Defensive

Organization
Vitor Pereira

Macro Principle

The team must defend in a pressuring zone

defense (pressing zone)

Macro Principle
Characteristics

The team seeks to create a pressing zone" with

acceleration on to the opponent, causing her to
go to where we are organizing pressure. It is a
zonal organization that becomes high pressure
in defined moments (pressure references")

Macro Principle
Characteristics

This pressing zone can be applied further

forward or further back (high or low pressure),
depending on the defined strategy for the game
according to the characteristics of the opponent.

Macro Principle
Characteristics

In the "pressing zone" the team should be

concerned primarily with the spaces. The
players should clearly understand how to defend
both spaces and opponents in these areas.

Macro Principle
Characteristics

The team must show an active role in recovering

possession of the ball, trying to make the
opponent make a mistake & for this to happen,
the team must be well organized in its defensive
lines.

Sub-Principle #1

The team must interpret collectively the

pressure triggers (collective references of
pressure which the team must identify clearly
and from there take the most appropriate
action).

Sub-Principle #1
Characteristics

The team must perceive & identify the pressure

triggers, namely, the team must identify when to
accelerate on to the opponent, pressure her
aggressively, or on the other hand, when they
must retreat to take away offensive depth from
the opposing team.

Sub-Principle #1
Pressure Triggers
1. Opponent receives ball back to goal, pressing on the
blind side
2. Badly executed pass which makes receiving the ball
more difficult for the opponent, i.e. gives time to
organize the block & pressure the opponent.
3. Long & high pass, for example, from the center to the
opposite side (the time that the ball is in the air, plus the
time of reception is a sign to pressure the opponent).

Sub-Principle #1
Triggers to Retreat

Conditions are not always available to press the

opponent, in these situations, we must take
away the wide & deep spaces. For example,
when the opponent is facing us, with good
conditions to give offensive depth to their game.
All the players must see when we must take
away offensive depth from the opponent & when
not to.

Sub-Principle #2

Pressure the opponent on the blind

side (moment when the opponent receives the
ball with their back to our defensive block).

Sub-Principle #2
Characteristics

Take advantage of opponents poor positioning

& from poor adjustment of support on receiving
the ball which normally closes the field.

Sub-Principle #2
Example

Full back with the ball next to the side-line, with

the inside midfielder (or defensive MF) receiving
inside pass with support facing the corridor,
focused on that sideline (this gives us the blind
side).

Sub-Principle #2
Characteristics

However, it is not enough to pressure the

opponent on the blind side, it is necessary to
invite the opponent to enter the pressing zone
which we are organizing, & then to accelerate on
to the opponent & recover the ball.

Sub-Principle #3

The team must know how to defend in lines, i.e.

close & reduce spaces between the lines &
within the lines (make field small).

Sub-Principle #4

The team as a whole should swivel depending

on the position of the ball, for example, if the ball
is on the left side, the right back should not be
open on the right, but close off the inside space.

Sub-Principle #5

The team must learn to differentiate between

the different rhythms of defending as a
function of pressure triggers, i.e. the team
has to realize from a collective point of view
when to retreat or when to accelerate on to the
opponent according to the different triggers.

Sub-Principle #6

The team must be capable of knowing when it

must gain or win back spaces out wide or in
depth (if the opponent is facing us with good
possibilities of playing the ball deep, the team
must at this moment retreat, close down the
spaces & reduce the depth of the opponent. If
on the other hand the opponents back is
turned to the game, it is the moment to press
& win the wide & deep spaces).

Sub-Principle #7

The players should be concerned about the

ball, the space and the opponent, with
marking space the reference point (and not
marking individuals).

Sub-Principle #8

The Defensive Principles (Containment,

Defensive Covering, & Balance) are very
important in all sectors, & all players must
master these defensive aspects.

Sub-Sub-Principles

Open up the Field (its important that the

players dont close down the field to defend,
so they are not systematically surprised).

Sub-Sub-Principles

Example

The outside back on the opposite side from

the ball, shifts towards the ball-side, but if your
support is facing the side of the ball, she is
closed to the field, & there is a huge part of
the field that she cannot see.

Turn shoulders to open body to field.

Sub-Sub-Principles

Characteristics

The players must open up the field in

defensive organization, because only with a
correct positioning of the supporting players is
it possible that the players visually control the
spaces, the opponents & the ball.