Full Back FM24 Role Guide

Summary

This video provides an in-depth look at the fullback role in Football Manager, explaining its versatile use in different tactics and formations. While primarily defense-focused, fullbacks can contribute offensively by supporting midfielders and occasionally cutting inside to create scoring opportunities. The video compares fullbacks to wing backs, noting that fullbacks are more defense-oriented and sit deeper, while wing backs are more attack-focused. The analysis also covers various player traits and tactical adjustments, highlighting how fullbacks can enhance both possession-based and counter-attacking styles of play.

Takeaways

• ⚽ The fullback role in Football Manager is a versatile player role used on the flanks in back four formations, focused primarily on defense.
• 🎯 Fullbacks are strong defenders, but they can also contribute to attacking plays by advancing into the penalty box when the opportunity arises.
• 🛡️ Their primary instinct when winning the ball is to maintain defensive cover, marking opponents and providing stability.
• 📊 Compared to wingbacks, fullbacks play narrower and more conservatively, with less focus on dribbling and starting from a deeper position.
• 📐 Fullbacks can adapt to different playstyles and tactics, such as possession-focused, defensive counter-focused, or freeform formations like 4-3-3, 4-4-2, or 4-2-3-1.
• 🎯 Wingbacks are more attack-focused and sit wider on the field, while fullbacks work closer to the midfield and provide defensive support in narrower positions.
• 🧠 Elite players, like Teo Hernandez, can exploit the fullback role's freedom of movement, using their traits to make creative runs and cut inside.
• 🔄 Fullbacks can operate in different duties, like defend, support, or attack, which can be customized based on your tactical needs.
• 🎥 The video contrasts the fullback and wingback roles using visual examples, showing how their positioning and contributions differ on both defense and attack.
• 💡 Players like Dennis Adoi are valuable for their versatility, capable of playing multiple defensive roles, making them crucial squad members in various tactics.

Q & A

What is the primary role of a fullback in Football Manager?

The fullback is a defense-focused player role used on the flanks in back four formations. They provide strong defensive coverage, but can also move forward to create scoring chances when the opportunity arises.

How does a fullback behave when defending?

When defending, a fullback's first instinct is to ensure there is adequate cover. They will mark opponents and attempt to win the ball, but their priority is to drop back and maintain defensive positioning.

How does a fullback contribute to attacking play?

Although primarily defensive, a fullback can contribute to attacking play by moving into advanced positions when appropriate. They often find pockets of space or underlap inside the penalty box, creating unique scoring opportunities.

What is the main difference between a fullback and a wing back in Football Manager?

The main difference is that the wing back is more attack-focused, starting higher up the field and playing wider, while the fullback is defense-focused, staying in line with other defenders and working more closely with the midfield.

How does the passing distribution differ between a fullback and a wing back?

A fullback on attack tends to have more passes in deeper positions, while a wing back on attack has more passes completed higher up the field.

What advantages does a fullback on support offer?

A fullback on support has no hard-coded player instructions, offering them the freedom to utilize their individual traits, making them versatile in both attacking and defensive situations depending on the flow of the game.

What is a key strength of players like Teo Hernandez in the fullback role?

Players like Teo Hernandez, who possess strong traits such as getting forward whenever possible and cutting inside from the left wing, can take advantage of the fullback role's freedom to contribute more creatively in attack.

In what types of tactics can fullbacks be effectively used?

Fullbacks can be used in a variety of tactics, such as possession-focused 4-3-3 formations, defensive counter-focused 4-4-2 setups, or more free-form formations like 4-2-3-1. Their versatility makes them adaptable to different play styles.

What was the tactical adjustment made in the video regarding the fullback role?

The original tactic used two fullbacks, one on attack and one on support, but this created a crowded forward position with insufficient midfield cover. The adjustment made both fullbacks play on support to provide better defensive balance.

What are some valuable traits for fullbacks in Football Manager?

Useful traits for fullbacks include 'likes to switch ball to other flank,' 'crosses early,' and 'plays one-twos.' These traits enhance their versatility and contribution to both defensive and attacking phases.

Outlines

00:00

⚽ Fullback Role Overview in Football Manager

The video introduces the fullback role in Football Manager, highlighting it as a versatile defensive position in back-four formations. Fullbacks primarily focus on defense but can also push forward to create scoring chances when the opportunity arises. Their first priority is to maintain defensive cover when the team regains possession, but they can take advantage of positional play and make unexpected movements to help create opportunities in attack.

05:00

🎯 Comparing Fullbacks and Wing Backs

The video compares fullbacks with wing backs, two roles that are often confused due to their similar positions. While both play defensively, their attacking roles differ. Wing backs are more attack-oriented, starting higher up the field and playing wider, while fullbacks are more defensive, working closely with midfielders and sitting narrower. The main distinction between the two is in their positioning and attacking intent, with fullbacks contributing more to defensive stability and wing backs being more offensive in nature.

10:01

🛡️ Positional Differences and Tactic Adjustments

This section delves into specific tactical differences between wing backs and fullbacks during attacking plays. Wing backs tend to push further up the field, leaving more open spaces, whereas fullbacks sit deeper to maintain defensive coverage. The flexibility of the fullback role allows it to adapt to different tactics, depending on the team's needs, such as maintaining a defensive line or contributing to attacking plays.

Keywords

💡Fullback

A fullback is a defensive player role in football, used on the flanks in formations with a back four. The fullback's primary responsibility is defense, but they can also contribute to offensive plays by advancing into the opponent’s penalty box. In the video, fullbacks are described as versatile players, often used in different tactical styles, providing both defensive cover and occasional attacking support.

💡Wing back

A wing back is another player role similar to the fullback but more attack-focused. Wing backs typically start higher up the field and play wider, making more dribbling runs and offensive contributions. The video compares the fullback and wing back, emphasizing that while both can defend similarly, the wing back has a more aggressive, forward-thinking style in attack.

💡Support Duty

Support duty refers to the role a player takes on the field when they are expected to balance between offense and defense. A fullback on support, for example, works more closely with the midfielders, contributing to both the team's defensive structure and offensive build-up. The video highlights how a fullback on support can help maintain balance by staying aligned with midfielders while still advancing when necessary.

💡Attack Duty

Attack duty focuses on offensive play, encouraging players to move forward aggressively and create scoring chances. A fullback or wing back on attack will push higher up the field, taking advantage of open spaces to support the offense. In the video, a fullback on attack is shown to take more advanced positions, contributing to goal-scoring opportunities, while also leaving gaps in defense.

💡Defend Duty

Defend duty emphasizes defensive responsibilities, where players stay back and focus on protecting their own goal. A fullback or wing back on defend will prioritize marking opponents and winning the ball back, as seen in the video where fullbacks on defend stay deeper and offer more defensive security than those on support or attack duties.

💡Tactical Roles

Tactical roles refer to the specific functions a player performs within a given formation or strategy. In football management, deciding whether to use a fullback, wing back, or another role depends on the overall tactical approach of the team. The video stresses the importance of selecting the appropriate player role for a team’s needs, like using fullbacks in a 4-3-3 for more defensive stability.

💡Player Instructions

Player instructions are commands given to players to dictate specific behaviors during a match, such as staying wider, cutting inside, or playing crosses early. Some roles, like the fullback on support, have fewer 'hard-coded' instructions, allowing more freedom for players to use their traits. The video uses the example of Teo Hernandez, who uses his traits to cut inside and advance with the ball despite not having a specific instruction to do so.

💡Positional Play

Positional play refers to how players move and position themselves on the field, both with and without the ball, to maintain team structure and control space. The video showcases how fullbacks, depending on their duty, position themselves either in line with other defenders or push forward to find open pockets of space, like the fullback in the example who cuts inside to create a scoring opportunity.

💡Passing Chart

A passing chart is a visual representation of where and how often a player makes passes during a match. In the video, passing charts for both fullbacks and wing backs are compared, showing that fullbacks on attack make more passes from deeper positions, while wing backs on attack complete more passes in advanced positions, highlighting the difference in their attacking roles.

💡Segundo Volante

The segundo volante is a midfield role that combines defensive and attacking responsibilities, often tasked with advancing the ball from deep positions. The video refers to the segundo volante as a key part of the tactical setup, working alongside the fullbacks to balance defensive cover with forward movement, especially in formations like the 4-2-4.

Highlights

The fullback role is versatile and commonly used in back four formations, with a focus on defense.

Fullbacks can also contribute offensively by moving into the penalty box to create scoring chances.

Their primary instinct is to ensure defensive coverage when their team wins the ball.

Fullbacks often drop back even after winning the ball, offering stability in case the ball is lost.

When advancing, fullbacks excel at taking advantage of positional play, offering unique movements on the field.

A fullback’s freedom of movement on attack allows them to underlap and create scoring chances, unlike some other defensive roles.

The fullback and wing back are often compared, with the wing back being more attack-focused while the fullback is defense-focused.

Defensively, fullbacks and wing backs position themselves similarly, but offensively, the wing back stays wider while the fullback plays more narrowly.

A fullback on attack tends to pass from deeper positions, while a wing back on attack completes more passes further up the field.

Wing backs leave their flanks exposed when they push forward, whereas fullbacks offer more defensive coverage.

Fullbacks on different duties (defend, support, attack) adjust their positioning and movement, with more advanced duties pushing them further upfield.

Fullbacks with no hard-coded instructions can adapt more freely based on their player traits, offering tactical flexibility.

Elite fullbacks like Theo Hernandez use their player traits to cut inside, get forward, and impact the attack, even in a support role.

The fullback role can fit into various tactical styles, including possession-focused formations and defensive counter systems.

Adjusting fullback duties in tactics can help balance the team, ensuring defensive cover while maintaining attacking strength.

Transcripts

hello everybody and welcome in today's

video we're going to talk about the

fullback role in football manager and

let's get started with an overview of

the

role the fullback is a player role used

on the flanks in back four

formations a versatile player role the

fullback can be used in all kinds of

play

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Styles it's also a defense focused rooll

so the fullback gives you a strong

Defender out on the

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flanks but when the time is right they

can get into the Penalty Box to create

scoring

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chances in that last clip you saw the

fullback get into the penalty box with

the ball that's not a rare occurrence

but it's not exactly frequent either

their first instinct when you win the

ball is not to get forward it's to make

sure you have cover this is the opponent

with the ball and here's our

fullback when the opponent near him gets

the ball the fullback will Mark him and

then win the ball back but as you watch

the fullback he's going to drop back

even though he won the ball which is

good because we immediately lost the

ball but when they do decide to get

forward they are one of the better

player roles at taking advantage of

positional play this means you can get

some unique movements with the fullback

when you have the ball

this is my player on the ball and here's

my fullback when the ball gets Outside

The Penalty Box my fullback decides to

cut inside towards the middle of the

field he finds an open pocket of space

and gets the

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goal and here's my player on the ball

and this is the fullback he's going to

underlap get the ball and then create

the scoring chance

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those clips are not to show that the

fullback will cut inside all the time

but just to show that they have more

freedom of movement compared with some

other player roles and speaking of other

player roles let's compare the fullback

with one of

them the fullback and Wing back are

often compared with each other and

whenever you have player roles that are

in the same position they will naturally

do similar things but if you're deciding

which one to use in your tactic you

generally don't want to cross- compare

with player roles meaning you don't want

to ask yourself should I use a wing back

on support or a fullback on attack you

want to start at the player role level

first and then work your way down so ask

yourself does my tactic need a fullback

or does my tactic need a wing back and

then decide which duty to place them

on as far as the differences between the

two when defending there's not a whole

lot here we are are defending with a

fullback at the bottom and a wing back

at the top as the play progresses they

stay in line with each other and the

center

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backs which means their difference is on

the attacking end they both have a

defend support and attack Duty so what

you want to look for is those

differences in general the main

difference between them is that the wing

back is attack focused and the fullback

is defense focused the wing back will

like to dribble more have a starting

position further up the field and

usually play wider the fullback will

start in line with other Defenders work

more with the Midfield and sit a little

more

narrow this is a passing chart for the

fullback on attack they have a number of

passes in a deeper position and only a

few further up the

field it's basically the opposite for a

wing back on attack they have less

passes from a deeper position and more

completed further up the field

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looking at a couple of other options

here we are with the ball in the Center

Midfield area and this is a wing back on

attack and this is a fullback on

support as we get the ball into the

attacking Midfield area note not only

the positioning of the two but also that

the wing back is sitting wider even

though it doesn't have a stay wider

player instruction this gives them more

space on the flank compared with the

fullback but the fullback is also closer

to help out with the

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midfield for another comparison this is

the opponent with the ball attacking to

their left this is a wing back on defend

at the bottom and this is a fullback on

attack at the top and again their

defensive positioning is exactly the

same the wing back will win the ball and

we get it Forward onto the opposite

Wing their positioning is drastic which

is to be expected but notice as well how

the fullback on attack is also sitting

more narrow compared with the other

highlight we looked at with the wing

back on

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attack the last highlight we're going to

look at is the biggest difference

between the two their defensive Focus

this is my team with the ball in the

attacking Midfield this is my wing back

on a attack making a forward run and

this is a fullback on support the wing

back has a ton of open space to attack

but he's also left the right flank

exposed we lose the ball and the

opponent is able to take advantage of

that exposed

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flank focusing back on the fullback and

their roll Duty on defend they're going

to sit deeper almost like a center back

and cross from Deep on support they're

going to sit more in line with the

midfielders and will play more crosses

on attack they'll look to make more

movements with the advanced teammates

ahead of

them but there's one aspect we're going

to look at again and that's the fullback

on support this Duty does not have any

hard-coded player instructions which

means they're a completely free

role we've looked at a few player roles

recently that don't have any of those

hard-coded instructions and the benefit

is that it gives the player freedom to

use their player

traits for example let's look at Teo

Hernandez on AC Milan he's obviously an

amazing Wing back but elite players like

this can take advantage of those player

roles that lack hard-coded instructions

because we're going to focus on his

player traits gets forward whenever

possible runs with ball often and cuts

inside from left

wing here we are with the ball and this

is TA as a fullback on support when he

gets it he's going to use his player

trait to cut inside run with the ball

and get further

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forward and that last example is not to

say that the fullback is better than the

wing back or that you need to use Tor

Hernandez as a fullback on support it's

just to show that players can contribute

to your tactic even if it's not their

recommended player role and especially

if it's a role that doesn't have any

hard-coded instructions and in the next

section we'll talk about how to use the

fullback in a

tactic because of their versatility

namely that you can use it on defend

support or attack the fullback can be

used in a number of tactics and play

Styles like a possession Focus 4

through3

a defensive counter focused

442 or a free form

4231 we've looked at Santa Clara in the

second division of Portugal a few times

but we're actually going to look at two

versions of basically the same tactic

I've made a couple of minor changes to

the tactic and I want to go over what to

look for in your own tactics even if

it's going well this is the original one

that we've looked at in a few videos

it's a 424 that has two fullbacks one on

attack and one on support and we're

going to focus on two player roles that

right fullback and the suuna valante

who's also on

attack here's my suuna valante on the

ball this is my fullback on support at

the top and my fullback on attack is at

the

bottom as the play continues watch how

the fullbacks aren't getting up the

field but are instead staying in line

when the ball is in the Midfield

now that the ball is in the Center

Midfield Circle again the fullbacks are

staying in line with the Midfield even

though one is support and one is attack

this is very much fullback

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positioning however once we advance the

ball and get the goal this is the

fullback on attack further up the field

towards the Penalty Box there's two

things I didn't like and they were both

positioning the first first is the

fullback he's now crowded with two other

teammates and the sugundo valante who's

on attack is also further up the field

meaning we have a lot of players in and

around the Penalty Box and not a lot in

the

[Music]

Midfield in other videos I've talked

about how not every player needs to be

attacking and this is an example of that

I have too many players forward and not

enough back even though we scored a goal

and the tactic is going well so the

updated tactic has just a couple of

simple changes both fullbacks are now on

support and the suuna valante is also on

support let's do a highlight breakdown

to see how the new tactic

[Music]

Works here's my fullback on support on

the ball and now my other fullback on

support at the bottom is keeping width

but also provides defensive cover the

fullback brings the ball up and plays a

pass to the window

[Music]

Winger when the shot goes in Here's the

final positioning the Segundo valante is

still on the edge of the Penalty Box but

he's sitting just a bit deeper and the

fullback on support is providing cover

for the right flank sitting much deeper

and he has protection from the anchor as

well I don't mind this deeper

positioning because we still have four

players in the Penalty

Box that original tactic had been doing

well for me but by making a couple of

small changes we are now more balanced

without upsetting why the tactic worked

in the first

place this is Dennis adoi at Club Brugge

in Belgium he has a solid distribution

of attributes even if nothing especially

stands out but the benefit of a player

like this is his versatility he's

natural in the right fullback position

and as a center back he can play in the

defensive Midfield position and in the

left back position he also has a

reasonable left foot which means just

from this one player we have someone who

can play multiple key positions on top

of all that don't underestimate the fact

that he fits in well within the team

players like a doy may not be a headline

signing or be your top player but they

are vital to your

squad some good traits for the fullback

role which may vary depending on the

type you want to use could include likes

to switch ball to other flank crosses

early or plays one

twos as we wrap up the video a friendly

reminder that I now have a patreon

account if you would like to support the

channel there is also a link to the free

Discord server if you would like to join

in on some FM discussions anyway that is

all for today's video I hope you enjoyed

thank you for watching