Football Details - "Shortening and Vision" by Paulo Turra (Patreon)

i) Shortening in Crossing:

- If shortening in crossing were done with more attention, focus, and intensity, it is very likely that many goals resulting from crosses with the ball in motion would not occur so frequently.

- How often does the opponent in the right or left corridor with the ball prepare to make the cross, and the nearest defender arrives about 2 or 3 meters away and simply jumps or turns his back to the ball, thus often not observing the movement of the crossing player?

- How often does the defender, upon seeing the opponent preparing for the cross, move in "slow motion" to "shadow" the opponent, raising one leg to, perhaps with a stroke of luck, intercept the ball? The probability of this interception is minimal; as a consequence, what usually happens is that the ball is placed in the area and cleared by the defenders, posing a danger of a goal or an opponent's goal.

- It is worth reflecting: if shortening were done effectively and with intensity, how many goals could be prevented?

ii) Defenders' Vision:

- Another detail that is not pointed out as a cause of goals.

- Hardly does the defender inside the area at the moment of the cross observe the movement of the opponent who is nearby, but only the player who will make the cross and the ball. It is necessary to train situations in which the defender learns and automates movements in which he simultaneously follows the cross and the nearby opponent.

- It is not 100% effective, but surely many goals will be prevented...

Reference:

- O futebol que não se vê (Paulo Turra e Leonardo Monteiro): https://amzn.to/46cq8xW