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Become a better defender

Become a better defender by focussing on the following aspects of your game:

• Heading ability
• Tackling
• Reading the game
• Communication
• Intercepting balls / anticipation
• Distribution
• Quick and accurate passing
• Range of passing (short and lofted)
• Awareness / Vision
• Leadership qualities
• Organisational qualities

Central Defenders - When you are defending:

• Work as a unit, providing cover and balance.
• Win your 1 v 1 battle
• Marking. Zonal, man-to-man or a combination of both.
• Denying space, pressuring the ball.
• Tackling. Controlled aggression, stay on your feet, don’t sell yourself.
• Angles of recovery.
• Decision making. When to tackle, when to try and pinch the ball, when to intercept, when to overlap, when to sit, when to tuck in.
• Organising the defensive unit. Most central defenders are captains; they are in a dominant position to see all the play in front of them. They can have an influence on the match by conducting the play.
• Maintaining appropriate distances between the goalkeeper, defence, midfield and forward units.

Central Defenders - Attacking

• Quick distribution, both short and long.
• Set-pieces. In most cases the defenders will be the tallest / biggest players on the pitch, set plays provide defenders with goal scoring opportunities.
• Confident central defenders will command the ball off the goalkeeper and make forward runs, often passing to the midfield and advancing beyond.
• Central defenders who are confident of recovery and feel comfortable in possession often push into the midfield to overload the numbers.

Full-backs - Defending

• Providing cover and balance. Full backs tuck in when the ball is on the other side of the pitch or if the central defender has moved to an advanced position.
• Deny penetration from wide areas. Show attacking wide player inside or outside?
• Angle of recovery runs and tracking opponents.
• Marking assignments. If the opposition has a “Go To Man”, a defender may be assigned to man mark this player in a more advanced position to deny possession.
• Quality communication to goalkeeper, other defenders and midfielders.

Full-backs - Attacking

• Provide width in the attack. Pass and move. Overlap wide midfield player or play in a more advanced position if the midfield play narrow.
• Play as a wide player with or without the ball to unbalance opposition and push the opposition midfield in to more defensive positions.
• Confident full backs will command the ball from the goalkeeper to set up fast break attacks, a pass from a full back will be more accurate than the goalkeeper kicking out of his/her hands.
• Offer support from behind and in advance of the ball.

See also:

• Football Drills - more than 90 free drills on video
  
  
• Striker - be a better attacking forward
  
  
• Midfield - be a better midfield soccer player
  
  
• Captain - Are you a Captain?
  
  
• Sports injuries - common sports injuries explained