The following post establishes some basic principles to team defending in an area of the pitch sectioned to 6 (six) zones.
Area 1. PRESS. High reward if you can win the ball back in this area. Keep opposition away from the goal. Extrememely low risk. Opportunity to set the ‘Pressing Trap’
2. No direct threat in this area. Opposition should be shown towards team strengths and opposition weaknesses (Keep in ‘2’ or shown into ‘3’) But do not allow the switch of play.
3. Be compact in the middle of the pitch. Try to prevent forward passes to area ‘5’. Can you shown them out to ‘2’ or even better back to ‘1’ if you can.
4. STOP/BLOCK CROSSES from this area Try to force the opposition to play back to ‘2’. Anticipate & PREDICT dealing with player overload in this area.
5. The main area that goals are scored or created (known as Zone 14) SHOW AWAY, DELAY, DENY, RESTRICT
6. On average 7/8 of 10 goals are scored in this area. High Risk – NO RISK, BLOCKS, CLEARANCES
