When it comes to defending in football, much of the content that has been written about it online usually mentions the same principles or similar versions of the same principles.
These principles are generally centred around the defensive shape of a team needing to be compact near the ball to cover shorter distances when pressing the ball carrier, supporting each others pressing actions and covering passing lanes.
Thus, a team looks to control the space around the ball and make it as difficult as possible for the opposition to progress the ball.
What has also been largely written about is how four reference points guide these defensive principles — the ball, the opposition players, the space around the ball and the teammates of an individual player when defending.
These reference points are used to aid players in making coordinated actions and movements to limit space around the ball for the opposition and limit ball progression.
It must be noted that these principles and reference points mentioned are not set in stone.
More can be added, and their importance changes depending on which third a team is defending in, as well as a coachs philosophy.
What is also important to note is how these principles do not exist in a vacuum and would have to be accompanied by other behaviours and actions from players for a side to improve defensively.
This tactical theory and analysis will present ideas on how these general principles can be trained to be able to defend effectively in a mid to low-block.
The significance and insignificance of defensive structure
An essential part of what allows players to implement the principles mentioned above is tied to a teams structure in the games defensive phase.
This structure is not just rooted in a particular formation that a side uses to defend but more so in whether or not the positioning of the players allows them to cover key areas of the pitch adequately.
A side may choose to defend in a 4-4-2, but situationally in a game, this may need to change to something that resembles a 4-5-1 or 4-3-3.
The structure of a side, whether they start the game with it or adapt to the demands of the game, should allow players to have as few responsibilities as necessary for them only to have to cover a few players, travel short distances and protect small amounts of space.
This gives them a platform to remain compact, support each other, and limit space around the ball for the opposition.
Below, although slightly more advanced than a mid-block, shows an example of how the structure of a side can hinder them in the defensive phase of the game.
In this game, Florian Kohfeldts SV Darmstadt 98 midfielders continuously struggled with shifting to access the wide areas and simultaneously remain compact in the centre.
In this instance, Tobias Kempe shifts to the right to press the opposition player, with Fabian Schnellhardt remaining in the centre.
As a result, space is created between the two players, allowing for a pass through the centre.
As stated before, the structure of a side can provide them with a platform to cover space, support each other and cover the opposition.
However, if players do not understand when to adjust their positioning to mitigate risks or even how, the opposition can still easily progress the ball.
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