Individual Defense Mastery

Whilst browsing YouTube for videos to improve my defending, I found this clip (http://youtu.be/qAKjk_reTQ0) by ProgressiveSoccer. Very good tips and it addresses many problems I personally witness on the field on a regular basis. Watch the video. For those who have run out of data for the month, I have listed out what I felt were key points of the video.

Close down your Mark

ALWAYS close down your mark. Regardless of whether he is skilful, or a dumbass, close him down. Never stand too far off him as this gives him time to think and choose the best option available. CLOSE him down until you are at an arm's length away, then slow down to prevent yourself being wrong footed by his drag backs or change in directions. 

Anticipate, not React

To make your life easier, anticipate. Don't wait for your mark to receive the ball before reacting. See the ball being passed, and go. Best case is to reach him just as he receives the ball, putting additional pressure on him to control the ball perfectly. A heavy touch, and you're there to dispossess him. 

Stick to your Mark like Velcro

If your mark turns his back to you to shield the ball, spoon him. Don't worry about looking gay. Stick your body into his back and make sure he knows you're there. Force him forward. Not illegally, but let him know you're a strong defending type. Make him do the added work of having to hold you off AND keep the ball. 

A common mistake is to try and poke the ball away from the side. A decent player will have options to either accelerate away on your strong side, or wrong foot you by going the other way. 

Be like Velcro. Give him only 1 option and even then, make him work for it. 

Did I mention stick to his back like Velcro?

Get yourself closer to the Ground

When you are Velcro-ing your mark, stay low. It lowers your CG, allowing you to turn faster and/or accelerate faster. If he nutmegs you, you will still reach the ball faster if you're on your toes. Remember, as a defender, stay strong, stay intense. Don't straighten up or there's a chance your striker is gonna make you land on your ass. Like how Demichelis was made to sit on the floor doing a yoga pose by young Rashford's change of direction in the Manchester Derby on the sunday of 20 March 2016. 

Go in Hard

When you see your mark lose concentration, or an opportunity for you to take the ball opens up, go for the kill. And go in hard. 100%. Don't be afraid to dish out some body to body contact. This is to ensure that even if you did not get full contact of the ball, your mark will be off balanced and be nowhere near to take advantage. If he manages to hold you off, you are screwed. Even worse, a half-f*^£ed tackle could result with you getting injured. 

"More often than not you will win the ball just by staying in front of him."

Advanced defending for the more accomplished defenders

At football training sometime last month with RMFTA, we did a simple segment, where a single attacker goes one-on-one against a single defender and tries to beat him to score.

I was pitted against my brother, a 120kg behemoth, who is a rock as a centreback, but as an attacker, not someone that'll make me quake in my boots. So here I am, facing up to my bro, tilting my body to show him to my left so I can move in for the steal when he goes for the shot with his masterfoot.

Instead, he did the unexpected and cut the ball to his left, ghosting past me like I wasn't there. If he took an extra touch or two after getting past me, I might have been able to recover and put in a tackle. But he took the right option for an early shot with his first touch after getting past me, smashing an unstoppable left footer into the net that would have made any striker proud. 

Damn that was a rude wake up call!

Probably overconfidence on my part. And some impressive footwork on his part. (There! I said it! You happy now?) But I also realized there's something fundamentally wrong with my defending in one-on-ones situations. 

Came across a Nike Academy training video that really shed some light. Not just on individual defensive skills, but the collective defensive covering and movement as well. Have a look at the video and you'll understand where I'm coming from.

4 main ways we all concede goals from

We were doing possession play that week during training. As usual, we started well. The team in possession starts off with quick passing, good off the ball running.

But a few minutes later, people start to slack off. Sloppy passing, trying to Messi-Ronaldo their way out of tight spots, no one running into open space to support. As a result, possession turned over more quickly.

Deadball situations contribute about 30% of a team's goals scored, as well as goals conceded.

3 tips all defenders should know

Was at training the other day and while we were doing attacker vs defender drills, the coach gave a tip. One that really struck a chord with me. He shared, after witnessing some really calamitous defending, that when defending against a 1-on-1, a defender has 3 priorities:

1. First priority: Slow the attacker down. 

2. Second priority: Shepherd the attacker to the side of your choice. 

3. Third priority: Dispossess him

Defender #21 is doing a good job keeping #20 at bay, allowing his team mates to track back to support

Most of us make the mistake of trying to do point 3 first. Especially for Centrebacks, slowing down the attack and allowing your defence to regroup is priority. A mistimed tackle with inadequate backup will give fleet footed attackers the opportunity to get past you and a free shot on goal. 

I like point 2. It differentiates an elite amateur footballer from the rest. Identify the attacker's master foot, as well as your own. Then decide if you want to show him the outside channel, or the inside channel. Conventional teaching tells us to always show the attacker the outside. But experience tells me forcing the attacker to utilise his non master side can be just as effective. 

Chip is seen here getting past his marker on the latter's inside channel and onto his master foot

 Eg. As a right footed LB marking a very right footed winger, instead of letting him charge down the byline to cross with his stronger foot, close down that option and make him cut inside you. With the ball on his weaker left, his options are limited due to his lack of mastery. It's also easier for you to cut in between the attacker and the ball, using your body as a shield, then take the ball away from him using the outside of your master foot. 

Some of these practices come instinctively to those gifted with natural footballing brains. But for the rest of us, remembering the sequence of the 3 priorities will help us become better defensive players.