Football Defenders, the unsung heroes of a team
In years gone by, the football defender’s sole job was to protect the goal at all costs and nothing more. The role of the defender has slowly changed over the years where they now feature in attacking plays as well. Most of the time when a goal is scored there are three possible reasons why it happened. Either the strike was too good and nothing could be done to stop it or the goalie made a mistake and a goal is scored but more often than not it is the defender that made a mistake. Most goals these days are scored because of defensive errors and this just shows the integral role a defender plays in a team.
Football is a game that is all about scoring goals. Goals win games and because of this fact goal scorers are the ones on a team who are the most famous, the most popular and the most sought after players. Defenders are usually the ones who get no glory, are in the shadows and just keep working hard behind the main stars on the team. Even though there is no glory in the job, it was and still is an integral part of the game. Defenders are the rock in a team. They make sure that no strikers can get through with a ball. A lot of football fans do not realise what a strong job the players in these positions do for a team.
Being a defender is an extremely tough job. There is a constant danger from every angle on a football pitch. Being the final line to cross before the goalie, defenders have to be constantly aware of where every player is on the opposing team as well as on their own team. A defender has to be the best tackler on the team and has to be very strong in the air. Tackling is an art and if the ball is not touched cleanly it can result in a foul and a free kick which often times results in a goal. Being a defender is a thankless job but it does not escape the coaches and the team management who reward defenders heavily and usually make them the captain of the team.
Some of the best defenders in the world are also known for being very talented players all round. England’s John Terry is known as one of the best defenders in the world at the moment. He is a rock for the national side as well as his club side and consistently gives stellar performances. Spain has one of the best back lines in the game at the moment. The duo of Carlos Puyol and Gerard Pique are two of the best defenders in the world. In the build up to Spain’s first and only World Cup tournament victory, the back two only managed to concede two goals in the whole tournament. This impressive defensive record helped them to lift the cup over, their fouling and rough playing opponents, the Netherlands. In cricket, they say that catches win matches then in football the defenders ability to stop the opposing team’s players wins matches.
Some of the qualities that a defender must possess are as follows. All good defenders need high levels of stamina because they need to chase down flying attackers. They should also be super fit because not only do they have to chase after attackers, they are sometimes featured in attacking plays as well, so they have to be able to run the length of the pitch if required. A new term has emerged in football these days, the attacking defender. This refers to a defender who has the ability to bring the ball up the field and create solid attacks to give his team scoring chances. This is a relatively new development in football and these attacking defenders compliment the midfield players to give the team greater strength in attacking the other team’s goal.
Over the years we will see more talented defenders come onto the scene. Even though they will do a vital job and perform an integral duty for their team they will not be as famous as the Cristiano Ronaldos or the David Villas of the world. But they should be happy in knowing that it is usually their work that helps their teams win.
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