Central Defence

Central Defence
The heart of the defence. The central defenders must be able to defend against attacks coming more directly at goal from the central positions.

A good central defender must be strong and be able to fend off attackers running directly at them. Don't be afraid to get into scrambles and tackles too tidy up and regain possession of the ball.

When you can't do this, of course, it is best too just clear the ball by knocking it as far away from the goal as possible then re-organising the defence. Ideally, in my opinion, central defenders must be:

Marking - Must be good at tracking danger players to neutralize the threat.

Strong - They must be able to hold off strikers and win the ball.

Tall - At least 6ft in height as you must be able too win aerial balls and head the ball out when it gets dangerous.

Good at tackling - This is a must! If you can't tackle, you're not suited to be a defender

Good awareness - Be able to read ahead of the game and predict the opponents movement patterns

Some center backs also have the ability to attack as well as defend. As soone as they win the ball, they are able to set off an attack by running up to midfield too support or passing it out fast for a swift counter-attack. This is very useful as teams are exposed only for a brief minute so counter-attacking must be quick.

A good central defender is important as some of the most threatening of attacks with come directly through the center. Without a decent central defender, it will be difficult to control the ball in your half of the pitch. An example of the good Central defender would be Rio Ferdinand, Carlos Puyol and Fabio Cannavaro. These players make a big impact on the team because of their defensive abilities, it can be very hard for a team to score against them. If a team can't score goals, then they can't win.

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SBI!