Learn from the Pros

Some teams have very little understanding of marking up in their own penalty area. Attackers without much effort have found themselves free & unmarked in the opposing penalty area. With prior organization the marking load should be pre-arranged & organized.

Let me share Jack Charlton’s key decisions when defending in the box. They are:

  • Foresight – Getting ahead & reading the danger.
  • Mobility – Ability to get to & close down your opponent.
  • Aggression -Distrust of sneaky devious opponents.
  • VAR /Officials. What are their habits? If they come out of the EPL they might be more lenient to let players play as opposed to some countries where they call the game much tighter.

Overall much of the marking has been shambolic which is great for the fans but painful from a defensive view.