Coaches frequently use the term goal side defense and think that if their players play goal side defense, they will be in good position.

When the player you are marking is on a line between the ball and the goal, then regular goal side defense is fine. See the diagram below for an example.



In this case, the defender (red) is goal side (closer to the goal than the player he is marking) and everything works well.

However, when the player being marked is on a different angle (not on a direct line to the goal) than it's important to factor in the ball-you-man aspect as well.

In the diagram below, the player being market is out wide. The red player is goal side (on a horizontal plane closer to the goal than the player being marked) but is not in a good position.



In this case, the defender wants to not only be on a horizontal plane closer to the goal than the player he is marking but also on a vertical plane closer to the ball than the player he is marking.



Ball-you-man goal side defense simply means making sure you are goal side (horizontal plane) which puts you closer to the goal than the player you are marking and you are also on vertical plan closer to the ball than the player you are marking.

There certainly are exceptions to this rule of thumb (pushing up to force someone into an offside position or trying to split two players who are involved with an overlap) but overall, if you make sure to abide by this rule, you will be in a good defensive position.

Center Defenders Providing Support

This activity is done on a 30 x 20 grid with a line splitting it into two 10 yard wide grids. There are 3 attacking players and 2 defending players.

The three attacking players are trying to dribble or pass the ball over the opposite end line, under control. The one rule is that a pass over the end line must be to a player in the same half grid as the passer. For example, if the through pass is made to a runner who receives the ball in the same grid and over the end line for a point. This is allowed (long ways down)




However, if it's a diagonal ball to a player over the end line, in the next grid, it would not count. If the attacking team dribble the ball to the adjacent grid or passes over, then they could attack that end line.

This will allow for your dfense to shift over and cover the space.

The reason for putting this restriction regarding only being allowed to score in the same half grid is that this is an activity emphasizing defensive support.

CP: The idea is for the defensive players to force balls to be switched and not allow direct penetration.
When the ball is in the left grid, both defenders would be in the left grid (or, at the very least, the supporting defender would be splitting the grids). When the ball is in the right grid, both defenders would be in the right grid.

After players have had a turn both attacking and defending, the next step would be to add a third defender and turn this into a free flowing game. The grids stay the same, but now, when the defending team wins the ball, they become the attacking team and the former attacking team becomes the defending team.

Once the players get comfortable with this game, consider making the field larger (40 x 30) to really force the defensive players to work hard.

The offside rule is used during these games.

Stopping the Ball
While it might seem quite obvious that defensively, one must stop the ball, the reality is, when a player is dribbling at you there is a tendency to keep retreating and keep retreating. The reality is, at some point, you must stop the ball.

Recently, in two different Premier League matches, I saw players receive a ball in their defensive half of the field, dribble all the way to within 25 yards of the goal, shoot and score. In both cases, there were plenty of opportunities for players to step up and pressure the player dribbling but each time, the defensive players stayed back, waited for the attacking players to come to them, then continued to retreat, giving the attacker the opportunity to score.

PICTURE the yellow player is attacking with the dribble and there are three red defenders back waiting.
If no one steps to the ball, the player will continue to dribble toward the 18 and get a shot hit.

On the other hand, if a player steps up and the others provide support, it makes it extremely difficult for the attacking player to create an opportunity.

This might seem to be a very obvious and intuitive thing to do but again, over the course of one weekend, I saw two different teams at a very high level fail to pressure the ball. As a coach, this is something that must be worked on regularly to make sure the players understand how to do it and the importance.

THE PRINCIPLE OF DEFENDING DRIBBLE:
DELAY THE ATTACKER WITHOUT DIVING IN TO STEAL BALL.
PRESSURE THE DEFENDER WITH SIDE ON FOOTWORK, THAT IS ONE FOOT FORWARD AND ONE BACK.
KEEP THE FEET MOVING

Exercise- Begins using an area equal to half of the field with two large goals and goalkeepers.

At midfield, two attackers wait to receive the ball with three defenders behind them. There are players lined up on the posts with soccer balls.

A player on each post comes forward, one with the ball, and passes it to the waiting attacking players. They then join the attacking players to make it 4v3 on the far goal and goalkeeper. Once a shot is taken, a goal scored or the ball dead, then two players on the opposite post come off and do the same to the opposite goal. The defense remains on the field while the attackers switch with the ones coming in with the ball. Drill is continuous.

This is a very fast game that forces the defenders to continue to shift and adjust and is a great tool to see how they perform under pressure. This way you can see the decisions that they are making and make corrections and coaching points.

CP1: THE DEFENDING PLAYERS COMMUNICATE VOCALLY TO KEEP SHAPE OF LINE. PASS PLAYERS OFF WHO LEAVE YOUR ZONE.
CP2:KEEPING THE GAPS IN THE DEFESE CLOSED AND NOT TOO SPREAD APART