Man Marking Systems

Discussion in 'Coach' started by Coach Stew, Nov 16, 2017.

  1. Coach Stew

    Coach Stew Member

    Nov 16, 2015
    Are there any good man marking system resources available? I know it would not be a popular choice in today's soccer but after seeing it briefly mentioned in a few articles I am curious as to how it works. I am sure there are variations as to only marking 1 man but how would it work as a complete system?
     
  2. rca2

    rca2 Member+

    Nov 25, 2005
    #2 rca2, Nov 16, 2017
    Last edited: Nov 16, 2017
    Not sure I understand the question. Some things are common to all play--fundamentals. For instance the 1st defender plays pretty much the same way in every system, because his role is the same--marking the attacker with the ball. The difference in systems would have to do with switching the 1st defender role with a team mate.

    There are 3 types of defensive organizations.
    1. Man to man coverage. A player is assigned an opponent to mark anywhere the opponent goes.
    2. Zone coverage. Players defend areas of the field rather than opponents.
    3. Hybrid. Organization has elements of both of the above. Zonal marking has players marking opponents man to man within individual zones. Other hybrids have some players mark man to man while others defend zonally.

    I don't know of any resources off hand. Virtually everyone on the web that talks about organizing your defense, assumes without discussion that you are playing a flat back four zone defense with zonal marking. Some of them probably cannot describe the organization, just tell you how players should defend. They also assume without saying that the entire discussion revolves around coaching the back line.

    I remember years ago there was an article in the NSCAA Soccer Journal about defensive organization. It wasn't much better. It only discussed how to organize a 442 system (all 11 players) with zonal marking and a low line of confrontation. Unless a coach has played other sports where teams regularly switch defensive coverage, like basketball or pointy football, most are probably unaware that there are other possibilities.

    I imagine that A and B licensed coaches see materials and C license coaches I have met are pretty impressive too. I would hope this is covered in the National Diploma and Advanced National Diploma courses at NSCAA (now USC), but I don't know. The materials I have seen on You Tube about systems of play was very simplistic and summary.

    I think part of the problem is that higher level coaches have competitive teams and setting out on the internet for the world to see the specific team tactics and systems that they like to use would give opponents too much advantage. Hence we get generalities.

    Take Anson Dorrance for instance. He has published how he trains in great detail, but how his teams play matches he only gives general information--nothing more than his opponents learn from watching any game film.

    In my experience most coaches are very willing to share privately with other coaches. But what you cannot expect them to share is game plan details. At high levels that will include the specific defensive organization as well as specific attacking strategies. One way to get this inside information is to volunteer to assist a coach you respect. You can learn a lot that way in one season.
     
  3. Coach Stew

    Coach Stew Member

    Nov 16, 2015
    I guess I would be asking about man to man. You sort of answered my question about variations by referencing the part zone, part man to man aspects. I wasn't sure if in "complete" man to man systems all 10 field players marked an individual, or if maybe it would be man to man everywhere except the back 4, be it a flat 4, or 3 with a sweeper. To build on that I'm curious if a starting formation really matters.
     
  4. rca2

    rca2 Member+

    Nov 25, 2005
    #4 rca2, Nov 16, 2017
    Last edited: Nov 16, 2017
    Caveat, somewhere someplace today someone is playing a 235 system. There is always exceptions, and I am going to talk about what is typical.

    People stopped playing complete man to man systems many years ago. Originally there wasn't any interchange between positions. In the days of pyramid systems, man to man worked by the 2 fullbacks marking the opposing outside forwards and the 3 halfbacks marking the CF and 2 inside forwards. Later in the days of WM (343 with a box midfield) man to man was easy because the system was symmetrical. Backs marked forwards (CF and wingers), halfs marked inside forwards, inside forwards marked the halfs, and forwards marked backs. Everyone was conveniently located. And at first everyone stayed conveniently located.

    What changed was players learned how to draw the marking backs away from their positions creating space for team mates to exploit.

    The reaction was to use zonal marking--putting limits on how far a marker would travel out of position. Ever since, zonal marking has been preferred over man to man coverage for the backs against opponents that like to interchange positions a lot.

    With the WM, people were used to 3 forwards and 3 marking backs. So when they first switched to 4 backs, they kept 3 man markers and made the 4th back a sweeper giving them numbers up. A diamond back defense. Depending on how the opponent played, the marking backs might use zonal marking or man to man. Or the stopper could be given a man marking assignment and the other two marked zonally. Or any other game plan that the coach thought up.

    How the midfield defended depended on how they were organized. If the midfielders were all box to box midfielders than the traditional man to man coverage was an option. A defensive midfielder by definition is zonal marking--he is usually responsible for defending the area in front of the centerbacks and guarding against counterattacks. If he is given a man marking assignment, such as marking the opponent's playmaker, then he is not what I would call a defensive midfielder because he has to follow the playmaker wherever he goes.

    Perhaps the most common defensive organization of the last 20 years is defending in a 442 shape with 2 lines of 4 behind the ball using zonal marking. (A 433 system would typically drop back a winger when out of possession.) Basically you train both lines the same way because the object is to pressure the ball and shut down the interior passing lanes. The movements end up being the same. The back line wants to prevent through balls into space behind their line with the midfield line similarly wants to prevent through passes into the gap between the lines.

    The 2 forwards not behind the ball help pressure and shut down passing lanes to isolate the 1st attacker.

    Hope that wasn't too long winded or confused. A player could go through a lot rec games and not face a sophisticated team that interchanged positions. That player would not understand how zonal marking worked or the need for it. Competitive players, however, generally face more sophisticated opponents and learn to use zonal marking and communicate with team mates about the opponent's off the ball runs. This means that many of your players probably have not actually been coached much yet on how to defend. Lots of potential areas for improvement.
     
  5. Coach Stew

    Coach Stew Member

    Nov 16, 2015
  6. rca2

    rca2 Member+

    Nov 25, 2005
    I agree with most of what the articles says. The weakness in the article is in how he addresses hybrid organizations. According to him either everyone is in man to man coverage or only 1 player is (he called it [an] individual vs. [everyone] collective man-marking. Nothing in between the extremes. I don't know of anyone in the US that uses his labels.

    I believe the most common strategy is to have 1 more back than the opponent has forwards. Providing the "free" player you referenced. So that means the extra back is typically either using zonal marking or is a "free man" providing cover for the marking backs. Which is contrary to articles viewpoint.
     
  7. rca2

    rca2 Member+

    Nov 25, 2005
    For at least a year I have been looking for an old video of Arrigo Sacchi training the 1994 Italy team on defending in a 442. Without success. I did find this short clip with excepts from the longer video (and others) that shows Sacchi training the back four together in several different drills.



    Keeping in mind that he is coaching internationals in the video, the same exercises would be used to train high school players. For example see the exercises at 3:15 and 3:35. The whole video is useful. It is in Italian so the audio is not helpful for most of us, but watching Sacchi work with the players is better than any narrator's description.

    By the way you can see from the video how he coaches both the midfield line of 4 and the back line of 4 to keep the same shape.
     

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