First Line of Defense - Make Play Predictable

To create a defensive advantage your team should work to make the opposition's play as predictable as possible so that you can shift players toward the ball and limit the amount of space they have to play in. It is crucial then that everyone understands their role in creating these situations. The first line of defense for any team is their forwards. The forwards apply the initial pressure to the ball when a team is passing out of the back while the other players provide support and balance to the team. Below is the first defensive shape scenario:

Description

As the center back passes the ball to the right back (Red #1) the forwards should work together to initiate pressure for the team. The 1st forward should make an arching run and try to prevent the ball from going back to where it came from while allowing the right back the option to play a ball down line (Yellow #2). The job of the first forward is not to necessarily win the ball, although if the opportunity presents itself then by all means win it, but instead is trying to "shepherd" the ball so that the rest of the team can predict the passing lanes and shift more players into these areas. The 2nd forward should help the other forward by being close enough to the center back to discourage any passes as well as cut off any passing lanes across the field to the left back (Yellow #2).  The goal of this type of pressuring is to make the field as small as possible so that the team can win the ball up field and be in a good position to attack.