What do you envision when you think of the world’s best wingers? What words or images come to mind?
Dynamic. Exciting. Dangerous. Shifty. Confident. Fierce.
When French winger Kylian Mbappe receives the ball, you see fans raising out of their seats with anticipation of seeing something special. When the unpredictable Heung Min Son is in possession, you hardly know if he’s going left or right, inside or outside, up the line or towards the goal. You see the dynamic Englishman Marcus Rashford making dynamic, exploding runs in behind the defense.
All these players play amongst the world’s best, and each create a sense of eagerness amongst fans watching both in the stadium and at home.
But what makes these players so dynamic in their play, and what habits have they implemented that you can learn from as a winger looking to be the most dangerous attacker on the field?
4 Ways To Become An Effective & Dangerous Winger
1v1 Attacking
Kylian Mbappe exploded onto the world stage back in 2018 at the Fifa World Cup, but from an attacking standpoint, what makes him so dangerous and effective?
One of his many talents is his ability to attack and beat his defender 1v1.
First and foremost, he dribbles with speed when he’s attacking 1v1. Speed is essential for wingers going 1v1 against their full back, as it doesn’t allow the defender to settle into position and allows you to create space quickly and more effectively.
Second, he has a plan when attacking 1v1, which gives you the opportunity to commit with that speed and decisiveness required to be effective.
Finally, he engages his defender by dribbling directly at him, forcing the defender to retreat backwards and make a decision when to tackle.
So, to be a more effective winger in 1v1 situations, you must:
- Attack your defender with speed
- Have a plan of action
- Dribble straight at your defender
Be Unpredictable
Back in the 2021/2022 Premier League season, Heung Min Son was one of the fiercest wingers in the world due to his speed and ability to score goals, but what made him even more effective was his unpredictability.
His ability to effectively use both feet as an attacking player makes him so unpredictable, as he can create space to cross, pass, and shoot with either his right or left foot.
Along with that, his change of direction and speed makes him even more effective as an attacking player on the ball. His ability to shift left and right, from a stop to start so quickly, allows him to unbalance his defender and create the space he needs to be effective.
As a winger, you must be unpredictable by:
- Practicing and using both feet
- Changing direction and speed often
Movement Off The Ball
Marcus Rashford is a dynamic and explosive athlete with fantastic technical ability on the ball, but it’s his movement without the ball that allows him to create opportunities and get into dangerous spaces as an attacker.
Using his speed, he enjoys finding himself wide and making darting, penetrating runs in behind his full back as often as he can. He finds himself on the touchline, and once he sees the player in possession get their eyes up, he explodes behind the defender into the space towards goal.
Along with this, he also creates space for himself by creating a disguising 2-3 yard run forward as if he’s going to run behind the defensive line, to then checking back towards the ball to receive it to his feet.
Finally, timing off the ball as a winger is crucial, as going too early can lead to an offside, while going too late will hinder your opportunity to get into dangerous spaces. Be conscious of the player in possession and when they get their eyes up, and whether it looks like they’re going to play you in behind, or to your feet.
All in all, your movement off the ball:
- Allows you to penetrate behind the defensive line into dangerous space
- Can create space in front of the defense to receive to feet
- Must be adequately timed to ensure effectiveness
Chalk On Your Boots
As a wide attacking player, you must be selfless for your team. Your responsibility is not only to be dangerous and create goal scoring opportunities, but it is also to create width and space for your teammates as well.
You must get ‘Chalk on your boots’ by getting to the touchline when your team’s in possession as necessary, to create space for yourself and your teammates.
As you can see below, in the first image on the left the wide player is tight on the inside which doesn’t allow space for them, their teammates, or the player on the ball. Whereas in the second image on the right, the winger gets ‘chalk on their boots,’ allowing other players space to get on the ball, make runs in behind, and create dangerous opportunities for the team.
