Defensive Line - Masterclass by Jorge Sampaoli (Sevilla FC 2023) (Patreon)

For Jorge Sampaoli, in Defensive Organization "there are no rivals", only the BALL.

Main objective of the General/Postural Behavior of the Defensive Line: The Defensive Line should not be overcome (as it is a "Line", when one Defense is overcome, they all are).

- We must make the other team's attackers adapt to the behaviors of our Defensive Line and not the other way around (our Defensive Line should not adapt to the behaviors of the other team's attackers).

- Whenever the opponents pass the ball backwards, the Defensive Line must shorten the field of play (move up the field) in order to "eliminate" opposing attackers (put them offside).

- The Defensive Line must protect themselves at a distance that allows them to "read" where the ball can cause damage, and that has a lot to do with the comfortable posture to run backwards (because it's behind the Defensive Line where we can have more problems).

- Decision-making should only happen when the ball is directed towards one of the opponents, not before...

- Collective Zonal Decision, when the ball goes to an opponent, one player of the Defensive Line presses and automatically generates the protection of the Defensive Line, which is shortened in the number of members.

- Position, protection, and decision-making are very important because if the Defensive Line doesn't act at the right time, it gives an advantage to the opponents.

- When the opposing ball carrier has a "free ball", the Defensive Line must worry about defensive depth to prevent a long ball from generating discomfort for a midfielder who appears launched from behind. They should be "lined up" to run backwards.

- I don't like defenders chasing because, for me, it favors attackers.

COVERING TRANSVERSELY (Intervention Zones):

- The Defensive Line must protect in a very close way the "channel" that they will attack or that they can directly attack with the ball, so that they don't make you run at a disadvantage, because the Defensive Line protects the nearby "channels" so that the attackers don't take advantage of the appearance of the defenders.

- The Fullbacks have to know that they are the "fifth" and they have to be in a position to "jump" as the "fifth" to the ball, with the arrival time. The "fifths" are the ones who press the ball with time. They stop where they want, but when the opponents play with the outside ones: "Jump the fifth"!

- When the "fifth" jumps in the pressure, we have to know that they have to "jump" so that the opponent doesn't have the capacity, and the nearest Center-Back has to be very close to the "jump" to give protection to the "fifth".

CONCEPTUAL DISTRACTIONS (Rivals Provoking Doubts):

- "To play with the ball, we have to look at the rivals", "to defend, we have to look at the ball".

- The number of players that make up the Defensive Line (4 or 5, for example) is not important, what matters is the conduct of the Defensive Line.

- We also have to ensure that the Midfield Line (for example with 4 players) joins inside to close the interior passing lines and there, when the opponents play outside, the Defensive Line has the information that they can let them play outside. That's where the Fullback has to come closer, when the ball comes, to "jump to the opponent in the corridor".

SHORTENING TIMES (Control of Deep Play):

- The Defensive Line must constantly form, meaning that the predisposition to form the Defensive Line must be immediate because it gives you the comfort of knowing that it's just the ball and the defensive line, but it also obliges you to "constantly build it."

- The players, usually the ones farthest away, must run with the Defensive Line; they don't have to think that they are not participating anymore: "They always have to go with the ball and the defensive line"!

- "The ball takes us all"!

- With the shortenings (for example, when the opponents play the ball back), the defensive line must eliminate rivals. The defenders should not worry about marking but about knowing that with their actions, they must eliminate the rival.

CONCLUSIONS:

• The Defensive Line must only focus on the ball and position themselves in a way that they won't be caught off guard by any ball. 
• The Defensive Line knows that their top priority is to protect the goal. 
• When we advance with the Defensive Line on the field, we must shorten the distance (for example, 8m or 25m, but that's not the most important thing). What's most important is that the defenders must be prepared to run like the opposing attackers. 
• When the ball goes to a sideline, we must go out with the Side Defender (4th or 5th) and protect the nearby channels with the other players. The "1st channel" (the ball channel) must be tightly closed, the "2nd channel" (the channel closest to the 1st) can be controlled a bit more, and the "3rd defender" knows that the ball won't come in from the bottom or center ("the ball that hurts the most"), but it can come in from the top, so they'll have more time to read the play and move a little farther away, and the 4th defender can move a little farther away so that if there's a change of play on the other side, they can "jump" and the Defensive Line has time to reorganize and provide coverage. These movements must be very precise. 
• The 1st challenge for the Midfield Line is to give security to the Defensive Line, ensuring that no balls pass through the middle. They must make sure that opponents play on the outside and don't allow passes through the middle, as that would cause the Defensive Line to break down. 
• This will allow us to focus on the ball rather than our rivals, which is the most important thing!