Tackling means bad positioning myth

roonster09

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Will this myth ever die.

I know people always post Maldini quotes ignoring he was one the best ever at sliding tackles. This tackling = bad positioning is at least arguable for a CB but how can anyone use that for a full back? I have seen people coming up with "Yeah he makes tackles as he is out of position", which is just nonsense. Fullbacks more often than not are up against tricky wingers one v one, how can FB win the ball without tackling him?

If we take Maldini quotes literally then he was a shit defender who made so many mistakes playing as a fullback.
 

adexkola

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Thank you for this thread.

It's always been a nonsense saying. Position all you want, sometimes the only way you're getting the ball is a well timed tackle.

Now the best defenders know how to use pace/position to resolve a situation instead of resorting to a last gasp tackle that should have been avoided in the first place... But that doesn't mean all tackles fall under this category
 

jamesjimmybyrondean

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Awb tackling as a result of being out of position is a weird statement given the fact he is a full back that is usually higher up the pitch
 

roonster09

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Thank you for this thread.

It's always been a nonsense saying. Position all you want, sometimes the only way you're getting the ball is a well timed tackle.

Now the best defenders know how to use pace/position to resolve a situation instead of resorting to a last gasp tackle that should have been avoided in the first place... But that doesn't mean all tackles fall under this category
It's like people hear something somewhere, blindly follow like a sheep.
 

adexkola

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Awb tackling as a result of being out of position is a weird statement given the fact he is a full back that is usually higher up the pitch
Exactly. You want him to be up the pitch. Plus he's excellent at tackling. We could move him all the way back so he wouldn't have to tackle to get the ball back, but we lose our width on the right. Decisions...
 

Berbasbullet

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Awb tackling as a result of being out of position is a weird statement given the fact he is a full back that is usually higher up the pitch
I know, you either get a defensive full back with good positioning , or a full back to overlap an attack. Pick one.
 

WeePat

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There are no good defenders in the history of the sport, obviously.
 

TheNewEra

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I think sliding is bad if you miss the tackle and you are out of the game at that point.

E.g. if you slide in the box and a defender fakes a shot, and just dribbles past you, at that point it's bad defending, but sliding to win the ball is not bad defending.
 

crossy1686

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It's like people hear something somewhere, blindly follow like a sheep.
They hear someone say something like this on YouTube and think it's a hot take. Fecking nonsense, tackling is part of the game and nothing to do with bad positioning. It's like saying a half volley is shit technique, if your technique was better you'd be able to volley it instead.
 

SadlerMUFC

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It's true, yet it also isn't. Depends on the situation. Take AWB for example. He forces players to go wide and just as they think they are going to get past him, he puts in the slide tackle. That isn't him out of position. It's him getting the attacker into his preferred position to make a tackle. Mind you, when that expression comes into play it often refers to last ditch tackles. Bailley for example will make a lot of these types of tackles, and they are great for the highlight reel, but often he is out of position in the first place and that's why he has to do it...
 

Gio

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Fullbacks more often than not are up against tricky wingers one v one, how can FB win the ball without tackling him?
Depends how you define tackle. A full-back can win the ball without going to ground. Nobody is accused of having bad positioning for winning the ball when staying on their feet.

Two things can be true at the same time. First that players who typically spend a lot of time on their arse can often be guilty of failing to anticipate the play. And second that, in certain scenarios, attempting to win the ball in a sliding tackle can be the right decision to take.
 

Harry190

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Where's the Maldini quote thing from? I've never seen it. I know people on here make that stupid assumption about tackling and I've seen many bring it up against John Terry which boggles the mind truly.

Half of it I suspect is from people who haven't played the game or played in that position. Defending, is about not letting the ball inside the net, well, for a good century and a half it really was about that. Doesn't matter how you do it.
 

luke511

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I had a 2 page argument with a user on here over this exact point. He was saying that a 16/17 year old Camavinga picking up the most successful tackles per game for a midfielder in Europe doesn't mean he excels at tackling, and it was more to do with him being positonally bad. So dumb.
 

André Dominguez

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Maldini didn't use tackle as a main resource though, and it is actually quite a useful tool when the opponent tries to outpace you putting the ball into space. Using a well timed tackle you will be the first to reach the ball because physics are on your side.
 

SilentStrike

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Who has the best tackle in football, in your opinion?
Lahm had the cleanest and most accurate tackles I've ever seen.

That's also an answer to this thread. His positioning was near perfect, yet he needed to tackle now and then. Because that's what defenders need to do. It's part of the job.
 

Roane

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I always saw tackling cleanly as a strength. Not sure when it became a negative as in "bad positioning".

AWB gets the player to play his game, as in go outside and try and get past. No one think that it's confidence?
 

UNITED ACADEMY

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You can still be in good position and still making tackle, you can always adjust your position with attacker depends on the situation (let's say 2v1) or if the opposition has certain strength that can exploit your weakness and still making tackle. I always believe poor positioning means is just you are being all over the place and clueless on the pitch, purely relying on pace.
 

Demyanenko_square_jaw

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The first time i remember reading the " slide tackling is a result of bad positioning" opinion from a player was a Xabi Alonso interview during Spain's dominant years.
 

Rado_N

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I’ve only known this point be made for centre backs and I definitely think it has merit. Phil Jones being a prime example, and Rio being on the other end of the spectrum.
 

André Dominguez

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Lahm had the cleanest and most accurate tackles I've ever seen.

That's also an answer to this thread. His positioning was near perfect, yet he needed to tackle now and then. Because that's what defenders need to do. It's part of the job.
Carlos Gamarra was very impressive in this. He could spend an entire game without committing a foul.
 

Crustanoid

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Sometimes positioning is a tool to help make a successful tackle
Another one is if your opponents are getting a sniff of success, is to tactically foul on the pitch, causing them to withdraw, thus waste time allowing you to clean up.
 

GhastlyHun

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Bad positioning would be being so far off the spot that you can't even get the ball by any means. Then it goes gradually by the severity of the action you have to pull to get the ball, from worst to best - red card offense, yellow card offense, uncarded foul, no foul. Obviously the ability of the player factors into this, with unneeded fouls despite a 'good' position.