When defending set-pieces would you mark a player or operate a
zonal system?
The Liverpool rearguard is one of the meanest around, but their
defending regularly comes under scrutiny with boss Rafael Benitez
favouring defending zones rather than marking players.
It doesn't always come off though with some players confused over
their duties.
Former FA technical director Howard Wilkinson and ex-Liverpool
defender Alan Hansen explain why they agree with Benitez's
methods.
WHAT IS ZONAL DEFENDING?
"In zonal defending, you don't mark a man, you mark an area," said
Hansen, winner of seven league championships.
As you can see in the diagram above, Liverpool set up their defence
for a corner with four players across the six yard box and a
further four ahead of them.
Between them, they are given an area to cover and should the ball
reach them, it is up to the defender to clear the danger.
Hansen added: "The three most important areas are your man on the
near post, a man in the middle of the six-yard box and a man
between those two."
WHY DEFEND IN ZONES AND NOT MAN-TO-MAN?
Although it tends to be more popular in European football than in
Britain, Hansen is a fan of the system but admits it is down to the
players involved.
He said: "We always used zonal marking when I won championships
with Liverpool.
"It was all about winning the first ball and if not, you've got to
clean up the second ball.
"The other thing of course was having a goalkeeper (Bruce
Grobbelaar) who we knew was going to come for crosses."
Wilkinson has used the zonal system for more than 30 years in
football and implemented it in many of the England teams when he
was technical director at the FA.
He said: "Zonal defending is based on the principle that when
free-kicks are taken in the attacking third in wide positions or
from corners, there is a dangerous space which can be
identified.
"Within this area roughly three out of 100 goals are scored from
the first touch.
"The system attempts to concentrate the best headers of the ball in
that space. Your other players are in positions to defend the
second ball.
"With man-to-man marking, attackers can drag defenders all over the
place by taking them away from the danger area.
"It is a collective responsibility whereas man-for-man marking is
based on personal responsibility."
ARGUMENTS AGAINST
The most common opposition to the system is that zones don't score,
players do, so mark the player.
But Wilkinson explains there is a further layer to the
argument.
He said: "Players score from dangerous zones. What do goalkeepers
do on corners anyhow?
"They zone mark because until the ball is kicked they don't know
where the ball will go.
"They don't concern themselves with players, they concern
themselves with the ball because it's the ball that scores."
And he dismisses the notion that defenders have to compete with
attackers who have a run on them.
"Attackers get a run on you whether you are zone defending or
man-for-man marking," Wilkinson said.
"They always calls the shots. You start from a standing position
but once the ball is in flight, you've got the distance the ball
travels to get yourself moving.
"Lots of teams in the Premiership mark zones on the wide free-kick,
because if you try and mark runners you end up running into each
other and you can't jump anyway.
"You've got to remember that the higher up you go, the greater the
quality of the delivery.
"That's one thing you can't do anything about, you have to assume
that the people who are taking it can hit the button."
TEACHING THE SYSTEM
Liverpool's defending as a team has been widely praised with the
team matching a club record for consecutive clean sheets in the
league.
Wilkinson says: "Benitez's record, before he came to Liverpool and
since he arrived, says that undoubtedly in achieving some things
he's a master.
"I'd be careful about arguing with him on defending because his
record isn't bad, particularly in Europe.
"It is a difficult thing to coach. It's more complex than
man-to-man but it is more effective.
"But it's only more effective if it's covered comprehensively and
players understand not only their roles but the roles of
others."
