Calcio Coaching: Mauro Tassotti and the flat back four

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Current AC Milan number two Mauro Tassotti, was a tough tackling defender during his playing days under the expert tutelage of Arrigo Sacchi.

Once suspended for eight games by FIFA after an elbow on Luis Enrique left the Spaniard with a broken nose, Tassotti passed his coaching badge by writing his thesis around the movements of a four man defence.

Below is just a small extract of Tassotti’s work and his defensive principles which he currently passes on to the likes of Domenico De Sciglio, Philippe Mexes and Ignazio Abate. As you will see, the art of team defending has almost become a science and these principles are now common practice amongst all top Serie A coaches.

Pre-requisites of the defender

The centre backs
The ideal centre back should be confident and able to command the defence. He must have good technique with the ability to hit long and accurate passes. He should be quick, an effective man marker and have excellent heading ability. Tactically he must be astute, with a good understanding of team and individual defensive movements.

To make the perfect partnership, one should have great marking ability whereas the other should be able to sweep when necessary.

The full backs
The wide defender needs to have an attacking instinct alongside his excellent defending ability. As well being able to cover the wings and the central areas of the pitch, the full back must have the capacity to exploit the gaps left by his team mates and have the confidence to instigate the attacks from the wide areas.

He should be quick and be able to pass accurately over both short and long distances. He should also be able to dribble at speed and posess excellent crossing ability.

Coaching the defence

Individually the defender should:
– have the ability to anticipate the movements of the attacker
– push the attacker into wide areas and slow him down for reinforcements to arrive
– win the ball should the attacker fail to control a pass
– have excellent timing
– immediately understand the type of player his opponent is (quick, technical, good in the air…)
– read game situations
– not to beaten by players on the ‘weak’ side of the pitch
– sense of position
– ability to block and anticipate passes to the attacker

Collectively, the coaching technique should discover if:
– there is balance in all areas of defending
– the players understand when to drop off both vertically and horizontally
– the team remains compact at all times
– the defence understands when to push up as a unit and when not to
– defenders know when to double up on marking
– players know when to pass markers on to the next defender
– the team can play the offside trap
– the defence can form the diagonal and pyramid shapes when defending
– players read game situations in a similar manner

Diagonals, pyramids, lines of cover, dropping off, sliding and elastic defending

Pyramids – the defenders should base their positioning in relation to where the ball and the goal are.

Fig. 1a – the pyramid position of the back four when defending a central attack.

Fig. 1b – the pyramid position of the back four with one player that is out of position.

Lines of cover in relation to where the ball is can be made up of one or two lines.

Fig. 2a – Two lines of cover, but much more difficult to spring the offside trap.

Fig. 2b – One line of cover, less cover but easier to play the offside trap.

The lines of cover are absolutely fundamental when defending in order to make sure a team is never caught ‘square’ in relation to the man on the ball.

Defensive slide, the weak side and strong side – it is impossible to effectively cover the width of the pitch

Fig. 3a – It is critical that the players slide across to strengthen defensively the area of the pitch where the ball is to maximise the chances of winning back possession.

They must leave the weak side unguarded and concentrate on the area nearest the ball.

Fig. 3b – A coach can ask one of his midfielders to drop in line with the defenders to provide extra cover should the opposition attempt to exploit the space left unguarded on the weak side.

Fig. 3c – If the attack is central, the defenders can safely leave two weak sides as long as they compact the area around the ball.

Fig. 4 – Covering team mate who has lost the ball.

If player two loses possession, the remaining three defenders must drop and cover the space vacated by player two which not only helps protect the goal but also gives player two the chance to recover his position.

All of the above movements are coached with specific exercises that not only help the defenders understand the positioning but also help appreciate the principles without them becoming rigid and predictable.

In effect, all the above positions become modified when there are opponents to be marked.

Defenders must be aware of:

– when to pass on a marked player to a colleague

– gaps that are left exposed

– the attackers diagonal movements in between the defence

To this end, the exercises used to coach the defenders will always have opponents to make it more realistic. The use of the opponent also helps to teach the offside trap, a fundamental defensive weapon.

Fig.5 – The coach moves the ball along the half way line whilst the defence takes up its positioning in relation to the ball whilst being aware of the opposing strikers.

If the coach decides to send a pass to one of the forwards the back four must immediately begin to drop back. If he does not, the defenders begin to creep forward hoping to catch the striker offside.

Ultimately, the aim of the defence is to be able to dictate the movement of the forward, continually moving in unison as if on a piece of elastic.

In doing this, the forwards will find it difficult to exploit the space or any gaps between the defensive block.