Coaches and managers may want to employ Man Marking for any number of reasons, their opposition may be very effective when given time and space o play in or their may be a number of very talented players in their side. Whatever these reasons are the process of Man for Man marking requires confidence in each player to carry out his role properly to ensure the team does not suffer as a result. Good levels of physical fitness and a focussed determined attitude to stick to the task in hand are also a necessity.
Once possession is lost the psychology of all the players must change instantly from attack to defence. The first question to be asked is can we win the ball back at once and without over committing players to a task that may leave us vulnerable to their attack? If we can win it back then we do so, if not then we adopt our pre-arranged defensive team formation of Man marking to attempt to win the ball back and importantly preventing them from achieving attacking success.
Successful man marking depends on the mental concentration of all players. Players must be prepared to pick their opponents up early; those marking around the vicinity (30 metres from ball) must be prepared to mark tightly. The aim of every player being to influence the opponent in possession not to pass to his marked player but if it does happen then to be in a position to intercept or prevent further play.
Players must mark tightly as quickly as possible, positioning themselves to see the ball and their opponent (goal side and always threatening to intercept) but being patient until the time to win the ball is right. As play develops players must be aware that they may have to adjust their positions to ensure they stay tight to their opponents, this may at times only mean a slight change of body shape but it could also mean a great deal of movement to ensure that the player does not get free to receive a pass. (Good attackers only need to find a space which allows them the opportunity to stand their ground or disguise / roll off their marker to be free and creating problems) Tracking players may often involve lengthy runs at speed with various disguised movements as players attempt to free themselves of markers, therefore concentration and commitment is required for the markers to remain disciplined ensuring they do not give away cheap free kicks or fail to put the receiving players under sufficient pressure to influence his choices of further play.
The closer the defending players to the ball the tighter they must be, correct body positioning is one which will stop the receiver from turning, tight enough to threaten the ball thus keeping his head down (not able to view options and select one) and in a position to intercept if the opponent has a poor touch.
By definition Man Marking means picking players up rather than covering space therefore the defending players may find themselves isolated at times without support close by and any reckless / impatient attempt to tackle that fails to win the ball will result in the opposition having the numerical advantage in that specific area. All the previous sessions dealing with 1 v 1 defending, jockeying etc, 2 v 1 defending and so on, all now come into play. Goalkeepers can playa very important part by shouting out instructions to keep players aware but also inform of possible gaps or runs.
The defending players are attempting to form a barrier which is adjustable as well as reactive to the opponent’s movement. If the defenders retain total concentration, adopting correct defensive coaching positions, are willing to work hard and remain patient then these barriers become very difficult obstacles to by pass. If all defending players attempt to anticipate their opponents intentions and are prepared to intercept if the opportunity presents itself but still maintain their composure and discipline then the chances of Man Marking being successful increase greatly. The success of this tactic will depend on all players concentrating on their responsibilities but also working as a solid unit. Allowing any opposition players space and time to do what they want will result in unsuccessful defending so the marking of players and control of space is vital.
Man marking continues until the ball is won and a counter attack begins. Each manager / coach will decide on the strengths of his own team players, they may want their defenders to man mark throughout the game, others may decide that their players drop to the half way line and man mark everyone in their defending half . Often centre backs will man mark throughout the game and perhaps other players (full backs or midfield players) will be given a specific job to do to attempt to neutralise opponents. Whatever the reasoning:-
The following factors are essential to Man to Man Marking:
Once possession has been recovered speed of thought and action are the keys to success. Speed of thought requires all players to react and become attackers, either with or without the ball, or in support of others should possession be lost again.
A starting position for this topic, to begin with, can be anywhere in our attacking third when possession is lost. As the players become more proficient and understand their respective roles the coach may place greater demands on players by ‘gifting’ possession to the opposition and seeing how the players react and deal with the new threat. This is a particularly good way to assess how well some players are concentrating even though they are in possession of the ball - do they forget or relax their defensive responsibilities or switch off because they do not perceive any immanent danger.
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