Defensive Organization Quotes

When we have a defensive situation in which we are conceding too many goals, it is not just a problem in the defense but the entire team, starting with the coach.

Casemiro has to cover the gaps left by everyone. That's balance for me; to make sure the game doesn't go mad.

We believe defending is very much a team job, and we can't just rely on a back four and a goalkeeper.

We will go back to playing like Manchester United.

Rafa Benitez was keen on defending - all dropping back together if you lose the ball.

A compact defense has always been the basis of Italy's team.

United's history was built on attacking football, which does not always mean that the team kept clean sheets or did not concede chances.

I've played under different managers, different styles, and most of my career, I was asked to play long.

In Italy, it is all about tactics and playing for a result, whereas in Spain, the focus is on technique and pace. In England, the game is based on aggression and non-stop action.

We got anxious at the end of the weekend in our urgency to try to score the winning goal. Ended up playing far too many long balls forward. That style of play doesn't suit Manchester United. We must continue to play football and enjoy the game. If we do that, eventually things will come right for us.

Everyone thinks I'm looking for attacking football all the time. But the foundation is how you defend - keep a clean sheet, and you have a decent chance to win a game of football.

I think it's important that you're vocal during the match, especially at centre-half. You're basically the eyes and ears of the team, and if you don't open your mouth, it's not going to help the team out.

If there isn't a sequence of 15 previous passes, a good transition between attack and defence is impossible. Impossible.

We haven't had a strategic free kick all night. No one's knocked over attackers ad lib.

I'm a coach who likes to have the ball, but what I really think is, 'How can you be in charge of the game?' I think, but maybe I am the only one, that the defensive process can take care of the game. Why is that? Because teams wait to defend. If you create something where you go to defend, to steal the ball where you want, it's different.

For me, it is very important to control a situation in defence. You can always score goals, but you have to add stability in the defence.

As a defender, we take pride in getting clean sheets.

In Italy it is far more difficult than in Spain, where teams are not that attentive in defence.