Defender (football)

In association football (soccer), a defender is a player whose position of play is behind the midfielders and first and foremost provide support to the goalkeeper. Their primary function is to prevent the opposition from scoring a goal.

The main types of defender are centre back, fullback, wingback and sweeper.

Centre back

The job of the centre backs or central defenders is to stop opposing players, particularly the strikers, from scoring, and to bring the ball out from their penalty area. As their name suggests, they play in a central position. Most teams employ two centre backs, stationed in front of the goalkeeper. There are two main defensive strategies used by centre backs: the zonal defence, where each centre back covers a specific area of the pitch, and man-to-man marking, where each centre back has the job of covering a particular opposition player.

Centre backs are often tall, with good heading and tackling ability. An ability to read the game well is a distinct advantage. Sometimes, particularly in lower grades of football, centre backs concentrate less on ball control and passing, preferring to merely clear the ball in a "safety-first" fashion. However, there is a long tradition of centre backs having more than just rudimentary footballing skill, enabling a more possession-oriented playing style.

The position was formerly referred to as centre half. In the early part of the 20th century, when most teams employed the 2-3-5 formation, the row of three players were called half backs. As formations evolved, the central player in this trio (the centre half), moved into a more defensive position on the field, taking the name of the position with them.

They usually remain in the half of the field that contains the goal they are defending. The taller defenders tend to move forward to the opposing team's penalty box when their team takes corner kicks or free kicks where scoring with one's head is a possibility.

Some of the greatest centre backs include Alessandro Nesta and Lilian Thuram.

Sweeper

The sweeper is a more versatile type of centre back that "sweeps up" the ball if the opponent manages to breach the defensive line. His or her position is rather more fluid than other defenders who man-mark their designated opponents. Because of this, the position is often referred to as libero (from the Italian: free). The sweeper's ability to read the game is even more vital than for a centre back. A sweeper is sometimes expected to build counter-attacking moves, and as such requires better ball control and passing ability than a typical centre back. However, sweepers are often merely defensive players. For example, the catenaccio system of play, used in Italian football in the 1960s, employed a purely defensive sweeper.

Franz Beckenbauer, Gaetano Scirea and Franco Baresi are some of the best ever sweepers in football history.

Fullback

The full backs take up the wide defensive positions, one on each side of the field. Their main task is to prevent opposition players crossing or cutting the ball back into the penalty area. In some defensive systems, full backs man-mark opponents. Most full backs are also expected to provide an attacking dimension by getting upfield along the wings and providing crosses.

In the traditional 2-3-5 team formation, the two players in the final row of defence before the goalkeeper were referred to as full backs. They were distinguished from the half backs (the "3" in 2-3-5). This formation is little used in the modern game, having been replaced largely by the four-man defence, but the term "full back" lives on — the full backs now occupy the wide positions in the defensive line, with the old centre half ^* doubled-up to fill the central defensive position.

The traditional English full back was a large, strong man who would make substantial use of "hacking" - deliberately kicking the shins of opponents, a practice that was acceptable as legal in Britain but not in other countries, and caused major controversy as the game became increasingly internationalised from the 1950s on. It is now effectively banned everywhere, and it is this in part that has given rise to a different set of defensive roles.

In contrast, the role of the full back often involves an attacking element: to some extent the full backs have replaced the winger and are expected to get forward to deliver crosses from a wide position. The modern full back is usually pacy, strong in the tackle and with good stamina to get up and down the field.

Antonio Cabrini and Paolo Maldini are considered the greatest full-backs in the history of Italian football.

Wingback

The wingbacks are a modern variation on the full back with heavier emphasis on attack. The name is a portmanteau of "winger" and "back". They are usually employed in a 3-5-2 formation, and could therefore be considered part of the midfield. But may also be used in a 5-3-2 formation and therefore have a more defensive role.

In the evolution of the modern game, wingbacks are the combination of wingers and fullbacks. As such it is one of the most demanding position in modern football. Wingbacks are often more adventurous than full backs and are expected to provide width in a team without wingers. A wingback needs to be of exceptional stamina, be able to provide crosses upfield and defend effectively against opponents' attacks down the flanks. Many coaches, including Carlo Ancelotti uses wingbacks to effectively overlap his own wingers when possible.

Roberto Carlos and Cafu are some of the best wingbacks in the history of modern football.

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Centre back

Sweeper

Fullback

Wingback

See also