In order to make V in my HS this year, I gotta play stopper, yet I've never done so in my life, yet I am guessing sine I'm more defensively-minded and my height lead our coach to want me playing that position. I am happy and thrilled, and thank God for such an opportunity to play Varsity, yet I need to know what I should keep in mind playing stopper. Where to look? Who to pass to? Etc...? We play the typical American HS system of 4-4-2 with a sweeper, and then me with 2 outside back, 2 center mids, 2 on the outside, and 2 fwds. Bye Thanks in advance
Stopper Left D---Right D Sweeper Keeper Stopper is a defensive mid, just more defensive. The stopper's job is to link the defense with the mids.
He ain't that far out, just think of it: most-pro teams that do play with a stopper and sweeper play like this: sweeper, and a line of 3 in front of'm+lc(stopper)r
You should concentrate on a 25X40 box infront of the defence in back of the center mids. Your goal is intimidation and aggression. Winning the ball is your primary job and disrupting the other teams offensive flow. These are the things I would look for in a stopper. Metro, when you start practicing, look closely at the angles you take in closing to the ball. What I mean by this is when you go to close a player down, you want to take a angle forcing them into an area of the field to your teams advantage. Example the other team breaks on your team. The cm's are out of position but you outside mid on the left is back and the other team has their cm's and outside mid on the right. You want to force them to the left by cutting the angle down. Also be very aggressive in closing people down when they receive the you should be in their shorts not allowing them to turn or you should be intercepting the ball. Your last is giving support off the ball in the defensive half and being a linking player to the cm's and the sweeper.
Ok... I play stopper on occasion. You need to look to win any air balls and more or less mark up as the sweeper tells you.
I played stopper. make shure you mark the teams most dangrous forward closely(i learned the hard way) and try to win alot of the air balls. the farthest you should go is half way to the opposing teams 18 yard box. Help the cover for the sweeper,and also help the left and right defence also! Try to be intimidating and be aggresive, make shure yyou win the ball and try to stop the other teams advancment out of mid.
I also play stopper. One of the keys is distribution. You gotta have good vision and possess good long-passing skills. You should also know where all your teammates are at all times. Defensively positioning is vital. If you have good anticipation of where your opponent's going to do, you will definitely have a big advantage.
Stopper is one of the hardest positions to play, when you practice do like I said and work on your positioning on defensive angles forcing play to your strong points. 2nd be aggressive on loose balls but don't get caught out of position. 3rd tight marking.
Probably the best thing you can do is ask the coach what he wants. Make him explain your role. I played stopper in HS, but I was more of a ball chaser. As the first line of defence, I was told to keep pressure and help the midfielders win balls and minimize space. On other teams, I saw the stopper concentrate on distribution. It really depends on team strategy.
Absolutely a good idea. Either mark or make sure the opponent's most dangerous striker is marked. Not sure, assume it's their most forward player, and adjust accordingly. No one has mentioned communications. I like to have my sweeper and stopper communicating - making sure all attackers are marked. If one of you goes forward or if your wing defenders goes forward, make sure the defense is under control. Anticipate any ball coming into your area and get it to one of your midfielders or forwards. Safety first, then distribute to an open teammate. G'luck.
I seem to be gettin scared and nervous. I know one thing, though. The day I stop gettin butterflies (and nervous) during and before soccer games, means I gotta retire. My sweeper wants me to shift as the ball goes. Not get caught too out (trapped too far out on the field-left/right). Is there a particular stopper or defender in gral. that you guys suggest I watch closely? I really enjoy the way both Christian Worns, and especially Samy Hyypia play. Pope never dissapoints me, neither. Anyway, thanks for the advice so far.
The only really good example I can think of is Christian Chivu who plays for Ajax. You're basically a deeper lying def. mid. who has much more def. responsibility than a def mid would. I've played the pos. a few times and basically I would break up the flow of play, win balls, and set the attack in motion. Just a few things to keep in mind. Also, you have to remain in position much more than a def. mid would.
Watch Chris Armas of the Chicago Fire and USMNT. I play keeper and was very very thankful of my stopper back in high school. He let me sit on a lawn chair and drink lemonade in front of goal during every game. Stoppers are generally defensive midfielders, usually used in a 4-3-3 formation. Since you're using a 4-4-2, You're gonna get stuck with a lot of defensive duties, the two midfielders in front of you probably won't track back as far as you'd like. You're first priority is to make sure the sweeper doesn't mark anyone. Second, you dirupt passing lanes, forcing the opposition to pass to the flanks, where your defensive markers will be posting players. Third, you mark the attacking midfielder, or any other central midfielder making a run through the middle. Fourth, off the opposing keeper's punts, you win the head balls. When you have the ball, try to find your playmaker. Most likely he'll be in a crowd, so you might wanna try you're wingers or flank defenders. You've also gotta control the pace of the game, defensivly and offensively. This means holding the ball, and being calm. Have fun being confident with the ball at your feet when there's two strikers challenging you from behind and two midfielders challenging you from the front. Good luck this year, and have fun. High school soccer sucks, so don't get discouraged if you suck as well, you might be able to succeed at club level.
Yeah I could use a little help here......... in the past couple of games I have been placed @ the stopper position, but my sweeper always tells me to keep moving up, even though there is always a striker staying back with him. Just what the heck are we going to do? We can't just keep having 2 guys back marking one guy, especially when the ball is in their half of the field, or does it really matter if the sweeper is alone with someone when the ball is in the opposition's half? And another note......if a midfielder from the opposition is moving up the field, say about at half, and no-one is challenging him, what should I, the stopper, do? Should I stay back and mark my guy, or should I step up and jockey him? My team's midfield seems to part like the red sea sometimes, leaving only us defenders to fend for ourselves. Any constructive comments would be much appreciated. Thanks.
Hey lizarazu, Can't guarentee 100% accuracy, cos 'stopper' as such doesn't really exist in the UK, but i'd suggest for the first dilema (ie one striker pushing up to your sweeper) that you and the sweeper just head further up the pitch towards the halfway line leaving their striker offside. If he moves up with you then just stay close to him, this will mean you'll also be right next to your sweeper, but when the opposition breaks fwd stay close to their striker, and the sweeper will have to backtrack to his position again. As for the second situation, if you are already marking a striker, then someone from your midfield should be marking their midfield runner. If you find yourself marking a player, and also needing to close someone down in front of you, then somebody in your midfield hasn't done their job. Simple as that. You cant be responsible for the entire defence. And to anyone who wants to see great defensive midfielders if you have access to the English Premiership i suggest you look at Claud Makalele of Chelsea. Breaks down play, runs a marathon a game, and plays it out simple to his team. Best in the world right now.
i played stopper last year and it was iight i guess. i didnt like it that much though cuz i felt like i didnt have any impact on the game. All i did was mark people and pressure the ball carrier who would just dump it to the wing. I was thinking though...I see Claude Makalele play and he wins balls but i see him stabbing for the ball. Is it all right for me to stab at the ball and try to steal it cuz i got people behind me to cover. I think if i could actually go for balls rather then just jockey guys all day i would make more of an impact int eh game.
the exact same thing happened to me and i'm an attacking midfielder...i hated stopper but as long as you're good in the air and not afraid to get rough then you'll be fine...the sweeper should tell you who to mark up. Just be careful not to get pushed up too far, that was a big problem for me.