Defending in Soccer

The 1990 World Cup in Italy was infamous for generating the lowest-ever goals per game average, and since then, tactical thought has focused heavily and consistently on flexible attacking designed to break down and defeat defending in depth. This book argues that the next tactical revolution belongs to the defending side of the ball, and it features complex, layered defending, blending postures and pressures designed to keep an attacking team off balance throughout the match. There are many quality soccer coaches in the game at every level who feel that defending is more about mentality than tactics, that defending topics do not need to be part of every training session. This book seeks to reestablish balance in tactical planning and in training design by examining every aspect of individual and team defending, making it easy for the coach to incorporate tackling, defending roles, pressing, defending setpieces, and many more topics into team training. With its more than 190 defending drills to train players, it is the complete guide to mastering defending in soccer.

Tony Englund holds the United Soccer Coaches Master Coach Diploma, and he is the inaugural Jeff Tipping Award honoree. He is the author of more than a dozen soccer coaching books, and he has presented at coaching clinics at the state and national levels for more than a decade. His teams have earned dozens of tournament championships, including national tournament births in USYS, the NPL, and most recently the ECNL. Tony coaches at St. Croix Soccer Club in Stillwater, Minnesota.