Michael Wright: Coaching 1v1 dominance in defending

SCW: Give us some more ’super strengths’, how they can then be used from a defensive perspective and how we might coach those?

MW: "You’re going after my heart here! First of all, from a defensive point of view, if I’m very good at reading the play and going to intercept, that’s a really good ’super strength’ to have.

"Interceptions are the most aggressive form of defending because you’re stopping the ball getting to its destination.

"So if that’s a ’super strength’ of yours - that you can anticipate body shape and pass delivery and then intercept, that’s fine.

"In terms of the younger age groups, understanding my body shape compared to someone else’s body shape, and how I can utilise that [is important].

"Using myself an example, I’m probably very handsy when I’m defending because I’ve got a relatively strong upper body that allows me to do that. What I’m not so great with is being able to manipulate my feet. 

“I would over-emphasise showing a player one way, and then try and use my frame to keep that individual there.

"Imagine I’m playing against a left-footed winger, and I’m at right back - I would probably show them outside and keep them towards the touchline, use the touchline as your friend. Then, if they try and cut back in, I would utilise my body to try and stop that and use my arms to keep them that side.

“If I was far more competent in terms of footwork patterns and being light on my feet - the terminology I use for this is ‘being in a boxer’s stance’, being able to jab in and out - I might not decide to go into that tussle because I’m really good at matching their footwork.

“If you watched the England v Wales game [at the World Cup], John Stones did it really well with Kieffer Moore, when Moore had a shot that went over the bar.

"He [Stones] was actually quite square, which is unusual, but he was able to match his footwork as the ball came inside and then got himself in a position to block.

“If they’re right-footed, what difference does that make? If they’re left-footed, what difference does that make? If they’re quick, slow, or really tricky, how does that change the way you’re going to go against them? 

“So, for example, [England defender] Kyle Walker, against Moore, will try and get him into a running race every time, because he thinks he’ll win it. He might not go for the one where he’s going to try and grapple because Moore’s a bigger individual. That’s what Moore wants, that’s his ’super strength’. 

"So on the real basic level with the younger ones, it’s just having a level of self-reflection - ’What am I good at? What are they good at? How can I win this duel?’."

"It’s having a level of self-reflection - ’what am I good at?’, ’how can I win this duel?’..."

SCW: Do we need to redefine what winning the duel actually is? Is it necessarily stealing the ball, or is it forcing another action that means we’re still in a good situation?

MW: "100%. It’s relative, as well. If I’m playing against Lionel Messi, then me running him out of play is a win, because there’s a very good chance that he’s going to go past me.

"Equally, if I’m against a team’s best player who’s really direct and outstanding in 1v1s, and I’m able to delay enough to get cover round and we create a 2v1, then I’ve done my job, essentially.

"Or if I’m against Trent [Alexander-Arnold], who loves to deliver crosses, and I’m able to delay long enough that he ends up having to recycle the ball, that’s a win as well. It is redefining what the win looks like.

"From a contextualised point of view, the session design becomes important because you can place emphasis on these different areas.

"So if there’s a time limit for holding the player up, and they don’t get a shot off for six seconds, you’ve done your job. Equally, if it’s a transition piece, where winning it and attacking is really important, then I need to figure out, as a defender, how am I going to win it to create the transition, and what does that look like?

"So it’s just providing different ideologies and different ideas within those practices, which then allows you to provide different solutions to them, which they then might be able to use again.”