Why not kick things off with a sensationalist, yet still not that sensational title? A revolt, really? Think about the wingers at major clubs. With the exception of Alexis Sanchez and Franck Ribery, it’s impossible to envision a rebellion from that precise football demographic. Unless you’re the one tasked with stopping them mano a mano on a counter-attack Neymar, Eden Hazard and James Rodriguez don’t scare anyone. So perhaps ‘revolt’ was a touch strong.

A small tactical switch being blown out of proportion is not unusual though. Days, weeks, even months prior to any England game are spent debating formations, players. Wayne Rooney takes up at least a fortnight of build up himself. It was no different in Rio last year. Raheem Sterling was incandescent towards the climax of the 13/14 season. Not only was he included in the squad, Sterling did the impossible and managed to usurp the Rooney as the focus of the team. For years and years despite intense nation-wide scrutiny, Rooney was teflon. Underwhelming individual performances and sporadic yet very visible bursts of negativity towards teammates just slid right off of him. Interestingly, the same press that help this absence of adhesivity for Rooney turn on him after an English exit from a major tournament. Yet Sterling had managed to secure the coveted position behind Daniel Sturridge, with Rooney being shifted to the left. Fast forward to after the defeat to Italy: consensus post-match analysis justifiably singled out Leighton Baines’ defensive vulnerability during the game. Upon further discussion, it was decided that playing Rooney on the left had led to Baines being exposed by Candreva repeatedly.

There’s a more recent example, Louis van Gaal’s attempts to use a little 90’s Italian flavour against the tried and proved, yet somewhat bland 4-2-3-1 recipe much of the Premier League now calls comfort food. It was instantly written off by nearly everyone. They have very few players who appear to be able to play as a wingback in the 3-?-? that van Gaal fetishizes, which happens to be a cornerstone to succeeding in this system. Luke Shaw’s fitness is a little suspect and he is one of many who simply cannot stay healthy for United this season. Rafael is far too prone to defensive lapses and general errors, and don’t even bother trying to convince anyone that Ashley Young can be a good right footed left wingback. This is exactly the problem in question. Young was an enterprising wide man, a livewire casting explosive sparks in a season that must seem so very long ago for Aston Villa. Initially he was the same at Manchester United. However due to a variety of factors, he must now only play as an inverted wingback.

It’s a pandemic, but you only have to take a 30 minute trip down the M62 to Anfield to find another case of it. During Benfica’s historic campaign, Lazar Markovic became one of the highest rated youngsters in Europe last season. Liverpool did well to extract him before Chelsea’s irresistible farming machine did. His role in the treble was valuable: 7 goals and 4 assists isn’t jaw dropping but it came in the midst of overall excellent play. In addition to that, Benfica had a rich array of options going forward meaning Markovic didn’t get as much of the ball as some young attackers would. The winger had displayed signs of becoming an elite player in attack. So naturally, he now plays as a right wing-back in Liverpool’s quirky but not all that convincing resurgence under a variation of the 3-5-2. I expected Markovic to be a little better technically, but he has speed, energy and enough defensive diligence to match the job description for a modern fullback/wingback. The Serbian also obtains that knack that a few players have, where they consistently nick 50/50 balls by being a split-second quicker than their sparring partner. It’s questionable whether Markovic will ever regularly see the luxury of the opposing penalty area while playing in this quasi-defender position that has spawned recently.

This change began around the time of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, when vuvuzelas, a rejuvenated Diego Forlan and Spain ruled the global football landscape for that summer. Managers really began to utilise inverted wingers (or ‘inverts’ as I have quickly named them) like it was going out of fashion, when in fact it the very opposite was occurring. High profile stars such as Lionel Messi, Arjen Robben and the polarising Neymar have all flourished at some point in these roles. Bayern Munich won the Champions League playing two supremely talented inverts, the aforementioned Robben and electric French international Ribery. But Jupp Heynckes’ Bayern Munich team was one of the best in recent times and despite not winning as many Champions League titles as it should have (‘DROGBAAAAAAA!’) it rarely encountered problems. But using one or two inverts also hurts some proponents of the system. As a result of the nature of using inverts, and some questionable weaker feet these players will naturally drift inside towards their dominant side. This can sometimes subsequently rob an attack of its width, allowing defenders to contain and whole teams to sit compactly to wait for a opportunity to press.

Being a winger used to be the classy, luxury position. With a solid defensive fullback behind them and plenty of open space, they had the pitch at their mercy from which they could influence the match. But the revolution of attacking fullbacks has both removed their safety net and eaten away at the space for them to work in. In some cases, they’re merged to now play wingback. Both alterations thrust defensive responsibilities upon the player which if neglected, as they sometimes are, will leave their defence or at the very least their respective flank vulnerable. Slowly, The Union of Wingers have noticed this and decided to instead move their talented feet elsewhere. A place that holds less defensive responsibility, a land that does not censor their tricks and somewhere that allows them a better chance of goals than rubbing shoulders with the linesman. The antiquated bourgeois of football had to adapt and seek pastures new, to somewhere like the number 10 role.

This emigration from out wide to behind the striker is the privilege of only the chosen few. Some are forced to endure the return trip to the touchline. Indeed, the ‘number 10′ role is the most oversubscribed position in today’s game. It is fairly easy to see why, along with the lessened expectations on the defensive end, central attacking players always seem to have more space, more time. They get to drive at less mobile centre backs instead of the more dynamic fullbacks that usually oppose them. Sometimes it feels anyone could slot into that role and have a far better game than elsewhere. Apart from Cuadrado maybe with Fiorentina, I can’t think of a single player in the past season who has played worse in the centre than on the wing. Crystal Palace last season used Marouane Chamakh in the hole to some beneficial effect, albeit under Tony Pulis, who would probably have given ol’ Crouchy a go in that position. Neymar during the World Cup this summer often found himself operating centrally, reversing roles with Oscar and influenced the game more from there. Rodriguez, the rising star of the World Cup played there and orchestrated Columbia’s fluid attacking movements with crescendos of passing and deafening moments of brilliance. He was originally a winger.

On deadline day there was an interesting comparison of two former young English prodigies, Ravel Morrison and Wilfried Zaha. Both still young, yet now marginalized. Joey Barton, for all his faults, provided insight from another perspective who’s seen hundreds of players. He praised Morrison, generally saying he’s ‘intelligent’ in terms of his vision but also grasp of the more subtle aspects of the game. Zaha was depicted as ‘raw’. In the context of this piece, Zaha leads the anti-rebel cause. The conflict between wingers and the natural progression of the game. The returning Palace winger presents an interesting case study for the revolt. In the Championship, he feasted on lesser defenders with his flair and agility, with his lethargy going predictably unnoticed. Most of this success came on the wing. It contrasts with how gradually in the top flight, we’ve seen the playing on the wing become an industrious, thankless task. It can be compared to floor spacing in Basketball, it has to be done to help the team function. No-one wants to be there anymore.

This evolution may explain his failure to break through at United and then his struggles at Cardiff and Palace. It throws up questions about Zaha’s ceiling in the modern game. If he doesn’t have the off-ball initiative and can’t comprehend finer, between-the-lines nuances of the game, it eliminates the chance of him playing there. This leaves the wing, where it’s become increasingly difficult to influence a game from. Yet we just talked about how Zaha hasn’t made an impact in the Premier League on the wing, no? That position nowadays requires someone like Willian. A big selfless bag of energy that will make the necessary runs in both directions to allow the playmaker to dictate. It just so happens Chelsea are one of the few teams that have their best creative force not stationed in the centre. Did United see an overstated potential with Zaha and ship him off? Seemed more like van Gaal having zero interest in certain squad members, although it’s a possibility.

Which brings me back to the failing Lancashire club. The revolution appears to have transitioned into a civil war between indigenous central attacking midfielders, and the newly converted. Rooney, Di Maria and Juan Mata would be enough to throw up a serious selection headache, but young, sort of academy produced Adnan Januzaj has also expressed his desire to play in the promised land behind the centre forward(s) and Wayne Rooney drops deep enough now that he plays there anyway.

This is a natural change. Every competitive sport evolves and strives to fine tune itself. The revolt is merely a response to the tactical ebb and flow of the game. It wasn’t efficient to have two indulgent wingers who only played one side of the game. Teams can barely get away with one, playing in the centre. Speaking of defensively lax players, the recent retirement of Riquelme throws up another example. Long ago at Barcelona he was turfed out to the sideline, a move which was not lucrative for any party involved. The rebellion has had its foundations set for many years.

Soon, many will watch Christian Eriksen and Sterling play in the centre for their respective clubs. Two of the brightest prospects in the world. Know then, that both were born out of the circumstances extensively discussed before. The Wingers’ Revolt has been successful.