Man Marking Quotes

There are a lot of teams that don't want to play, that only want to defend against Barcelona, and that makes it difficult. We're always looking for the open space. A lot of times we'll face six defenders and four midfielders.

If someone is going to spend a whole game marking you, then there may be games when I will have to sacrifice myself for the team and take them away and create space for a team-mate.

The only way to stop Messi is to double mark him. One player to stay on him and the other to help out.

Ideally, if you ask most tight ends, they would say we want the defender on us early. The reason for that is we feel like, for one, we know where we're going. Two, we can attack leverage, it declares itself if it's truly man coverage. We can work the release.

When there's pressure on the ball, you can go man-to-man on your striker; you've got the advantage because the ball pressure means it'll be a difficult pass to play.

Martin Skrtel is good at rattling the opposing centre-forward.

When I've watched teams that play with five at the back and wing-backs, I've looked at their starting positions and positions out of possession because that comes a little bit more unnaturally to me.

The best way to stop Messi is when you play with 11 men and then you can double mark him, one player to stay on him and the other to help out. If it is 11 against 10 then you have almost no chance of stopping him.

In the past, you would have been classed as a sweeper if you were put in the middle of a three-man defence.

Most teams - whether they like it or not against Manchester City - you're going to find yourself quite often penned in your own half.

I play with a lot of intensity, and I'm quite strong in man-marking.

When I first came to Arsenal, I didn't know how to defend.

I always threw the ball in, because then if I got the ball back, I was the only player unmarked.

Central defence is my favourite position.

I don't really like all these tactical systems people talk about: 3-5-2, 4-3-3, and all that.

As far as I see it you just can't give Messi space in the dangerous areas - we have to close him down, get tight and give him as little room as we can because if you don't, he can destroy you.

I would have played Tom Finney in his overcoat - there would have been four men marking him when we were kickin' in.

I've become accustomed to playing against four defenders throughout my career, but in Italy, I have to play against five.

I enjoy those physical battles and I've been on record saying Virgil van Dijk is the best defender in the world.

The last thing you want as a striker is the opposing team putting all 10 players behind the ball.

I coach defending an awful lot but I don't think too many teams in the Premier League or in the world of football actually coach defending anymore, certainly not the full-backs.

Man-marking Messi is almost impossible.

In football, there has always been this idea of having a left-footer and a right-footer in central defence.

Teams are already marking me individually: they are putting two players there on my side. Unfortunately, it's difficult, but I'm doing what I can. I'm facing them. I'm making assists. I'm trying to score my goals.

Sometimes you'll go up against keepers like Casillas - the 'penalty killer,' as many of us call him. Other times, there's that one defender that, for 90 minutes, just destroys you. There is one in particular who will always stand out in my mind. Nemanja Vidic.