The fortress with the closed door: unlocking the secrets of box defending
In these times, issues related to defence are of vital importance. Both in life broadly, but also specifically in football. Especially small nations have to keep doors shut from outside attacks. Also the last one. In football, the last door is located in the penalty box, where the ball and the attackers should not enter, but sometimes inevitably do. This is an article about box defending, which requires a heroic mindset and needs to be organised and taught skilfully.
Balls fly into the box. The team is under pressure. The goal is hanging in the air and the people are waiting that the defenders surrender. In those moments, we need defenders that can position themselves correctly and clear the ball away from the penalty area in a secure manner. These actions belong to a concept called box defending, that includes the withdrawing to the box, defending against different kind of penetrative actions, and covering and blocking the shots.
Mindset – understanding the importance of box defending
The end products of the game continuum take place in the penalty area in specific goal scoring and -defending situations. Like already stated, they are extremely important part of the game – wins and losses are eventually decided in these moments.
But is box defending valued in your environment? Do you often see headlines saying that “player x is a box defending specialist”, or “team x is specialist in defending their own box”? Maybe you haven't seen these headlines, because normally in football people do not yet deeply understand and appreciate players and sub-teams who can defend their box well. Same applies to players. For example, do your players really value shot cover and especially shot blocking? Are they ready to put their body in front of the ball, and take the hit? Players like Buffon, Chiellini, Bonucci, or Barzagli. Where is the equivalent in your environment?
The first step is to acknowledge the importance of box defending. It is essential, still today when football is beautiful and shiny. Players and teams, who are ready to do what it takes, are more important than ever. Vital. So are coaches, who can teach these skills. Therefore, let's get to the point.
Withdrawing to the box
As football is a complex system meaning that all things are related to others, also box defending is related to earlier states of the game. Box defending is preceded by withdrawing to the box, which should be done in organised manner.
Clear division of responsibilities is important in this state of the game, as the withdrawing can be done in many different ways. It is important to secure that right players are in right tasks. For example, during box defending, the defending team will have to face different crosses and lateral penetrations to the box. In these cases the team should have their best defenders defending the front of the goal, since this is the area where most of the goals are scored.
The withdrawing should be done in unison, to control spaces both in front and behind the defensive line. It is vital that the centre backs (CB’s), as often as possible, maintain their positioning in the centre However, during withdrawing moments, they often drift outside of the centre, either following an opponent, or looking at the ball (video 1.).
Video 1. Withdrawing not done in unison or CB’s don’t align their movements towards the centre.
Withdrawing should be done in unison, so that the attackers can’t easily run behind the line. The defensive line should be straight and maintain height to reduce the active playing space. Body orientations of the defenders are specific and subtle, so that they can move and defend spaces in front and behind. The line should be ready to drop well-timed, to prevent passes between GK and the line (video 2.).
Video 2. Defense line moves in unison, controlling the spaces in front and behind the line. CB’s align their movements towards the centre.
Box defending
The defensive team has withdrawn inside the box. Here, many different skills are needed to defend well, but majority of them are related to defending against different crosses and lateral penetrations.
Cross defending
The crosses. A team must defend the vital spaces with highly coordinated actions. Player marking is not the right way to defend in the box. That is because when only reverting to player marking, the defenders are easily moved out of the centre, in less vital areas of the box (video 3.).
Video 3. Player-oriented defenders drawn out from the centre.
Defenders must defend right spaces and of course then control opponents in those spaces. By controlling (not marking) opponents and disturbing their movements with own body and hands, the defenders make it harder for the forwards to find space and shoot. So, space orientation in box defending does not mean that opponents are left free (video 4.).
Video 4. Defenders move to and stay in the centre, and there disturb the forwards.
The defensive line is of course not defending the box alone. Goalkeeper (GK) and outfield players, most often midfielders (MF’s), should also position themselves and act skilfully in these situations. For GK, it is important to understand what is happening in front of the goal before the cross is hit, and where the cross can be hit. Based on this information, the GK can then adjust his positioning.
The MF’s should make the ‘second line’ in front of the defensive line, to defend the spaces in front of the line. Also, if one of the CB’s is away from his position, one of the MF’s should take his position – again, defending the centre is most important (video 5.).
Video 5. GK searching for information and positioning accordingly, MF’s moving in front of the defensive line, and one MF taking the CB’s position.
Finally, when the cross is hit, the defenders need specific clearance skills to clear the ball away from the box. The clearances are made by feet and by headers. Sometimes the situation is fast and difficult, thus ability to clear the ball in many different scenarios is vital (video 6.).
Video 6. Examples of different clearance skills.
Lateral penetration
In lateral penetration, GK & field players aim to form a large but compact cover in front of the goal. The first goal is to prevent passes inside the covering block. No passes in front of the goal should be made. This is done by so called ‘defenders triangle’, where GK and first CB position themselves in front and shut the ‘gate’, meaning don’t allow any balls between them to be passed in front of the goal. The gate should be tight, but the CB should not position himself too close the GK. More skilful defenders can keep the gate wider than others.
When the gate is closed, we move back to player marking vs space orientation. Since no balls enter the front of the goal, the second CB does not have to move close to the goal, following possible forwards there, but instead can start to make one corner of the defenders triangle. He can position himself higher than the first CB, thus making the cover larger.
Then the opposite full back (FB) has to defend the back area, also understanding where the opponents are moving (sometimes the FB has to move out of this position, depending on the opponents’ movements). By establishing the defenders’ triangle, a team can protect larger area in front of the goal, thus making passes and shots more difficult (video 7.).
Video 7. Defenders triangle
Shot cover
Even if the defensive team is skilful in its actions, sometimes opponents get to shoot. Then the defensive team should defend their goal, again skilfully. Goal defending include shot cover and -blocking. These actions can be approached from many different angles, but there are always three important basic principles:
a) shot location
b) coverage
c) block
Shot location is a very important principle of goal scoring and defending. The closer to the centre of the penalty area and the closer to the goal one can take a shot, the higher the probability of the shot hitting the target. That is why, in earlier parts of this text, we have focused on how to prevent opponents shooting from good locations.
Shot cover refers to the mass of the players between the ball and the goal and the area covered by it. Wide and dense coverage effectively prevents the ball from reaching the goal. Shot blocking means a player or players who may block a shot.
In terms of shot cover, it is important to note that in a goal defending situation, the goalkeeper and the field players must act dynamically so that they create a large area of coverage and do not cover the same areas (video 8.). This is very important and is often neglected. The GK and defenders should train these situations together, to enhance their coordinated actions.
Video 8. Examples of dynamical shot cover.
One of the principles during making shot cover is for defenders to cover the corners of the goal, reducing the goalkeeper's area of action. In this, defenders must be aware that the opponent must not shoot the ball from the side past them into the corner they are covering.
Shot blocking
This is the part of box defending that shows the true nature of defenders. Blocking the shots requires an attitude, where the will to block the shots overrides the fear of pain. A fearful player will turn his back, but fearless faces the shot.
In a block, the shot is blocked, and the ball is deflected away from the goal, reducing the immediate threat of a goal. Timing and appropriate use of the feet and body are important in blocking. The feet should generally be close together to prevent the ball from going between the legs. Shots from between the legs are particularly difficult for the goalkeeper (video 9.). That is why Buffon's quick and often repeated advice to a blocking defender before an opponent's shot was, "close your legs!" Additionally, the blocking defenders should not ‘overplay’ the situation, meaning moving too fast and allowing the shot behind his back.
Video 9. Don’t let the ball go through your legs or behind your back.
Sometimes, however, a defender can open his legs if he feels confident that he can block the shot, for example, by reaching out with his foot or sliding in front of the ball. When getting close to the attacker, blocking can be done in much the same way as a goalkeeper's 1v1 block, where one knee is lowered close to the ground. The torso should cover as much of the goal as possible, and often the best approach is to turn the chest towards the ball. All in all, there are many different ways to block a shot, thus players should be very adaptive in this skill (like in all skills) (video 10.).
Video 10. Shot blocking is a multidimensional skill.
The blocking player should maintain the ability to move and change his actions if the shooter for example tries to feint. It is also important for the defender to be able to quickly decide whether to move to the shot line to block, or whether he is able to move right next to the shooting foot to block the shooting foot and distract the opponent. If the shot cannot be blocked, the shooter can be distracted from the side or from behind, for example by using appropriate force and skill with ones’ hands. Distraction has been proven to reduce the likelihood of scoring a goal.
Conclusion
Rúben Dias of Manchester City is one of current days defenders, who is very good in box defending. Similar kind of player from 2000-10’s was Nemanja Vidić, best remembered from Manchester United. They were skilful and fearless. Also, the whole defense line of Juventus, that was already mentioned, made goal scoring very difficult for the opponents. These skills are still needed. They cannot be forgotten. And, at the same time, strategies related to box defending can be enhanced, to move from old-fashioned only player marking strategies in the box. Here, even in present days’ fast developing football, a possibility to find a competitive edge is possible.
Reflecting on the evolution of box defending brings us to a crucial point. While the primary goal remains to keep the goal untested, the approach has to adapt to the ever-changing dynamics of modern football. It's not just about dreaming of unchallenged defences; it's about being prepared for the inevitable attacks. In these moments, the ethos of the defense must be resolute: “This door is shut. It was forged by the heroic and the skilled, and they will hold it firm till the final whistle.” This statement encapsulates the spirit of box defending - a blend of historical wisdom and contemporary tactics, ensuring that even as the game evolves, the last line of defense stands unyielding.
Text and video: Jani Sarajärvi*
Visual: Mario Hansi
*Jani Sarajärvi is a coach-analyst of the Gambian national team and a PhD candidate in football coaching at the University of Lisbon.
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