User:RWyn/Association football tactics and skills

There are various individual skills and team tactics needed to play effective football. Football is in theory a very simple game, as illustrated by Kevin Keegan's famous assertion that his tactics for winning a match were to "score more goals than the opposition". However, well-organised and well-prepared teams are often seen beating teams with supposedly more skillful players, even over time. Coaching manuals and books[1] generally cover not only individual skills but tactics as well.

Defensive skills
Outfield players in association football use techniques to prevent their opponents from scoring a goal. These include tackling, intercepting, blocking, jockeying, heading and making clearances.

Tackling is a technique where a foot is used to remove the ball from the control of an opponent. A defending player may make contact with an opponent on the follow through of the movement, but the tackle is only legal if contact with the ball was made before contact with the opponent. A tackle where the defending player leaves his feet and slides along the ground is known as a sliding tackle.

An interception is when a defending player recovers the ball by moving in front of a target of a pass and taking control of the ball before it reaches its destination. A successful interception recovers possession without the risk of fouling, but an unsuccessful attempt may leave a defending player out of position.

intentional foul