In the previous post, you read about the basic training for goalkeepers, starting from building ball familiarity. Now you will get to know about a technique that can be used to defend against crosses from an attacker. This training for dealing with crosses is important for any goalkeeper who hopes to be a strong pillar in the defensive structure of a team.

We begin with players taking turns crossing the ball high towards the goal from a distance, while the goalkeeper tries to collect the ball. The keeper should be positioned between the 6-yard line and the goal line, and try to collect the ball at the highest point.

The attackers should focus on crossing the ball at a certain height, rather than close to the ground, to increase the chances of converting a goal. Next, we repeat the same drill, but by adding in 2 defenders near the goal. This increases the complexity of the exercise as there’s quite a bit of coordination and communication required now.

At this point, it is important to mention a communication system that is standard among footballers. If the goalkeeper yells “keeper”, then it’s automatically understood that he will handle the ball and the defenders should not intervene. Alternatively, if he yells “clear”, he expects one of the defenders to step up and take care of the ball, as he is unable to reach it in time or is not ideally positioned to block it.

To mimic a game situation, we now include two attackers near the goal for a 2v2 scenario. The attackers will try to receive the cross and score, while the defenders will support the goalkeeper in thwarting the attempts at goal. The defenders follow a man-to-man marking approach to ensure a strong and targeted defence. This means each defender picks one attacker and tight marks him to ensure he doesn’t get a chance to score.

While clearing the ball, the defender should always pick the forward direction as his first choice, followed by sideways, and as a last option only, towards the back. The back is a risky direction to clear as it is in the direction of the goal, hence best avoided or used as a last resort. Immediately after clearing the ball, rather than staying in the same place, the defenders can and must push/move up to prevent the attackers from taking another shot at goal.

Now that you have a fair understanding of defence in football, the next post will introduce attacking plays to get you up to speed in no time. You’ll learn how to evade tight marking and create space so you can get closer to the goal and create an opportunity for scoring.