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In association football, marking is an organized defensive tactic which aims to prevent a member of the opposing team (usually a striker) from taking control of the ball. Several marking strategies exist in football, and they mostly differ from each other according to the duties assigned to defenders, positioning and off-the-ball style.
Man-to-man marking, or man marking, is a defensive strategy where defenders are assigned a specific opposition player to mark, as opposed to zonal marking, where a certain player marks an area of the pitch. Teams such as Inter Milan and A.C. Milan used it in their so-called catenaccio system. Their formation consisted of a defensive line made up of four man markers with a sweeper playing behind them. This brought much success to these teams and soon these tactics became popular throughout the world of football. However, this tight marking was often at the expense of the (attacking) spectacle of the game itself, because "defenders preoccupied with their defensive markings may be reluctant contributors to the team's offense". [1]
Famous examples of man marking performances are Berti Vogts against Johann Cruyff in 1974, Claudio Gentile against Diego Maradona and Zico in 1982, or Guido Buchwald against Maradona in 1990.
The strategy is one that has been supposedly dying out in football over the past decade or so despite Greece's success with it in the 2004 European Championships.[ citation needed ] It is however often used by lower-tier teams, as well as teams defending themselves from much stronger opponents. Examples include Dynamo Kyiv's Aleksandr Khatskevich man-marking Real Madrid's Predrag Mijatović in the 1999 Champions League quarter-finals, [2] PSV Eindhoven's Park Ji-sung man-marking Milan's Andrea Pirlo in the 2005 Champions League semi-finals, [3] Chelsea's Michael Essien man-marking Liverpool's Steven Gerrard in the 2009 Champions League quarter-finals, [4] [5] Chelsea's José Bosingwa man-marking Barcelona's Lionel Messi in the same season's Champions League semi-finals [6] [7] and Manchester United's Danny Welbeck man-marking Real Madrid's Xabi Alonso in the 2013 Champions League round of 16. [8] [9] Managers such as Guus Hiddink and Marcelo Bielsa have occasionally continued to use man-marking in the 21st century, Bielsa employing it as late as 2020. [10] [11] [12]
Zonal marking is a defensive strategy where defenders cover an area of the pitch rather than marking a specific opponent. If an opponent moves into the area a defender is covering, the defender marks the opponent. If the opponent leaves this area, then marking the opponent becomes the responsibility of another defender. [13]
The biggest advantage of zonal marking is its flexibility. When the team regains possession of the ball, players are still in their positions and can start an attack more quickly. Communication is very important when zonal marking is used, to ensure that no gaps are left in ifficult when defending set pieces such as free kicks and corners, and most teams change to man marking in these situations. [14]
The formation used by a team may dictate whether or not to use zonal marking. Teams playing 4–4–2 usually operate a zonal marking system, but teams playing a sweeper do not. Amongst professional teams zonal marking is the most common system: 15 of the 16 teams that reached the knockout stages of the 2004 UEFA Champions League used zonal marking. [15]
Training methods to develop this technique include coloured cones and a 5-metre rope. The coloured cone method is set up by having certain colours set out in sections of the pitch; each player will be put in the coloured section and will not be allowed to leave it. The 5-metre rope is a piece of equipment where the four defenders are attached by a rope which means they are used to staying and working together.
Today, several modern defensive formations use a mixture of both man-to-man and zonal marking e.g. 3–5–2 formation (which defensively becomes a 5–3–2). This means 5 defenders: 2 stoppers marking man-to-man, 1 sweeper (sweepers always mark by zone), and 2 wingbacks playing almost like end-to-end side midfielders. Also, several other teams rely exclusively on pure zonal marking approaches.
Catenaccio or The Chain is a tactical system in football with a strong emphasis on defence. In Italian, catenaccio means "door-bolt", which implies a highly organised and effective backline defence focused on nullifying opponents' attacks and preventing goal-scoring opportunities.
In the sport of association football, a forward is an outfield position which primarily plays further up the pitch than midfielders and defenders. As with any attacking player, the role of the forward relies heavily on being able to create space for attack. Their advanced position and limited defensive responsibilities mean forwards normally score more goals on behalf of their team than other players.
In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring.
Team tactics as well as individual skills are integral for playing association football. In theory, association football is a very simple game, as illustrated by Kevin Keegan's namely assertion that his tactics for winning a match were to "score more goals than the opposition". Tactical prowess within the sport is nonetheless a craftsmanship of its own, and one of the reasons why managers are paid well on the elite level. Well-organised and ready teams are often seen beating teams with more skillful players on paper. Manuals and books generally cover not only individual skills but tactics as well.
In association football, the formation of a team refers to the position players take in relation to each other on a pitch. As association football is a fluid and fast-moving game, a player's position in a formation does not define their role as tightly as that of rugby player, nor are there breaks in play where the players must line up in formation. A player's position in a formation typically defines whether a player has a mostly defensive or attacking role, and whether they tend to play centrally or towards one side of the pitch.
In the sport of association football, each of the 11 players on a team is assigned to a particular position on the field of play. A team is made up of one goalkeeper and ten outfield players who fill various defensive, midfield, and attacking positions depending on the formation deployed. These positions describe both the player's main role and their area of operation on the pitch.
Carlo Ancelotti is an Italian professional football manager and former player who is the manager of Real Madrid. Nicknamed "Carletto" in Italy and "Don Carlo" in Spain, he is regarded as one of the greatest football managers of all time. Ancelotti is the most successful manager in UEFA Champions League history, having won the trophy a record five times. He is also the first and only one to have managed teams in six Champions League finals. As a player, he won the European Cup twice with AC Milan in 1989 and 1990, making him one of seven people to have won the European Cup or Champions League as both a player and a manager. Ancelotti is also the first and only manager ever to have won league titles in all of Europe's top five leagues. He has won the FIFA Club World Cup three times, and is also the manager with the joint-most UEFA Super Cup triumphs, having won the trophy on four occasions, managing Milan and Real Madrid.
Cesare Maldini was an Italian professional football manager and player who played as a defender.
José Bosingwa da Silva is a Portuguese former professional footballer who played as a right-back.
Michael Kojo Essien is a Ghanaian former professional footballer who played as a midfielder and is currently a member of Danish Superliga club Nordsjælland's coaching staff. He was also capped for the Ghana national team more than 50 times. During his prime, Essien was considered one of the best midfielders in the world. Essien was known not only for his defensive ability, but also his knack for scoring long-range goals.
Marcelo Alberto Bielsa Caldera is an Argentine professional football manager who is the current manager of the Uruguay national team. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential coaches of all time. Bielsa is a former player having played as a defender for Newell's Old Boys, Instituto and Argentino de Rosario.
Enzo Bearzot was an Italian professional football player and manager. A defender and midfielder, he led the Italy national team to victory in the 1982 FIFA World Cup.
In association football, a playmaker is a footballer who controls the flow of the team's play, and is often involved in offensively and defensively playing passing moves which lead to goals, through their vision, technique, ball control, creativity and passing ability.
Branislav Ivanović is a Serbian former professional footballer. A versatile defender, Ivanović played as a right back, although he could also play as a centre back.
Osvaldo Bagnoli is an Italian former football coach and player who played as a midfielder.
Giuseppe "Gipo" Viani was an Italian football player and manager from the Province of Treviso who played as a midfielder.
The 2008–09 season was Chelsea Football Club's 95th competitive season, 17th consecutive season in the Premier League and 103rd year in existence as a football club.
Tiki-taka or Tiqui-taca is a style of play in football characterised by short passing and movement, working the ball through various channels, and maintaining possession. The style is primarily associated with the Spain national team since 2006 by the managers Luis Aragonés and Vicente del Bosque. Tiki-taka methods were eventually embraced by the La Liga club Barcelona from 2009, especially during the era of manager Pep Guardiola; however, Guardiola distanced himself and the club from the style: "I loathe all that passing for the sake of it", stating, "Barça didn't do tiki-taka!", adding, "You have to pass the ball with a clear intention, with the aim of making it into the opposition's goal." Its development and influence goes back to Johan Cruyff's tenure as manager in the early 1990s all the way to the present. The first goal using this system is considered to be the Sergio Ramos goal in the qualifying match for UEFA Euro 2008, played in Aarhus (Denmark) on October 13, 2007. The play involved 9 players making 28 passes with 65 touches over 75 seconds. Spain went on to win the competition.
Zona mista, often referred to as mixed plan and, in the English-speaking world, as the game in Italian style ; is a tactic used in Italian association football mainly from the second half of 1970s to the mid-1990s. The introduction of this system has been attributed to Luigi Radice and Giovanni Trapattoni, then coaches of Torino and Juventus, respectively. The tactic reached the highest sporting level with Juventus headcoached by Trapattoni becoming the first club in history to reach the European Treble having won the then three seasonal UEFA competitions and, in 1985, the first European side to win the Intercontinental Cup since it was restructured five years before, becoming world champion, and the Italy national team, managed by Enzo Bearzot, which won the FIFA World Cup in 1982, for the first time since 1938, with notable participation from the Blocco-Juve; making both teams acclaimed as among the greatest in sports history.
Oluwafikayomi Oluwadamilola "Fikayo" Tomori is an English professional footballer who plays as a centre back for Serie A club AC Milan. Born in Canada, he plays for the England national team.
Catlin, Mark G. (1990). "Organizing the Defense". The Art of Soccer . St. Paul, Minnesota: Soccer Books. ISBN 0-9626834-2-6.
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| Offensive tactics | |
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