User:Incansoccerplayer/sandbox

How To Be A Defender At first futbol was all about attacking and scoring, as years passed by the game evolved and its playing style changed to more defensive then just attacking. The game now has evenly been balanced with attacking and defending style, thus its tactical offensive play increased.

Defensive Role

While strikers are trying to score goals, and goalkeepers are doing their best to prevent goals from going in, it is the defender's job to stop opponent. A defender’s job is to prevent the other team from scoring, they are the second to last line of defense (goalkeepers are number one).. They can do this by intercepting passes on the ground or in the air. They also prevent the attacker from dribbling forward or shooting the ball by pressuring and positioning well enough that the attacker has no one to pass the ball to. If the striker decides to run with the ball, the defender must be goal side of them so they can see the ball and the attacker. Also keeping a distance of at least 3 feet away is always good, since strikers are known for quickly changing direction with the ball and run off.

If running close contact with the opponent, you can tackle then by giving a strong enough push using shoulders only. If the striker were to severely be taken down, the referee would stop the play and a foul would be giving to the defender. Rushing to the player with the ball is likely to fail as they can be skillful enough to get the ball pass you and leave you behind, wait for the striker to make a mistake. Also let him come to you, that way you give time for your teammates to fall back and help out, this is called stalling.

The more you play as a defender, the more hints you pick up on the opponent’s body movement and can intercept/ steal the ball from them. This is called a counter attack, you can either run with the ball if you feel confident enough or you can pass it to a teammate who isn’t surrounded by the other team player’s. If you were to steal the ball inside the goal box on your side of the field, it is best to kick ball to the side lines, as other strikers can be in front of you waiting for you to mess up. Every individual defender should have two things on their minds, whether to make contact with the ball or not and is my positioning good. An attacker should always have a defender along with them. The coach will assign which defender takes on certain attacker based on their performance and who he thinks is best suitable for him. This doesn’t mean that rotation can’t be made as most teams play freestyle.

How To Tackle

Tackling is something you learned through practice and hard training. Tackling should be the last resort, if the striker were to get away or miss the tackle, it can be crucial. There are three types of tackling, stand tackle, slide tackle and regular tackle. Stand tackle is normally just standing like a hard, strong wall in the way of the opponent.

Slide tackling is a little more dangerous as it can seriously injure the opponent, but if performed well enough it might just be a life saver. For this kind of tackling, the defender must make little to no contact with the player and only go for the ball. Sliding from behind will get you a yellow card or even kicked out of a game by given a red card.

A regular tackle is usually performed when running alongside the attacker. You just can’t go up to a player and push them down the ground without being penalized. First try to keep the offensive player in front of you, slow them down until you have a better position or have them trapped on the side of the field. Don’t lose track of the ball and try to read their body movement, this will give you a better idea of they are capable of. Next, try to make the opponent screw up or give a bad pass. You don’t always have to tackle; stalling is sometimes the best way to go. When you are confident you can win the ball, go in with the inside of the foot to take the ball and win possession or kick the ball away. When tackling make sure you have a strong presence and are in a well-balanced position.

Offensive players always feints on the direction you think they are going to run to, this is to get you off balance. As a defender can also act like you are going to go for the ball and to put the attacker off balance and then win the ball.

Different Positions

Not all defenders have the same positions, just like any other sport they have an individual role or attribute that helps the rest of the players to win as a team. For example you have your CENTER BACKS, RIGHT/LEFT BACKS and SWEEPER

Sweepers are the ones with a strong leadership skill and are usually the primary captains of the team. They are the one to keep the defensive in control and not carried away. They are the last man after all have been out run.

Center backs are the ones who deal with the opposite team attackers. They are usually at a height of 6 feet or more and well built, they have a good vison and excellent at air balls. Center backs also make part of an counter attack and run the ball up half field to support on the play. Right/Left fullback players are key to the game; they are always running up and down their side lines to help out on attacking plays. They require good stamina and good ball control/ passing. If skillful enough the even have a shot at goal.

Offside Trap

All players should be aware of the offside rule and know how it works. Offside traps are very useful if well performed, this gameplay prevents offensive players from receiving the ball while being behind the last defensive player. There must be at least two defenders including the goalie in front of or alongside with the attacker in order for that player to receive a pass. Strikers must always be aware of this rule and pay attention of the defenders’ position, If the whistle is blown be the referee for an offside and the players continues to run with the and shoots, he or she is giving a yellow card for not paying attention. Just because a player is in offside area, doesn't mean the ref will blow the whistle.. . The player has to physically touch the ball or a pass must be made towards them. . . This play is hard to accomplished as all the defenders must be in a straight line, another thing is that referees make mistakes and don’t always catch the play and let the game proceed.

Top Defenders 

Some of the best defenders dont come from your known countries. Below is a list of the some of the best defenders in the world: Thiago Silva- Brazil David Luiz- Brazil Sergio Ramos- Spain Rapahel Varane- France Philipp Lahm- Germany Giorgio Chiellini- Italy Nemanja Vidic- Serbia Mats Hummels- Germany Dani Alves- Brazil Marcelo- Brazil Gerad Pique- Spain Vincent Kompany- Belgium Fabio Coentrao- Portugal Patrice Evra- France Pepe- Portugal