 Because a lot of us as players when we're attacking we're very involved in the game We're very focused on what we're doing But as soon as it comes time to defend we switch off mentally and we don't do the things that we're supposed to do So if you want to be a better player a more complete player that means being a better defender So a couple principles I want to talk about When defending the first one is staying very compact very tight closing down the spaces between teammates So when we're attacking you've heard the term get width get wide, okay? And the reason you want to do that is because we want to make big gaps Yes, we want to come together and combine and sometimes there'll be smaller passes But we want to use big gaps in order to use the ball to our advantage and make the other team chase the ball When we have big gaps we can use long passes quick passes and that forces the other team to move now Let's say we're the red team Defending this blue squad. Okay, so When we're defending we don't want those big gaps because these big gaps are very easy to play through Okay, so what we want to think about what you want to think about as soon as your time comes to defend Can I close the distance between myself and my teammates? So if I'm playing out here on the wing and the balls here, I'm not going to stay out here I'm going to get really compact. I'm going to cut the field in half Okay, everyone's gonna come across because why well, this is very difficult to get through here Okay, they come in here. We're much more likely to win that because we're so tight together. We're a very compact unit Okay, if the ball gets switched, that's fine We're gonna shift as a unit. Okay, these guys aren't just gonna go and you're gonna stay here on the side No, everyone's gonna come across. We're gonna stay very compact and very tight And this is very tough for teams to break down. Okay, you see this lots sometimes you'll see a team that's not as good technically playing against a very good team or a very They're the underdog in the in the competition. Okay, and they play this very compact defense Okay, they keep things very tight and this gives the other team a very hard time Okay, so you want to think about being very compact. Let's say you have the ball out here and your team is attacking Let's get everyone up and you happen to lose possession of the ball. Okay, what are you gonna do right at this point? Well, you're gonna press to win the ball then hopefully your teammates are coming across everyone's coming across cut the field in half Get very compact looking something like this. Okay, then as the ball shifts if they go over the top try to play out here That's fine. We're all gonna shift over stay very compact Cut down the spaces keep very tight and work together. Okay defending is all about working together If you're working by yourself, it's very difficult to win the ball back But when you have a team where everyone works together to make it very difficult for the other team You're gonna have much more success when it comes to defending. Okay, the next thing I want to talk about is Closing down quickly or arriving at the right time Okay So you want 12 weeks of in-depth coaching covering every area of player development Daily follow-along training routines to improve your skills fitness and confidence 12 weeks of professional match analysis and access to every advanced course I've created in the past Check out the link in the description below. So First of all when the opponent gets the ball, let's say you're defending as a forward and yes Forwards have to defend. Let's say this guy gets the ball Don't give him time to make a decision pressure him Force him to make a decision force him to get his head down and hopefully he's gonna screw up He's gonna kick the ball up the field You're gonna win it or he's gonna pass it into a place where he shouldn't we're gonna win possession We're even better He's gonna take a bad touch and you're gonna win the ball and then you can get into a scoring opportunity Just because you decided to press him close him down quickly Force him to make a decision force him to make an error rather than doing what most players do which is slowly jockey slowly closed down and Not really Have the purpose or intention to win the ball back quickly. Okay, so Right now starting today when you're in your train session when you're in a game I really want to focus on closing down quickly forcing that player to make a decision forcing him to make any mistakes Just run at him. Yes, when you get a bit closer, you can slow down in jockey But if you see that he's having a bad touch Close down quickly and try to win that ball back right away Okay, the next thing I want to talk about is arriving at the right time So if I know this pass is coming into here, this is going to be my job as one of these defenders or a holding midfielder Okay, or any position on the field if you know that the ball is going here You don't want to arrive after he's already received it. You want to be thinking. Okay. I know he's going to pass there So i'm going to try to arrive right on his touch right as soon as he gets it or even a second before So this is really going to make him panic He's going to have a bad touch going to cough it up and we can win it Or he's just going to panic and boot it up the field and then we can gain possession and play Okay, so think about that if the ball is coming into here Read the play You have your eye on the ball. You know what's happening. You're not reacting. You're anticipating the ball comes in here As soon as it's there, you're already touch tight So he either has to go backwards or if he does try to turn you you're tight on him And you can win that ball back even better He's going to have a bad touch and your teammates like we said before are playing very compact We're going to come and win the ball back with our numbers and then we can attack then we can spread out Then we can get up the field. Okay, so think about that closing quickly Don't give him time to play make him panic be a pest Give him the hardest time possible Force him to make errors when the pass is getting there anticipate and try to arrive there as soon as the pass is made Okay, if the ball is coming to your guy And you're not anywhere close. He has time to turn what's going to happen. They're going to hurt you Okay, he's going to dribble into space or they could play a through ball for someone to run onto Okay, so you want to think about getting touch tight Before the ball gets there or just as the ball gets there. Okay, so think about that when you're defending Where is your guy is the ball coming to him? Okay, I need to be there before the ball gets there don't give him any time to play And the last thing I wanted to talk about for basic defending principles Is forcing the player into the area where you want him to go. Okay, so let's say This winger gets the ball out here and you're playing as a full back Oh, sorry. We're the red team Let's say this winger gets the ball out here And you're defending in one one position here. Okay, so Where do you want to force him? If you know that he's not very good on his left foot Then you may want to force him by your body position force him down the line or towards the sideline So you can trap him here Okay, or maybe you know that you have support in this area So instead of going straight on adam we're giving them the sideline where he has space you want to force him into trouble So think about how you're positioning yourself Where are you forcing him to go? What space are you cutting off? Okay, if you can learn to do that as well as press the ball very quickly As well as stay very compact and work for your teammates. Don't let them defend on their own everybody defends together You're gonna have so much more success on the field. Okay So remember these main points next time you're playing in your practice next time you play the game and you're reviewing Ask yourself. Did I do these things if you want to be a better defender? Tell yourself remind yourself to do these things before every game