Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking.
There are four types of defender: centre back, sweeper, full back, and wing back. The centre back and the full back positions are essential in most modern formations. The sweeper and wing back roles are more specialized for certain formations.
The position was formerly referred to as centre half, although the emphasis of the centre half was more forward thinking in action. In the early part of the 20th century, when most teams employed the 2-3-5 formation, the two players at the back were called full backs and the row of three players in front of them were called half backs. As formations evolved, the central player in this trio, the centre half, moved into a more defensive position on the field, taking the name of the position with them. The right and left players in the trio were called the right half and left half respectively.
In the modern game, most teams employ two centre backs, stationed in front of the goalkeeper. There are two main defensive strategies used by centre backs: the zonal defence, where each centre back covers a specific area of the pitch, and man-to-man marking, where each centre back has the job of covering a particular opposition player.
Some sweepers move forward and distribute the ball up-field, while others intercept passes and get the ball off the opposition without needing to hurl themselves into tackles. In modern football, its usage has been fairly restricted, with few clubs in the biggest leagues using the position.
In the traditional 2–3–5 team formation, the two players in the final row of defence before the goalkeeper were referred to as full backs. This formation is almost never used in the modern game, having been replaced largely by the four-man defence, but the term "full back" lives on — the full backs now occupy the back positions in the defensive line, with the old centre half [back] doubled-up to fill the central defensive position.
The traditional English full back was a large, strong man who would make substantial use of "hacking" – deliberately kicking the shins of opponents, a practice that was accepted as legal in Britain but not in other countries, and caused major controversy as the game became increasingly internationalized from the 1950s on. It is now effectively banned everywhere, and it is this in part that has given rise to a different set of defensive roles.
In the modern game, full backs have taken on a more offensive role than is the case traditionally. Wingerless formations such as the diamond 4-4-2 formation demand the full back to cover considerable ground up and down the flank. Some of the responsibilities of modern full backs include:
Due to the physical and technical demands of their playing position, successful full backs need a wide range of attributes, which make them suited for adaptation to other roles on the pitch. Many of the game's utility players, who can play in multiple positions on the pitch, are natural full backs. A rather prominent example is the Real Madrid full back Sergio Ramos, who has played on both flanks as a full back and as a Defensive Midfeilder, and in central Defence throughout his illustrious career. In the modern game, full backs often chip in a fair share of assists with their runs down the flank when the team is on a counterattack. The more common attributes of full backs, however, include:
In the evolution of the modern game, wingbacks are the combination of wingers and fullbacks. As such it is one of the most physically demanding positions in modern football. Wingbacks are often more adventurous than full backs and are expected to provide width, especially in teams without wingers. A wingback needs to be of exceptional stamina, be able to provide crosses upfield and defend effectively against opponents' attacks down the flanks. A defensive midfielder is usually fielded to cover the advances of wingbacks.
Category:Association football positions Category:Association football terminology
ar:مدافع (كرة قدم) an:Esfensa (fútbol) bn:রক্ষণভাগের খেলোয়াড় be-x-old:Абаронца (футбол) bg:Защитник ca:Defensa (futbol) da:Fodboldpositioner#Forsvarsspiller de:Abwehrspieler et:Kaitsja (jalgpall) es:Defensa (fútbol) eu:Atzelari (futbola) fa:مدافع (فوتبال) fr:Défenseur (football) ga:Cosantóir ko:수비수 hy:Պաշտպան hr:Branič (nogomet) id:Bek it:Difensore jv:Bèk ka:მცველი (ფეხბურთი) kk:Қорғаушы lv:Aizsargs (futbols) lt:Gynėjas hu:Hátvéd mk:Одбранбен играч (фудбал) mt:Difensur mr:बचावपटू (फुटबॉल) ms:Pemain pertahanan (bola sepak) nl:Verdediger (voetbal) ja:ディフェンダー (サッカー) pl:Obrońca (piłka nożna) pt:Zagueiro ro:Fundaș (fotbal) ru:Защитник (футбол) simple:Defender (football) sk:Obranca (futbal) sr:Одбрамбени играч (фудбал) th:กองหลัง tr:Defans uk:Захисник (футбол) vi:Hậu vệ (bóng đá) zh-yue:後衛 zh:後衛 (足球)This text is licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-SA License. This text was originally published on Wikipedia and was developed by the Wikipedia community.
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