Defending is an underrated art.

It doesn’t end up in most “top 10 football moments” compilations and also Ballon d’Or winners are rarely defenders.

And yet, good or bad defending often decides the outcome of the Champions League or the World Cup final.

And good defending isn’t just about your position.

In the 90’ minute it doesn’t matter if you’re a striker, winger, or center back. All that matters is defending as a team and holding the lead.

And that’s why we put together this guide for you, so you too can learn to defend like a pro!

Overview

Defending in football isn’t just about blocking the other team’s shots or clearing the ball from the line.

It’s also about putting pressure on your opponents, limiting their options, controlling the pace of the game, and - once the ball is recovered - starting a counter-attack at the right moment.

As nearly all players nowadays, a defender is generally required to have an incredible amount of stamina. It helps them react faster and remain a step ahead of the attackers.

You can check out this article for an in-depth guide on how to increase your stamina.

But before we dive into the tips you can use to effectively defend against any opponent, let’s understand the main defensive positions and their roles first.

Positions

While defending is a team effort, there are generally 4 different positions that are mostly responsible for defending and regaining possession of the ball.  

Defensive Midfielder: 
DMs are positioned in the middle of the field, right before the defensive line.

On top of being the centerpiece for most build-up plays, their main responsibility lies in winning the ball in midfield.

Mostly they do so by intercepting the opponent’s passes or in 1v1s against their opponents.

Center Back:
Center-backs are the cornerstone of the defense and play right in front of the goalkeeper in the middle of the pitch.

Their main tasks are pressing the strikers (and trying to win the ball from them), intercepting long balls (low or high), and blocking shots.

Full Backs / Wing Backs (2):
Positioned on each side of the pitch, slightly in front of the center backs, full-backs need not only defensive skills but especially stamina and pace.

The reason for this is, that on one side, they need to keep up with the opponent’s wingers, stop their dribblings and block their crosses.

On the other side, they’re expected to support the attack on the wing. Based on how much they’re involved in the attack, they can therefore also often be called wing-backs nowadays.

Goalkeeper:
And last but not least - the goalkeeper.

Positioned in front of the goal and as the only player on the pitch who’s also allowed to use his hands, his/her main responsibilities are blocking shots, directing his teammates, intercepting crosses, and 1v1s against attackers.

1-on-1 Defending

1-on-1 defending is the base of all defensive play. It’s very dynamic and depends on the individual strengths of a player rather than teamwork alone. 

There are as many options to do this as there are attacking options. That’s because it’s mostly a reactionary approach to the attacker.

And while you can make the first move every now and then, most of the time, it’s advised to stay alert and remain on the back foot.

Here’s how you can keep an advantage while facing off with your opponent:

1) Stay at an arm’s distance from your opponent and be on your toes. This will help you react much faster to their movements.

2) Make sure that the goal is always in your back so the path of least resistance for the attacker guides toward the sidelines. 

3) If you’re in the middle of the pitch try to guide the attacker to the side of his/her weak foot.

From here, you can delay the attack until

a) your teammates are able to come back and support you

b) your opponent does a heavy touch you can use to intercept the ball 

c) your opponent tries to pass the ball to one of his teammates which you or one of your teammates can intercept.

But in an actual match, you’re of course not defending all by yourself (hopefully).

That’s why in the next e-mail, we’ll look at the fundamentals of how to defend as a team.

In the meantime, you can already continue to improve your tactical understanding with the Tactics Courses on the Train Effective app.

Just head over to the learn tab right now.

If you don’t have a PRO or Academy membership yet, just click on the button below and unlock all our tactical analyses.

Stay Effective! 🔴
the Train Effective Team