure on them.

It’s much easier to learn how to close down a fullback when you’ve seen this technique in action. The same goes with any other essential technique, like taking your first touch into space.

That’s why we created BGTV, a massive library of clips from professional games organized by position with analysis from professional players. These clips feature high-level players making smart (and not-so-smart) decisions and using effective techniques during important moments of the match most people overlook. The more footage you watch, the easier it is to implement the same techniques when you find yourself in similar situations.

Want to check out BGTV? Use code FREEMONTH1 to get the first month free.