Tuchel and his flankers

Over the last two decades, the transformation of the full-back position has radically reshaped how we look at the game. Previously a position of stability in defense, the role has morphed into arguably the most demanding on the pitch.

As teams look to create quantitative superiority in wide positions and between the defensive lines, so the need for extra width has increased. Central attacking-midfielders are feted in modern football, but the importance of the full-backs to stretch the game and facilitate overloads cannot be understated.

It was a tactic used often by Thomas Tuchel at Mainz, and is something which he has utilized in Dortmund where he has reinvigorated the club. Tuchel's play boasts the same effervescence as Jürgen Klopp managed to instill, but the former wants a more structured approach in possession through a tactic called 'positional play'.

In essence, it involves constant positional rotations, refined by work on the training ground to create an understanding between players. When one player occupies a position on the field depending on the position of the ball and other factors, the rest of the players know their responsibilities.

One important part of 'positional play' is stretching the play out wide, or through the outside channels. Tuchel has pushed his full-backs substantially higher up the park than Klopp did last season and that has borne fruits with a brilliant start to the season for Marcel Schmelzer and most recently, Matthias Ginter.

27-year-old Schmelzer experienced a sizable dip in performances during Klopp's final 18 months as coach. His defending was a problem because of poor positioning, while his attacking was bland and one-paced. Since Tuchel's appointment, Schmelzer has become invaluable to Dortmund, his early season form a marked improvement on previous years.

The left-back has found his groove once more, which is timely considering the form of Shinji Kagawa and Ilkay Gündogan in midfield. Both players are constantly on the look out for overloads on the wing, the chipped pass over the defense becoming a familiar game plan.

On the other side, the recent inclusion of Matthias Ginter at right-back was borne out of necessity: Lukasz Piszczek has been ruled out for months with an injury, while Gonzalo Castro's fleeting appearance in that position was something to forget. Options for Tuchel were limited.

A confident ball-carrier and economical in his distribution, Ginter was encouraged in his time at Freiburg to bring the ball out of the back. The 23-year-old sometimes played in central-midfield as a result of his technical qualities and defensive strength.

On the right, he has used his aptitude on the ball to good effect with five assists and one goal in six appearances. He created two in the 4-2 win over Hannover. "The development Matze [Ginter] has undergone is excellent," Tuchel noted afterwards.

With Ginter and Schmelzer simultaneously stretching the play, Dortmund's orthodox wide men have the freedom to play inside, thus facilitating more numbers in the key positions behind the opponent's defensive lines. The form of Henrikh Mkhitaryan, playing off the left, has been remarkable.

Whether Ginter holds on to his starting place when Piszczek returns remains to be seen. But given the similarities in the style of football at Dortmund and with the Germany national team, it'd be little surprise to see both players be first-picks under Joachim Löw should they maintain their early form.