The space behind the wing-back 🎯

Against Parma, Inter's shape in the first half showed a clear pattern. The wing-backs pushed high, almost in line with the strikers. That leaves a large area behind them.

Parma tried to attack that space. But Inter's midfield recovered quickly. Diouf covered the ground in front of the defense and closed the passing lane into that zone. That is why Parma could not build anything.

The consequence for the second half was different. Parma sat deeper. Inter kept the same high shape, but now the space behind the wing-backs was empty. There was no one to attack it. The game became one-directional.

A team that pushes its full-backs high must know who fills the space behind them. If no one does, the shape invites trouble.

Question: When you watch a team with high full-backs, who do you look at to see if they are protected?