Football/Soccer Session (Moderate): The 2nd Defender - Effective Cover

Profile Summary

Name:	Nigel Reed
City:	Melbourne
Country:	Australia
Membership:	Adult Member
Sport:	Football/Soccer

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Description

One of the basic principles of defending is to make the play predictable and try and limit the attackers options.

The shape of defenders can provide effective cover helping defending teams minimise the options for attacking players.

The 1st Defender refers to the closest defender to the player with the ball

The 2nd defender is the next closest defender that is providing cover and support for the 1st defender

The 4 Jobs

The 2 diagrams highlight the basic principles of the postioning of the 2nd defender.

The angle and distance of support of the 2nd defender is dependant on the shape and positioning of the attacking team.

4v2

The 4v2 example shows how effective cover can reduce the advantage of an attacking team that has more numbers around the ball.

The effective postioning of the defendings is to make play predictable, allowing them a better chance to regain possession.

Football/Soccer Session Plan Drill (Colour): The 4 Jobs

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The 4 Jobs

The 4 Jobs of the second defender

Diagram 1

The angle and distance of the 2nd defender allows him to do 4 jobs when covering the 1st defender as shown in diagram 1.

If the ball is passed to the 2nd attacker, the covering defender steps up to pressure the ball, and becomes the 1st defender, and the current 1st defender "drops in" to become the 2nd defender

The numbers in diagram 1 are showing

1. Provide cover for the 1st defender. ie the defender that has closed down the ball carrier. This ensures that the 1st defender is not left in a 1v1

2. Mark the 2nd attacker from a distance that he can cover if the ball gets passed to the 2nd attacker

3. Cover the space and prevent a penetrating pass to an attacker further up the pitch

4. Communicate and encourage the 1st defender. Such as hold him up, have a nibble, tackle, show him left

Diagram 2

If the 2nd defender is man marking the 2nd attacker, then the defending team is vunerable

1.The 1st defender has no cover, and leaving him in a 1 v1

2. The defence is vunerable to a wall pass that will allow the player with the ball to receive the ball back befing the 1st attacker

3. The 1st attacker can play the ball to an advanced team mate because the space has not been protected by the 2nd defender

Football/Soccer Session Plan Drill (Colour): 4v2

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4v2

Effective pressure and Cover

The above diagram shows how 2 defenders have turned a 4v2 into a 2v2 by effective pressure on the ball and positioning of the 2nd defender

The player with the ball (number 1) only has one option to pass the ball to attacker number 2

As the ball is passed to attacker#2 the defenders adjust to a similar shape

The defenders must be patient and wait for a bad pass that allows them to either tacke or intercept the pass.