Principle 10: Defend 1, 2, 3 (Pressure, Cover, Balance)

Week 4

Focus: Defending in Our Half

Principle 10: Defend 1, 2, 3 (Pressure, Cover, Balance)

Reiterating some of our practice with Principle 4 a couple weeks ago, only now we are defending our own half. This should be easier considering most teams don’t pass backwards to their keepers, meaning we’ve already cut off half the field (our attacking half is cut off). 

Not only that, most teams will look to drive the ball down the sideline they started their buildup from, whether that’s through a long ball, dribble, or shorter passes. The more technical a team is, the less this is true. 

When the opponent enters into our half of the field, we must squeeze them. Hopefully, our press has done enough where they must continue down the same side they built up from. If not, we must reorganize. Every player must run to limit the space on a particular side. When the ball switches to the other side of the field, everyone must sprint to gain a positional and numerical advantage in that quadrant (forest).

Our center backs and keepers are responsible for directing this. They should be the loudest players on the field, directing the rest of the team defensively. 

This principle includes the profile (body orientation) of the player. If my profile is facing directly towards the ball and the opponent, I am flat, not ready to cover a ball through or over the top. If I am sideways instead, on my toes, knees bent in an athletic stance with my eyes on the ball and the opponent, I'm ready for any movement of the ball or movement my opponent may enact.

Here is a great inside look into Manchester City’s back line movements on the pitch. It’s a simple 45 second video of their warmup: https://youtu.be/lUZGtXpmKLk?si=CgEHUWkzQRu6ugkU&t=67. They are side-on, on their toes, ready to respond to wherever the ball moves. 

We are always defending as a team, never isolated. Cutting off passing, dribbling, and shooting lanes are essential in this.