Football Basics : Defending as a unit.
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A good defensive unit goes high, drops low, & shuffles left and right together and fill gaps when necessary.
An example of Team specific Instructions
Working as a Unit :
[A 9-10 mid block for example].
- Keeper - plays as sweeper anticipating balls over the top.
- Strong defensive line makes sure the spaces between the lines are not too big, but always moves together, drops when necessary, and covers each other (as a deender may need to press in the midfield space) and fills gaps when necessary. Constant talking.
- 6 and 8 : Press hard from low positions when ball enters the midfield space
- 9 and 10 : Press hard from high positions when ball enters the midfield space
- Wingers either helps FB and presses in wide areas, or supports midfield and tucks in (prevents aggressive switch)
Working as a Unit : A 9-10 mid block
Blocks are looked at in more details on the next few pages.