They are now … athletic attackers

Perhaps we should blame Arsene Wenger. When he arrived at Arsenal in 1996, he was determined to make the club’s dependable, but limited, full-backs, Nigel Winterburn and Lee Dixon, far more attackminded, and urged them to get up and down the flank for 90 minutes, a role which requires immense stamina and speed over short distances.

“Under George Graham, I would never get criticised for not joining attacks enough,” Winterburn says.

“When Wenger came, we were told to get high and wide quickly. Suddenly, Lee and I were both going forward at the same time.

“Previously, if he went forward, I stayed back.”

Where Wenger led, others soon followed. According to Damien Comolli, the former Tottenham and Liverpool director of football, a full-back’s role used to be 60-70 per cent defending, and 30-40 per cent attacking; now those figures have reversed. “It’s the physicality of thehe position, and the athleticism needed for the distance run, high intensity runs, and sprints, which has changed so much,” says Comolli, who cites Ashley Cole as a prime example.

“It’s the role where the distance in sprintsnts required is highest. hest.

“If they are inn an advanced position, they must sprint 30 or 40 yards back to defend.””

Crucially, though, ugh, despite the greater ater emphasis on supporting attacks, Jamie Carragher, who played in defence for Liverpool and England, ngland, believes full-backs “are now judged by how many crosses they provide rather than how many they stop”” – but they must still be capable defenders.