Glenn Murray: Premier League defenders are shying away from tackling and blocking and are gripped by a fear of failure
More and more men at the back are dropping off opponents and filling holes rather than engaging opponents
ALMOST 13 years ago, then Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho was scathing of Arsenal’s defending in a 5-4 win over Spurs, calling the result “a hockey score not a football score”.
We’ve already seen a few high-scoring games in this season’s Premier League and once again questions are being asked about the art of defending.
If anyone wants to know what defending should be, then I’d point to my team-mates Lewis Dunk and Shane Duffy at the heart of our defence.
I’m not surprised our centre-backs are getting rave reviews since they prioritise protecting our area and will do everything possible to prevent conceding a goal.
Whether it’s putting their head where it hurts or throwing their body to block a shot or a tackle, Dunk and Duffer seem to enjoy every aspect of defending and take pride in their work.
Defending has changed significantly in the past few years and I believe the scrutiny football comes under is one of the major reasons.
Every player makes mistakes and it’s a horrible feeling when you make a mess of something in a stadium with thousands watching.
But believe me, it’s even worse when your blunder is replayed repeatedly online, on social media and TV worldwide.
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Along with the countless pages of written press, the global appeal of the Premier League means it’s virtually impossible to escape the magnifying glass.
Media outlets analyse every aspect of matches — and goals are the major talking points.
If you’re culpable in conceding, then you can be sure your error will be highlighted by pundits.
That’s fine, because everyone has to do their job. But I think it has changed the mindset of the modern player to the point where they shy away from the old style of tackling and blocking.
I wonder if the fear of making a mistake and conceding a goal and the scrutiny and criticism that brings has created a self-preservation mentality among defenders?
The last thing anybody wants is to be ridiculed and possibly have their ability/attitude challenged in public — and, as a result, they think twice about committing to tackles.
I’ve noticed more and more that defenders are dropping off opponents and filling holes rather than engaging opponents. Some of this is undoubtedly down to tactics but surely not all.
It’s not just individuals who have changed but the rules of the game have also made it harder to defend more robustly and physically.
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Referees are much less tolerant of physical contact now than they were a decade ago.
I watched some re-runs of PL games from the early Noughties and the style of play was much more combative.
If a game was lacking excitement, it was often a crunching challenge which sparked the game and crowd into life.
When was the last time you saw that in a PL game?
These changes have affected modern defenders and more and more clubs opt to recruit ball-playing centre-backs who can step into midfield and full-backs whose attacking ability is arguably better than their defending.
There’s no doubt that defenders are now better all-round footballers.
But with these changes, I feel the art of defending itself is fighting a losing battle, when before keeping a clean sheet was the be all and end all for defenders.
