If you’re an American football (soccer) fan, then you know it’s an exciting time to be watching the beautiful game. Major League Soccer is wrapping up their campaign, as football in Europe begins. There have been plenty of thrilling matches and surprises around the globe; with plenty of attacking football on display. But this post is about the less glamorous side of the game: defense.
It’s no surprise that great goals and flashy dribbling always steal the spotlight. Everyone wants to see the wonder goals, the cheeky backheels, and the nutmegs. The defense is often undervalued or overlooked, with clubs content to spend big money on attackers rather than defenders.
If you want proof, look no further than the list of the most expensive transfers of all time in association football. Only four defenders managed to crack the top 50. Two of those transfers happened this year: Manchester City paid £32 million ($50 million) to Portuguese club Porto for the services of Eliaquim Mangala; while David Luiz became the most expensive defender in history, when Paris Saint-Germain forked over £50 million ($80 million), to Chelsea. David Luiz ranks 10th on the all time list.
Watching the games this weekend, I found myself questioning the defensive strategies of many top teams. In MLS, my beloved Seattle Sounders were routed by the New York Red Bulls 4-1 on Saturday. Granted, the Sounders had just played a tough game on Tuesday against the Philidelphia Union in the U.S. Open Cup Final. Sounders head coach Sigi Schmid was resting a lot of his star players, and three of the four players in the starting back line were recovering from injuries. But I had really expected better from the Sounders. Instead of defending as a group, they were chasing the ball like children. This allowed Red Bulls to score an easy goal in the first 30 seconds of the match. My youth coach would refer to this as “bumblebee soccer”. As the game progressed, the defending got worse. Subsitute right back Jalil Anibaba made too many mistakes to count and proved why he sits on the bench. Djimi Traore, who is usually rock solid in defense, was clearly at fault for the fourth goal. He gifted the ball to Australian ace Tim Cahill, who put the game to bed with an expert finish into the bottom corner (and some help from the post).
In the English Premier League, there were some woeful defensive displays as well. West Ham punished Liverpool for some lax defending with two goals in the opening 10 minutes. Despite a nice finish from L’pool striker Raheem Sterling to make it 2-1, West Ham was able to add a third. A shoddy clearance from L’pool left back Mamadou Sakho set up the final goal, and cemented a 3-1 victory for West Ham.
Everton and Tottenham had some defensive issues against bottom clubs Crystal Palace and West Bromwich Albion, which allowed the latter to chalk up their first Premier League wins. Palace tagged Everton for three goals after going down 1-0. Miscommunication between the Everton defense and goalkeeper Tim Howard led to a penalty for Palace, and set the tone for the rest of the game. My beloved Spurs might have escaped with a 0-0 draw if they had defended better on the set piece, that allowed West Brom to score the only goal of the game in the 74th minute.
But it was Manchester United that laid the biggest defensive egg. After spending £80 million ($130 million) on attacking playmakers Angel Di Maria and Radamel Falcao, there were high expectations as they traveled to newly promoted club Leicester City. It looked like money well spent after the Red Devils went two goals ahead. Falcao assisted Robin Van Persie’s header with a brilliant cross, and Di Maria continued to impress with a superb scoop over the goalkeeper into the back of the net. Man U’s only defensive signing during the transfer window was Marcos Rojo, an Argentinian international who played in the World Cup final. Rojo was caught on his heels for Leicester’s first goal, and Man U’s downfall had begun. Even with an insurance goal from Ander Herrera to make it 3-1, the titans of English football could not see out the game. Leicester striker Jamie Vardy made a hard challenge on Man U defender Rafael, who in turn retaliated with a soft challenge on Vardy inside the box, and the referee pointed to the spot. David Nugent converted the penalty kick to make it 3-2. The dismal day continued for Manchester. A careless clearance from Wayne Rooney set up an uncontested shot from Esteban Cambiasso, where five Man U players were caught ball watching. The veteran midfielder buries his chance and it’s 3-3.
But Leicester were not satisfied with a draw. Vardy capitalizes with acres of space on the counter attack, and adds a goal to go along with his two assists. Leicester added a fifth moments later. The inexperienced defender Tyler Blackett rubbed salt in Man U’s wound, getting his positioning all wrong and allowing Vardy to go through on goal. Blackett had no choice but to bring Vardy down and received a straight red card. Jose Ulloa (who scored Leicester’s first goal), calmly put the penalty in the back on the net and the game was over. I’m trying to understand the rationale of starting a young player like Blackett when you have a more experienced defender named Chris Smalling sitting on the bench. I guarantee Manchester United manager Louie Van Gaal will have nightmares about this game for weeks.
Manchester United is a prime example of how a lopsided team can falter. You can’t neglect the defense. These clubs will be forced to look for reinforcements in the January transfer window if they want to fight for a top table finish.
I’ve dealt a lot of criticism in this post so let me say this. Being a defender (or a goalkeeper) is a thankless job. If the team loses, defenders are often scapegoated and held responsible for the loss. If the team wins, credit goes to the strikers and midfielders who were involved in the goals. A clean sheet means the defenders are just doing their jobs. As fans, we sometimes forget that defenders are more than capable of scoring goals themselves. Although they might not be as pretty or as graceful, they are every bit as important. I have huge respect for defenders and goalkeepers because they require true skill, grit, and determination. They are usually the toughest players on the pitch, and carry themselves as such.
Leave It On The Pitch 