Terry: Zero tackling technique

Feed Me

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I have flagged this up before and his tackle on Osman yesterday illustrates my point. I don't believe there was any malice in the challenge on Osman, but Terry went flying into a challenge when there was no need. The ball was deep in the Everton half and there was absolutely no danger to Chelsea there.

Terry tends to go flying into these sorts of challenges all the time. He kind of propels himself into the air and goes in with both arms outstretched either side of him, forming a type of starfish shape. It is awful technique. I am a firm believer that slide tackles are largely the preserve of a lumbering defender who is in danger of being outpaced. At the most, you should commit to such a tackle, if necessary to prevent a goal. But the best defenders (Ferdinand at the moment, Maldini in the past etc etc) rarely go to ground.

It wouldn't be so much of a problem if Terry slid and jumped all over the place, if he was doing it properly, but his technique is inherently flawed and that makes him a danger.

John Terry. He cannot tackle.
 
Feed Me said:
I have flagged this up before and his tackle on Osman yesterday illustrates my point. I don't believe there was any malice in the challenge on Osman, but Terry went flying into a challenge when there was no need. The ball was deep in the Everton half and there was absolutely no danger to Chelsea there.

Terry tends to go flying into these sorts of challenges all the time. He kind of propels himself into the air and goes in with both arms outstretched either side of him, forming a type of starfish shape. It is awful technique. I am a firm believer that slide tackles are largely the preserve of a lumbering defender who is in danger of being outpaced. At the most, you should commit to such a tackle, if necessary to prevent a goal. But the best defenders (Ferdinand at the moment, Maldini in the past etc etc) rarely go to ground.

It wouldn't be so much of a problem if Terry slid and jumped all over the place, if he was doing it properly, but his technique is inherently flawed and that makes him a danger.

John Terry. He cannot tackle.
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I totally agree with the highlighted section. I actually think Terry's tackling technique isn't too bad - his problem is that a lack of pace and his inability to read the game means he leaves himself having to make sliding tackles far too often. Not only that, but he does it (as you said) when there's no need. Many of these tackles come off well, but they're a very high risk and results in mistakes, goals and red cards. He simply is not a very good defender, and is carried by Carvalho at club level, and Ferdinand at international.
 
The slide tackle is also used by great defenders who are having to cover their partner's arse because he's making feck ups the better CB can't rectify in time without sliding.

It used to be an art. It's not that anymore.
 
Feed Me said:
I have flagged this up before and his tackle on Osman yesterday illustrates my point. I don't believe there was any malice in the challenge on Osman, but Terry went flying into a challenge when there was no need. The ball was deep in the Everton half and there was absolutely no danger to Chelsea there.

Terry tends to go flying into these sorts of challenges all the time. He kind of propels himself into the air and goes in with both arms outstretched either side of him, forming a type of starfish shape. It is awful technique. I am a firm believer that slide tackles are largely the preserve of a lumbering defender who is in danger of being outpaced. At the most, you should commit to such a tackle, if necessary to prevent a goal. But the best defenders (Ferdinand at the moment, Maldini in the past etc etc) rarely go to ground.

It wouldn't be so much of a problem if Terry slid and jumped all over the place, if he was doing it properly, but his technique is inherently flawed and that makes him a danger.

John Terry. He cannot tackle.
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That's mostly bullshit, to be fair.
 
HsJ said:
Why not?

I think some people are better at sliding than others.

Therefore some have perfected the art. Others haven't.
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I kind of agree with Fortitude. There are very few quality exponents of a clean and incisive slide tackle these days. I can't think of too many...
 
Sol Campbell and Nesta are still the best at it, I think.

Can't think of any younger CB's who can match them for those kind of blocks/tackles.
 
Spammy said:
That's mostly bullshit, to be fair.
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Not surprising that a Liverpool fan would be an advocate of the sliding challenge, when their best defender is Carragher.

So often, you see a defender dive into a slide tackle when it is unnecessary to do so. The best defenders as a rule stay on their feet. It is not a coincidence that the likes of Carvalho and Ferdinand so often stay on their feet and yet so rarely get beaten. If you commit to a slide tackle and miss, there is no getting back.

It is the preserve of a defender who has made a mistake positionally and then has to act to make a last ditch challenge. Going to ground in the tackle is, 95% of the time, unneeded.
 
Feed Me said:
Not surprising that a Liverpool fan would be an advocate of the sliding challenge, when their best defender is Carragher.

So often, you see a defender dive into a slide tackle when it is unnecessary to do so. The best defenders as a rule stay on their feet. It is not a coincidence that the likes of Carvalho and Ferdinand so often stay on their feet and yet so rarely get beaten. If you commit to a slide tackle and miss, there is no getting back.

It is the preserve of a defender who has made a mistake positionally and then has to act to make a last ditch challenge. Going to ground in the tackle is, 95% of the time, unneeded.
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Thats spot on. Unless it is last ditch or a covering tackle you should always stay on your feet and be close enough to the player to be able to push them wide or tackle them standing.
 
Micah Richards is a bit the same. Sure he has pace but he is always diving in to make the heroic last ditch tackle. Usually against us the cnut.
 
Feed Me said:
Maldini barely fecking tackled throughout his career, such is his ability to read the game.
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My memory of Maldini playing outragously at left back was full of tackling. He would slide on the ground and take the ball away but also keep it at the same time then begin another rampaging attack down the left.

I bloody love Maldini.
 
SecondFig said:
I totally agree with the highlighted section. I actually think Terry's tackling technique isn't too bad - his problem is that a lack of pace and his inability to read the game means he leaves himself having to make sliding tackles far too often. Not only that, but he does it (as you said) when there's no need. Many of these tackles come off well, but they're a very high risk and results in mistakes, goals and red cards. He simply is not a very good defender, and is carried by Carvalho at club level, and Ferdinand at international.
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That's not true though, that's nearly as stupid as the opposition fans saying that Vidic has carried Rio at club level and Terry's done the same at international level.

Which is something they do say.
 
Brwned said:
That's not true though, that's nearly as stupid as the opposition fans saying that Vidic has carried Rio at club level and Terry's done the same at international level.

Which is something they do say.
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Terry isn't on Carvalho's level, though.

Only in 2005 was he on par, apart from that, Carvalho has been by far their best CB. Not carrying Terry, per se, but certainly making his job a piece of piss when backed up by pre-injury Cech and the best DM in the world in front of them.
 
Brwned said:
That's not true though, that's nearly as stupid as the opposition fans saying that Vidic has carried Rio at club level and Terry's done the same at international level.

Which is something they do say.
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Fair enough carrying might have been a bit strong - but there's no doubt that both Carvalho and Rio make Terry look better than he is. There's a place for defenders like Terry, but they have to be paired with someone who can read the game, organise the defence and stop attacks before they need a last ditch sliding tackle. Vidic plays a role similar to Terry for us, in that he is the bigger, braver, stronger, more aggressive of our centre backs. But I'd argue Vidic is a better defender than Terry.

Basically, it boils down to the fact that I really do not rate Terry, and it has nothing to do with my hatred of him as a player. I can't stand Gerrard, but I can accept he's a very good player. Terry simply isn't that good, and can actually be a liability a lot of the time for both Chelsea and England
 
Hes a class defender. Although I hate to say it, hes one of the best around.

Yes I rate Carvalho higher, but Terry is a great defender. And hes a very good tackler.

Hes a cnut, but that doesnt stop him being a very good centre half.
 
I think when you throw yourself in tackling like JT often does ,it's a sign of weakness from a defender. The best defenders use tackling as the very last solution to stop an opponent ,with JT it seems to be wreckless , good to see him got a red card.
 
SecondFig said:
Fair enough carrying might have been a bit strong - but there's no doubt that both Carvalho and Rio make Terry look better than he is. There's a place for defenders like Terry, but they have to be paired with someone who can read the game, organise the defence and stop attacks before they need a last ditch sliding tackle. Vidic plays a role similar to Terry for us, in that he is the bigger, braver, stronger, more aggressive of our centre backs. But I'd argue Vidic is a better defender than Terry.

Basically, it boils down to the fact that I really do not rate Terry, and it has nothing to do with my hatred of him as a player. I can't stand Gerrard, but I can accept he's a very good player. Terry simply isn't that good, and can actually be a liability a lot of the time for both Chelsea and England
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I agree with all of this.

I do think he deserves credit for organising the back four, which is something he does very well. But I'm still glad he doesn't play for United.

For many, many reasons.
 
It's laughable how much stick one of the world's best defenders gets on these forums, from reading some of the posts on this thread you would think he is some incompetent oaf in a team who concedes goals every week.
 
kietotheworld said:
It's laughable how much stick one of the world's best defenders gets on these forums, from reading some of the posts on this thread you would think he is some incompetent oaf in a team who concedes goals every week.
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It's not laughable in the slightest when you take into account how much smoke is blown up his arse by the English media.

Stands to reason that any defender who is widely credited with being far better than he actually is, is gonna get slagged off by fans of a rival club, even a very good one.
 
kietotheworld said:
It's laughable how much stick one of the world's best defenders gets on these forums, from reading some of the posts on this thread you would think he is some incompetent oaf in a team who concedes goals every week.
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Was going to post something similar. Some of these posts make him sound like a sunday league player.

He isn't perfect, and he is exploitable. Better at club level than Int'l I believe. Certainly a top quality centre-back though.
 
Pogue Mahone said:
It's not laughable in the slightest when you take into account how much smoke is blown up his arse by the English media.

Stands to reason that any defender who is widely credited with being far better than he actually is, is gonna get slagged off by fans of a rival club, even a very good one.
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Are you suggesting that Mourinho, Scolari, Eriksson & Capello are all making a mistake in selecting him for their sides then?

I only ask this as you consistently refer to Ferguson's knowing best when talking about Berbatov.
 
Feed Me said:
I kind of agree with Fortitude. There are very few quality exponents of a clean and incisive slide tackle these days. I can't think of too many...
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The game has changed, years ago the game was slower and most of the players were a bit slower and it was easier to time the tackles. Also there are far more camera angles now and tackles that would have looked great 20 years ago could have been made to look bad if seen from 4 or 5 angles in slow motion.


I don't think Terry is that bad a defender. Capello wouldn't have made him England Captain if he had poor technique and had to cover for his own mistakes all the time. Having said that, I don't think he's quite the player he was a couple of seasons back. Last night he made a naive decision. When you lunge at a 50/50 bouncing ball with a player running towards you, you always risk being sent off in my opinion and a player of Terry's experience should know that!
 
Pogue Mahone said:
It's not laughable in the slightest when you take into account how much smoke is blown up his arse by the English media.
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It is not just the English media though. The footballers of the world continually rate him as among the world's best 4 defenders, the 16 managers of clubs in the CL knockouts last season voted him Europe's best defender.

Stands to reason that any defender who is widely credited with being far better than he actually is, is gonna get slagged off by fans of a rival club, even a very good one.
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"He cannot tackle" about a defender continually rated as the best in the world in his position by neutrals is indeed a laughable comment.
 
kietotheworld said:
It is not just the English media though. The footballers of the world continually rate him as among the world's best 4 defenders, the 16 managers of clubs in the CL knockouts last season voted him Europe's best defender.



"He cannot tackle" about a defender continually rated as the best in the world in his position by neutrals is indeed a laughable comment.
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Who are these "neutrals" you speak of?

I may be slightly biased but surely to feck you don't seriously think John Terry is the best defender in the world? He's not even the best defender at Chelsea!
 
Bilbo said:
Are you suggesting that Mourinho, Scolari, Eriksson & Capello are all making a mistake in selecting him for their sides then?

I only ask this as you consistently refer to Ferguson's knowing best when talking about Berbatov.
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I would pick him over crocks King and Woodgate (both better when fit) and average players like Upson - that doesn't mean he isn't ridiculously overrated on the back of two good seasons with Makelele in front of him, Gallas/Carvalho beside him and Cech behind him.
 
peterstorey said:
I would pick him over crocks King and Woodgate (both better when fit) and average players like Upson - that doesn't mean he isn't ridiculously overrated on the back of two good seasons with Makelele in front of him, Gallas/Carvalho beside him and Cech behind him.
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I think he is held on a pedestal somewhat by our media, but overrated as a player? I don't think so.

Has to be said though, he is a world-class bellend.
 
Pogue Mahone said:
Who are these "neutrals" you speak of?
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The aforementioned 16 Managers and the vast majority of players in FIFPro who do not play for Chelsea

I may be slightly biased but surely to feck you don't seriously think John Terry is the best defender in the world? He's not even the best defender at Chelsea!
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I don't think he's the best, but I don't think there are many better either.
 
peterstorey said:
I would pick him over crocks King and Woodgate (both better when fit) and average players like Upson - that doesn't mean he isn't ridiculously overrated on the back of two good seasons with Makelele in front of him, Gallas/Carvalho beside him and Cech behind him.
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Exactly.
I'm not saying he's completely shite and should be playing for Leeds. But ever since his string of injuries he's lost any pace he had, and isn't even close to being as good as he once was. For England I think Rio, King and Woodgate are all better central defenders. Unfortunately King and Woodgate can't even manage two games in a row, let along enough to stake a place in the England XI.

I am saying that he's massively over-rated, and has been made to look a lot better than he is by some first class team mates, a couple of brave headers and a sycophantic national press.
 
SecondFig said:
Fair enough carrying might have been a bit strong - but there's no doubt that both Carvalho and Rio make Terry look better than he is. There's a place for defenders like Terry, but they have to be paired with someone who can read the game, organise the defence and stop attacks before they need a last ditch sliding tackle. Vidic plays a role similar to Terry for us, in that he is the bigger, braver, stronger, more aggressive of our centre backs. But I'd argue Vidic is a better defender than Terry.

Basically, it boils down to the fact that I really do not rate Terry, and it has nothing to do with my hatred of him as a player. I can't stand Gerrard, but I can accept he's a very good player. Terry simply isn't that good, and can actually be a liability a lot of the time for both Chelsea and England
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Great post
 
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