I’m watching the Champions League semi-final between Bayern Munich v Lyon. Frank Ribery was sent off during the last 10 minutes of the first-half. The challenge looked innocuous when watching it without the replays, but when the replays where shown, it was clear that Ribery went over the top of the ball and into the opponent’s ankle. It was deserving of a red card – the referee made the correct call.
As a player back in England I used to enjoy the physical side of the game more than I did scoring or creating. Going in for a sliding tackle, winning the ball, then distributing it to a team-mate was what I enjoyed to do and was how I played. I think there’s a part for this defensive minded player in every team – either the anchor man or defensive midfielder who’s happy to sit back and let the others go forward.
As a youth soccer coach I always encourage my players to challenge strongly for the ball, but to do so within the laws of the game i.e you must win the ball. We don’t work on tackling specifically in training, but we do touch on it if we lose the ball in dangerous situations on the field – we must regain possession as quickly as possible.
We do work on defensive positioning in 1v1, 2v2, and 2v3 situations and some players do have the natural tendency to put in a tackle, while some are more inclined to stand-off.
If you’re a referee and a coach, I’d love to hear your opinion. How do you advise your players? Do you work on tackling in training? What do you tell your players?
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