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A winger who drifts inside constantly, leaving the wide area empty for the full-back to attack. Different from an inverted winger who still occupies wide areas sometimes - the false winger basically plays as an extra midfielder. The full-back provides all the width. Guardiola's used this with players like Grealish, who naturally gravitates toward the ball rather than staying wide.
Jack Grealish at Manchester City operates as a false winger - he rarely hugs the touchline, instead drifting into central areas to receive the ball, while Kyle Walker or João Cancelo bomb forward to provide width down the left.
Robbie
Jan 11, 2026
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