I play in adult (over 35 league). There's some good players and some guys just having fun. I fall a bit in the middle. I usually play center back. Most strikers in the league are pretty skilled. I know that I should try and put an attacker on to his weak foot. Early in a game it's not always easy to tell. And some players are pretty solid with both feet. As a GK, do you want me to push an attacker to shoot with the foot closest to the touch line or the foot closer to the middle of the field? Assume we are near the middle of the field (inside of the outside lines of the 18).
I will be interested to hear what the keeper's have to say. I have played fullback on teams that pushed outside and once on a team that funneled everything inside to the CBs who were great tacklers still, but past their prime days on lateral movements. I don't recall but one team where the keeper organized the defense. Generally the organizer is the most experienced CB who plays mostly a cover role. That doesn't mean that he doesn't talk and cooperate with the keeper. In adult rec, it is normal to have several premier keepers playing in the field and a relatively inexperienced keeper in the net. So in my experience a field player is often mentoring the keeper. If you are man marking, then the objective should be: 1) to prevent your mark from receiving the ball, 2) failing that, to prevent the turn. Which way you shepherd your mark in possession should be up to your cover, who will tackle the ball if your mark attempts to beat you. If you are playing a 4-man zone, then the four of you guard the space and work together to prevent any penetration into the space behind the line. The midfielders are supposed to screen the back line to prevent an attacker from sprinting with the ball at the back line and to pressure the first attacker so he has no time to look up. So they have largely pressure and balance rolls. For what its worth generally the CBs are the best tacklers on the team. They need to be because the play generally comes to them if there is a defensive breakdown (usually they are covering others). Today, they say tackling is a lost art, so maybe times have changed.
Coaches coach both ways one to let the mids the destroyers put it to the middle. I would push them away from the middle because the goal in the middle. Play with 1 center back or two. Better to play with two.
Good stuff. But I'm referring more to 1v1 defending anywhere from 15-20 yards from goal. Not much of a "cover" defender behind me, as they are marking runners or looking at a winger. This is an area of the field where I'd like to force the attacker to take a shot. From this distance, it's much less dangerous than him playing a ball through or beating me on the dribble and getting onto goal. Usually, when this happens, it's a shot my keeper sees pretty well. There have been a few times where the guy fired a screamer into the top or bottom corner. I don't recall if the shots came from the inside or outside foot.
I play GK and all across our backline. In a league like this, I will always try to force a player to the wide side to cut down on the amount of goal he has to shoot on. There are a few players (very skilled) who we would try to get them on their weak foot, but there are not too many players like that
That is point blank range. Inside the penalty area and arc. The "cover" is the keeper. Field players are all man markers that close to goal during the run of play. You shouldn't have to "force" a shot here. Any adult player's first choice action is to finish. I wouldn't want to give up a shot, instead force a back pass. If the attacker is stupid enough to send a long pass out wide, let him. There is basically two ways you get into that defensive situation. 1. If your mark receives the ball back to goal. Then you want to prevent the turn. 2. If the mark is running at the goal with or onto the ball. Chances are the attacker will shoot before you can close him down. If not, you should get and stay in front of him and force him to turn away from goal. You don't force the player the long way across the goal mouth regardless of which is the player's stronger foot, because, at that range, a weak noodle can finish. The custom of the covering player directing which way (inside or out) to force the opponent would still apply--the keeper is the cover in that situation.
I'm going to echo everyone else and say you always force the attacker wide, if you can't force him backward. I'm more frequently an attacking player, so I know that, even though I take 80-90% of my touches with my strong foot, I'd much rather shoot from the center with my weak foot than from an angle with my strong foot. I do play fullback occasionally, and I always try to push the attacker wide even if it means he gets to use his strong foot. The only time strong or weak foot should matter at all is if the attacker is already in the center to begin with.
Push him wide. My job as a keeper is to cover the near post, yours as a defender is to prevent a shot to the far post. You push him to the middle and he has more to shoot at.