The First Three Principles of Defense: Immediate Chase, Delay And
Deny, Cover
We hear and say the
following quotes all the time regarding defense in soccer:
"Offense wins games, defense wins championships“? Or “If you
don’t concede any goals you’ll win more games than you lose.”
Yet how many of us coaches really understand team defense?
Without question, a team's ability to deny goals, limit
opportunities and recapture the ball depends on both individual
and group application of the principles of defense.
All players, whether they are forwards, midfielders or
defenders, have a responsibility in this effort. Players must
stay focused in order to meet the defensive demands of entire
match.
So what are the principles of defense?
The first principle is that of IMMEDIATE CHASE. Immediate chase
applies to both the player who loses the ball and to the team
overall. Questions that a team should ask itself are: Can I or
we win the ball back immediately? Can we regain possession by
making the opponent make a poor decision? Can we have a
collective defensive effort and are we recovering into positions
that establish a defensive shape? It is important for your team
to delay penetration while giving teammates opportunities to
recapture the ball. This works best if all this occurs while the
ball is still in transition.
The second principle is
DELAY and DENY; in other words, to delay the attack and deny
penetration. This allows players to recover and get organized
behind the ball. Pressure needs to be applied quickly to the
opponent with the ball. Pressure can be exerted at various
angles and extent with one collective thought in mind: Recapture
the ball based on either team's collective strengths or
weakness.
The pressuring player always wants to display
control and self-discipline but also possess an aggressive
"You’re not going to beat me" attitude. The more effective the
individual pressure, the more time allowed for teammates to
collectively recover and organize.
The third principle
is to COVER -- the organization of the players behind the
pressuring defender. Cover can involve any number of players.
There are several factors that dictate a covering player's
position. These factors are (in no particular order) the
pressuring defender's body position, angle, and speed of closing
down; the distance of pressure; the body language of the player
on the ball, and the desired play in a particular third of the
field. It should be noted that a player’s movement off of the
ball (opposition and teammates) can also affect positioning.
Primarily, a covering player wants to position himself or
herself to deny penetration by the dribble or the pass. If the
pressuring player is beaten by a dribble, the covering player
wants to deny the advancement of the player on the ball. If the
pressuring player is beaten by a pass or through ball the
covering player should be able to step in and intercept the pass
by limiting or cutting off the passing lanes.
