Skip to main content

Blocking Behind the Wall to Defend Free Kick, the Origin and Beyond

Image
By

 


The blocking behind the wall to defend free kick, surprisingly did not begin at the top flight competition.

Blocking the free kick behind the wall, either by lying down or simply kneeling, has been common to see in modern football matches. Almost all teams are using this unusual defensive trick to block the low-driven shot in free kicks, particularly those aimed through the wall while the defenders jump, creating a space to shoot and stun the opponents.

The Origin

Such might be rather unorthodox but it has proven to be effective. It is believed that the origin can be traced down to the land of magical Jogo Bonito football, Brasil, despite the fact that it has become viral and well known worldwide due to Inter Milan’s Marcelo Brozovic’s stunning action in 2018.

It is not surprising that such a trend began in Brazil, as the low-drive free kick was also invented by one of Brazil's modern football maestros, Ronaldinho. In the group stage of the UEFA Champions League 2006/07, the former Barcelona winger fooled Werder Bremen's defensive wall with such a free kick and beautifully found the back of the net. Brasilian talisman's attempt to repeat such ploy in 2011 Brasilian Championship against Santos also succeeded.

That particular free-kick goal has become memorable, and it has naturally left extra homework for the defensive lines on how to avoid getting conceded in a similar way. Several other players attempted to replicate the former Barcelona star, such as Parana’s Lucio Flavio and Palmeiras man Jorge Valdivia. It was against the latter executor that scheme began.

Back in 2013, Ricardinho, a midfielder from a lesser known team in Brasilian second tier, Figueirense, had thought it through before the game against Palmeiras, where Jorge Valdivia was their main free kick taker. At that time, the Brasilian giant was just relegated from Brasilian Serie A in the previous season. He eventually came up with the idea of lying down behind the wall, which appeared to stun his teammates as he did not communicate his idea in advance. Despite his pointless but risky effort, as the Chilean international chose a normal free kick over a low drive one, his manager, Adilson Batista, praised him.

Its Evolution

That manoeuvre was later developed and began to be used in international matches by Real Madrid defender Marcelo, who modified it by kneeling behind the wall rather than lying down against Argentina in November 2016 during the 2018 World Cup qualifiers. Not long after Marcelo's action, another Brazilian star, Phillipe Coutinho, did the same against Tottenham while still playing for Liverpool. Prior to being adopted by Brozovic, Juan Mata tried this technique in the 2017 Europa League final against Ajax, though not fully lying down.

Since Marcelo Brozovic made it popular in the 2017/18 season, the low-driven free kicks seem to be no longer an option for the free kick takers today. Such does not prevent them from scoring through this dead-ball position. The executors would opt for different scenarios from kicking the ball through the gap between the walls and high curling shots aimed at the corner of the opponent's goal. Argentine star and skipper, Lionel Messi had attempted it against Athletic Bilbao in the 2020/21 season and succeeded.

Perhaps Diego Maradona's sharp curling free kick against Juventus in the 1984/85 season or David Beckham's long curling one as a dramatic equaliser against Greece in the 2002 World Cup qualifying round would be a great reference because it was a beautiful but lethal shot with a slight element of surprise. Such kind of free kick would be still be challenging to block, either by heading or more conventional yet aggressive way.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Renowned Goalkeepers who won Gold Medals at the Olympics

By
  Top goalkeepers who have won Olympic gold medals are extremely rare throughout the tournament's history. Football appears to be destined as the Olympics' secondary global tournament. Despite its distinguished status, it is not on the FIFA international calendar. As a result, those involved in the competition, from players to managers, are either past their prime or have yet to become well-known. Due to the Olympics' schedule, top players, particularly those between the sticks, are unlikely to compete. The goalkeepers named to the squad are mostly understudies or veterans from the senior teams. It's no surprise that only a few of them eventually received gold medals. The last renowned shot stoppers to win medals at the Olympics were Mexico’s Guillermo Ochoa and Spain’s Unai Simon. The former earned a bronze medal in the Tokyo 2020 summer Olympics after beating the host, Japan, in third place , while the latter only received a silver medal as he was unable to help Sp...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Notable Short Goalkeepers at the Top Level in History

By
  A few short goalkeepers did manage to make their mark at the top level, but not anymore today. A goalkeeper has been a crucial position in football, and height has become a more and more important requirement to be a shot stopper, especially at the top level. In addition, goalkeepers have been pushed to have ball control and reading the game ability as they tend to be integrated in attacking build-up in the modern game. Regarding the height, it is almost impossible to find a man between the sticks who is below 175 cm tall. The shortest goalkeeper in the European top five is still 180 cm tall. He is the current Real Valladolid man, Jordi Masip. Nevertheless, there have been such notable short goalies at the top level in football history. Two of them even got a nod to feature in two FIFA World Cup finals. Here are those distinguished shot stoppers without the height advantage but still managed to be the first choice in his club and earn international caps. Juan Botasso (Argen...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Most Entertaining Finals in Football at the Olympics

By
 A few finals in football at the Olympics have been regarded as the most entertaining ones as they produced goals galore. Goals are undoubtedly the source of excitement in football. No wonder that goal galore is always preferable to stalemate. The 2022 FIFA World Cup final is one recent example. Both sides traded goals, resulting in a high-scoring draw of 3-3. It is the first in World Cup history as well as considered the most entertaining one. In football at the Olympics, the goal galore has not taken place for a while. In fact, in the past 20 years, only a few goals have been scored. In Paris 2024, the fans would surely expect the clash between France and Spain to end more like the 2022 World Cup final than the 2024 EURO final, although that does not necessarily mean the latter match is less interesting than the former. Nevertheless, the goals always prevail in the eyes of the fans. Here are the four most entertaining finals in football at the Olympics that produced four go...
Post a Comment
Read more