"Tracking back"

maldini

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How important do you think it is for offensive players to track back and try to re-gain possession or support in defensive duties?

Many Milanistas are calling for Ronaldinho to leave San Siro despite being brilliant up front because he "neglects" his defensive duties. Personally, I don't think it's Ronaldinho's fault that Galliani has neglected to bolstering the defensive side of our squad. If we had better full backs and a proper DM, we wouldn't need a player not known for his defensive qualities (and who's 30) to track back.

I don't remember Zidane of having to track back but he was rarely criticized because he had the likes of Viera/Davids/Makelele regaining possession and passing the ball to him.

One can also make the argument that such duties prevents players from scoring or creating scoring opportunities.

What do you say?
 
maldini said:
How important do you think it is for offensive players to track back and try to re-gain possession or support in defensive duties?

Many Milanistas are calling for Ronaldinho to leave San Siro despite being brilliant up front because he "neglects" his defensive duties. Personally, I don't think it's Ronaldinho's fault that Galliani has neglected to bolstering the defensive side of our squad. If we had better full backs and a proper DM, we wouldn't need a player not known for his defensive qualities (and who's 30) to track back.

I don't remember Zidane of having to track back but he was rarely criticized because he had the likes of Viera/Davids/Makelele regaining possession and passing the ball to him.

One can also make the argument that such duties prevents players from scoring or creating scoring opportunities.

What do you say?
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Brilliant upfront? Phleez. He was the best player in the world by some margin for 2-3 years, but he lost the hunger and other than a few flashes of brilliance he hasn't shown much
 
Think as the game evolves, you need everyone playing their part defensively. Very often these days you hear players and coaches that talk about defending from the front. For a Ronaldinho to lose the ball and then not put pressure on the player that gets the ball leaves a lot more space for players to exploit.

Ronaldinho doesn't need to do a lot of defensive work but, if he did some it would help him and the team. When you look at people like Ryan Giggs who will still chase back and end up in the left back spot at times, being 30 or so is no excuse for him.

Am sure Milan would benefit from better fullbacks and a DM but, that still doesn't mean if you had those, Dinho should be exempt for "tracking back" more.
 
Depends on your system. Especially in big games we play defensive system where our full backs will tuck in to cover what would be the old inside toward position, standing just inside the box, and it is our wingers that follow opposition wide runners all the way back to the touchline when the opposition are in possession. This is largely enabled by the fact that three of our four first team wingers (Park, Nani, Valencia) have tremendous stamina and work rate and are willing to get back and help.

For us it's key because of the way we defend.

It depends on the system you play, and if you look at players currently playing as an example. While Ronaldo in his last two seasons here was increasingly not expected to defend more and more we'd stick him up front centrally with Rooney on a flank beause he's suited to doing the gritt stuff
 
As Sharky said, it depends on the formation. As an example, 4-4-2 requires a lot more tracking back from the wingers than a 4-3-3 does, since the 4-3-3 allows the "wide central midfielders" to cover wide positions while still having two in the middle.

The 4-3-3 is also more counter-attack oriented than the 4-4-2, which is why one would want his wing forwards/wingers to stay up and be ready to pounce on the long ball.
 
maldini said:
How important do you think it is for offensive players to track back and try to re-gain possession or support in defensive duties?

Many Milanistas are calling for Ronaldinho to leave San Siro despite being brilliant up front because he "neglects" his defensive duties. Personally, I don't think it's Ronaldinho's fault that Galliani has neglected to bolstering the defensive side of our squad. If we had better full backs and a proper DM, we wouldn't need a player not known for his defensive qualities (and who's 30) to track back.

I don't remember Zidane of having to track back but he was rarely criticized because he had the likes of Viera/Davids/Makelele regaining possession and passing the ball to him.

One can also make the argument that such duties prevents players from scoring or creating scoring opportunities.

What do you say?
Click to expand...

It all depends on if managers require certain players to track back. Sometimes players who dont track back are under instructions not to do so. Ronaldo being a good example. I remember Fergie in an interview saying that he didnt want Ronaldo to track back at all, it wasnt his job, his job when we lost possession was to find the best space he could for when we won it back.
 
You could say United had the perfect 4-4-2 team a decade ago with Giggs and Beckham always putting in a decent shift in defence. No wonder the team won the treble.
 
Inter showed last year just how valuable to the team it can be when forwards place a defensive shift, eto and pandev worked their socks of and it paid off
 
Depends on the style of the team. Barca press forward rather than tracking back in order to win the ball back.
 
When you're a winger like Ronaldinho it is indispensable that you track back even if it is just to stand somewhere in front of your full-back, for the simple ground that space on the wing will always get harnessed by the opposition.

I do believe however that tracking back when you are a central player is showy and overrated, unless you do it in a certain way where you annilihate counter-attacks with swift fouls. Without this, Barcelona wouldn't be half as successful.
 
I can't imagine players other than the strikers not tracking back. As an offensive player you are obviously creating a free space as you move forward for the opposition to exploit. In the odd event of a counter attack, it might be your position that is compromised. Usually you have your team mate to look out at the back, but that still allows space that needs to be covered. This is just the basic premise. Each system allows certain players freedom but circumstances dictate the role of the players.
 
maldini said:
How important do you think it is for offensive players to track back and try to re-gain possession or support in defensive duties?
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Next to zero. They are far better used pressing much further up the pitch Barca style.

maldini said:
Many Milanistas are calling for Ronaldinho to leave San Siro despite being brilliant up front because he "neglects" his defensive duties. Personally, I don't think it's Ronaldinho's fault that Galliani has neglected to bolstering the defensive side of our squad. If we had better full backs and a proper DM, we wouldn't need a player not known for his defensive qualities (and who's 30) to track back.
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I agree.

maldini said:
I don't remember Zidane of having to track back but he was rarely criticized because he had the likes of Viera/Davids/Makelele regaining possession and passing the ball to him.
Click to expand...
Correct

maldini said:
One can also make the argument that such duties prevents players from scoring or creating scoring opportunities.
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Indeed

maldini said:
What do you say?
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For me an attacking player possesing any ability to track back iasa bonus. Not a prerequisite.
 
That'll depend on the formation and the circumstances, let's say we play against Fulham or relegation fodder, we wouldn't want half of our attacking player to track back and when we finally got the ball we lost the momentum and players up front.

Tracking back is overrated, if the teams are in favored positions, Ronaldinho being alone upfront will be enough to make the opposition stick their guy there, and even if they don't it's *** to ronaldinho if they indeed got the possession back.

Besides defending players ussually have the upper hand in terms of number unless they're really caught on a fast break.

Although it's seen as good ethics, you can't expect 30 yo players to track back and forth all the time, and even if they happily do so, i'd rather have 1 - 2 more flair player to just step up and press his surrounding area instead of doing the Rambo like dog chasing and keep his stamina when he really need that burst of pace.
 
If you're a player like Rooney or Messi you're job is to get into attacking positions. I'd rather substitute them tracking back if they get into positions to score goals or help score goals.

Garry Neville said it right about Ronaldo. He may not give his all when tracking back, but he gives you his all to win the game.
 
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