More Recognition for Defenders
Most people will automatically praise the offense for their work. They are the ones that score amazing goals. The offense gets most of the attention and glory. However, there should be more recognition for defenders.
With a strong defense, you can continue with your offensive push with the confidence that your defense is protecting you. Good defense helps ensure that you are at least tying the other team.
Barcelona would be a great example of this. They have a great defense with Gerard Pique, Samuel Umtiti, Clement Lenglet and Marc-Andre Ter Stegen. Since the team has resumed after the lockdown, they have had a hard time scoring. The final scores are lower than normal. However, their defense has helped in maintaining their wins and ties.
The main object of the defense is goal prevention. If you can make that happen then you can at least tie a team.
There are plenty of other teams that help shine a light on defenders.
The most prominent would be Liverpool’s defense that is led by Virgil Van Dijk. Since his arrival, Liverpool has been able to lower their goals against numbers. This has aided in Liverpool’s Premier League title win.
Manchester City is another example of a team with good defense. The team’s usage of Kyle Walker and Nicolas Otamendi has helped with being second place in Premier League. They have one of the lowest goals-against stats for the 2019-20 season.
Chelsea has also been a big defensive team. For years people have thought of Chelsea as the defensive Premier League team. Although in midfield, N’golo Kante and Jorginho have been able to provide great defensive help. Chelsea likes to play with the style of possession. Playing defensively can help in this.
Having a good defense can help fend off great offensive players. Many times, great defense can stop plays with immediacy. However, when you play against someone like Messi, who can out dribble three defenders, then you’re in some trouble. But overall, a strong defense helps immensely in games.
A key to having a good defense is making sure that your backline is not flat. If it’s flat, you can almost guarantee that you’ll be scored on. I remember in one of the Russia 2018 World Cup games, there was a flat defense and I knew immediately that they’d be scored on. They did get scored on.
If teams can have a leader in the defense, then it creates a strong backline as well.
It is great to give recognition to those defensive players who can create great offensive plays. But we should applaud them for their defensive work too. People are quick to root for Sergio Ramos, Xavi and Van Dijk because of what they have done offensively. But it needs to be remembered that they are great defensemen too.
People should be giving recognition to all players who help the team, not just the goal scorers.
