Why Defending Wins Championships

The old cliché goes “Attack wins games, defence wins Championships”. It is heard at almost all levels in all sports, yet do people really understand the impact of this and the importance that defending has on success?

In the Euro’s so far there has been some quite awful displays of defending; Ireland have been simply abysmal, especially considering they have come into this tournament on the back of a resolute defence, they have been all over the place and deservedly have been comprehensively beaten in both games. Tactics are only part of it though, it is the players which make the real difference to how effective a tactic can be, and Ireland have just not been good enough individually.

Another side which has disappointed greatly is Holland, who have arguably been the best side in the Euro’s so far when in possession of the ball; speed of play, movement and their skill on the ball has been scintillating at times. Yet, it is what they do defensively which means they will not be progressing further in this campaign. In their game against Germany, it was the difference in defending which meant Germany took all three points. Holland have seemingly neglected their focus on team defending and developing quality defenders at the expense of developing high quality technicians, thus it is their defensive problem which will mean they do not progress further this summer. An issue which they need to seriously address if they wish to be successful in the future. 

The England game against Sweden was an example of why sides playing a high tempo game do not achieve success in these tournaments; quite simply, tactics are thrown out the window for the sake of seeking goals, now against the lesser sides you can afford to try this and England scraped the win which could easily have been a loss. Yet the Premier League style of front to back by any means and the forsaking of defence in order to score, is a reason why England and those sides who play the English way, do not achieve success internationally.

One cannot just attack and be successful, perhaps one can defend and win though, and in the past decade we have seen many different instances of defences winning Championships; Greece in 2004, Italy 2006, Inter Milan in 2010 and Chelsea in 2012, all won by a form of very deep and compact defending. Against the better sides, England will need to defend much smarter and much more compact. Could it work? Possibly, but for sides like England and managers like Hogdson, the purpose of defending is to not concede goals, whereas, there are two sides at the tournament this year which are teaching coaches and fans not just how to defend, Germany and Spain have taught us about transition.

Being Proactive 

There is a misconception of the term “defence” in that it means “defenders”, this is completely false, and those who stick to this idea, are most likely those who lose more than they win. Defence means what the team does when not in possession of the ball, meaning it is a collective effort of the whole team to partake in some way to the defending role of the team.

There are many different ways of how to defend as a team, yet the two classic types are pressing or delay. 

Pressing is the style which Rinus Michels developed in Holland in the late 60’s, a method which Arrigo Saachi’s Milan mastered so well and in which Barcelona and Spain have perfected in recent times. It means that as a team you press high up the pitch to win the ball back, it’s value being that you prevent the opposition counter attacking you and if you win the ball back, you are closer to goal. Thus it is a vital attacking tactic as well as defending.

A high pressing game requires many factors to be highly effective; importantly it requires a collective approach and an understanding of the roles of each player. English sides have often attempted a high pressing game; Graham Taylor’s Watford were renowned for it, however what this side and many English sides lack, is actually knowing how to press. Perhaps only Swansea have achieved a successful high pressing game in England these past few years. It requires a real intelligence, an understanding of when to go, where to show and where to support. 

Contrary to the English mentality, it does not always mean running around like a lunatic hunting for the ball, in fact it requires a real intelligence to winning the ball effectively. How often have you seen Rooney running around hunting for the ball only to be played around, then when he looks around, his team mates are 30 yards away, this is poor intelligence. Ronaldo started getting frustrated in games against Barcelona, he decided to press, looked around and threw his arms up in dismay, however, it was him who was going against the teams tactics. When a side gets their defensive tactics right, they are much more effective.

Not many sides can achieve success playing a high pressing game, yet if a good coach can impress this style on their team, the rewards are very high. The potential downfall to this defensive style is the vulnerability behind the defence, thus, the importance of quick and intelligent defenders is vital to read and win the ball from a longer clearance out. On top of this is the key of having a keeper who acts like a sweeper, being able to read and clear up in the massive space allowed behind the defensive press. 

This past season Barcelona did not press as effectively as they have done under Guardiola and I would argue that the goals conceded against Chelsea to Drogba and Ramires came as a result of ineffective pressing. This is a combination of fatigue and of sides figuring out Barcelona’s pressure more. Watching Spain against Ireland however showed how pressing can be so effective against a side who lack the technical skills and confidence to keep possession. The Spanish pressure appeared to simply frighten Ireland into kicking the ball away. Quite simply, Barcelona and Spain have perfected the art of pressing for the 21^st century.

Germany’s delay

Due to Barcelona’s style of play, we have seen sides defend for their life in their own box, yet this is not what Germany do. They drop their forwards off to the halfway line, to deny space for the opposition to penetrate through and behind. There is a real value to this tactic and being organised, as has been shown by the successes of Man City and Dortmund this past season. Mancini in particular made sure he laid down the foundations of being a strong, defensively solid side. Perhaps it is no surprise that Italian coaches won the Champions League, Serie A and the Premier League this past season. Could it be that an Italian mindset on football, which I believe Mourinho has, are reaping the rewards which come from producing effective defensive sides?

Moments of transition

Although there are different ways to defend, the key factor which is often lost on so many coaches, fans and even managers it appears, is that defending and attacking are not mutually exclusive. The most important moment in football comes in transition. Mourinho argues that transition is the most important part of the game; when you lose the ball, you are most vulnerable, when you win it, you have your best chance to score. Watch Spain when they win or lose the ball and how quick they transition, watch Germany when they win the ball in their own half, in a matter of seconds they are down the other end, this is how important, how essential transition is to football.

The best sides transition quickly and effectively. When Spain lose the ball, they transition to defend immediately, this is vital for them as for their possession tactic they want to commit men forward, if they lose the ball and the opposition attack, they are vulnerable to being countered. The value in their ability to press effectively in transition, either winning back the ball, spoiling the play, or even committing a foul, are all effective ways in not allowing the opposition to score and if they win they win the ball in the final third, a goal is not far away. 

See how vital defending is? Spain has perfected their proactive style and it is why they concede so few goals, Germany has perfected the delay tactic to perfection also. Defensive stability along with an attacking threat, is simply the remedy for success. So why haven’t more sides perfected it?!

It’s the players

Quite simply, it comes down to the players you have. Spain have developed players suitable for all positions of the pitch who possess high technical skill, speed, agility and intelligence of attack and defence. Because of this, the whole side understands their roles and can implement their tactic to perfection. It really is not easy to implement this kind of tactic, it takes time, patience and great coaching to develop, thus Spain have done a great job of producing this style to such great effect. 

The same with Germany, they have always had strong defences, which is why they are always challenging for the top prizes, yet now they have a model which creates transition players, this model has been in place for over a decade, they have refined, developed and coached players to suit their needs of both defending and attacking. Holland however are devoid of quality defenders, which alludes to their imbalance of developing attacking players yet few top defenders. 

Yet in England, do we understand or coach real defending, or transition? England’s issues come from the continued errors of Charles Hughes; high intensity football, relying on long balls and set pieces with the game going from front to back as quick as possible, has become the hallmark of English football at almost all levels. 

There does appears to be a change, yet it is slow and steady and will take decades to see the influence of these changes in the professional game. Simply, we need to develop more intelligent players, who understand the game in both defending and attacking situations. Spain changed their coaching methods twenty years ago, Germany did so a decade ago, we are far behind these top nations, yet we must seek to improve the standards of our players, a focus on the art of defending may not be a bad start in our quest to develop top class players. 

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