Defending

STEP 1

STEP 2

STEP 3

1. 
   
   A lot has been said in the media about Patrick Helmes' second half equaliser for Germany against England with the blame being laid at the door of both John Terry and Scott Carson.
   
   I would have expected a defender of Terry’s experience to take no chances with the speculative long ball from Germany’s Piotr Trochowski that looped over the England defence.
   
   Trochowski’s pass was played from inside Germany’s half and I feel Carsons’s starting position lead to the mix-up with Terry and ultimately the German equaliser.
   
   The England goalkeeper was on the edge of his 6-yard box as Trochowski’s boot made contact with the ball.
   
   This left him with too much ground to make up to deal with the German pass and caused the hesitation in his movement from the penalty area.
   
   This also caused the confusion with Terry, who would have been expecting Carson to come out and clear the ball.
   
   Thankfully Terry scored to make it 2-1 to England, which proved to be the winning goal but here’s how England could have kept a clean sheet.
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2. 
   
   Goalkeepers these days are often referred to as keeper/sweepers due to the backpass rule and the need for the protection of the area between the defence and the goalkeeper (10-15 yards outside of the penalty area).
   
   Taking into account the position of the ball when Piotr Trochowski plays forward (10 yards inside the German half), I would have expected Scott Carson to be somewhere around the penalty spot.
   
   This starting position would allow the England keeper to move backwards and protect the goal if a long shot was played, but would also allow for a quick movement forward to clear any balls played in behind the defence.
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3. 
   
   Had Scott Carson been level with the penalty spot when the German pass was played forward, I believe the extra five to six yard advance on his starting position would have allowed the England keeper to move forwards and make a routine clearance outside of the penalty box into a safe area.

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