Is there a right way to defend a corner?

 Now if people don’t know about the different methods of defending of a corner I will have a quick run-through of them both. Firstly, you have the man to man marking method, which is typically seen more in the Premier League due to it being a lot easier and not as tactically demanding as the other type. It is usually done height for height, so the tallest defender will mark the tallest opposition player and so on and so on throughout the team until all attackers are accounted for. The defenders are tasked to match the attackers run inside the box until the ball is cleared, but does have its disadvantages, such as if the team you’re playing against is of much larger stature, you will struggle to match up against a team that are largely bigger.

The other method which is only used by a handful of teams in the Premier League is zonal marking, where instead of marking a player the defender will mark a small area inside the box or outside, Arsenal tend to do this and like most things. It does have its disadvantages, too, if it isn’t practiced thoroughly it is very flawed and is easy to play against because it takes a great deal of concentration and discipline because your instinct is to run to the ball, also, the defender will struggle because they’re normally static and the runner will have all the momentum.  Man marking doesn’t need practice during training in the week either; all it takes is a quick word from the gaffer on what man you’re picking up from set-pieces 10 minutes before kick-off.

If I was a manager, I would have a player at the front post, sort of between the edge of the six yard box and the edge of the penalty area and they mark the zone just in case it is a poor corner and it doesn’t clear the first man. I would then match the number of people wanting to attack the ball in the box and it would be man to man. I would have a player on the edge of the area to mark the zone just in case they have any late runners or the ball fumbles out. Lastly, I’d have a defender at the back post marking a zone just in case the corner is over hit.

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