Match moments / Set pieces
Defend a throw-in
Defending a throw-in is three jobs at once: mark goal side, cover the space inside, and win it against the touchline.
In the match
- Decision 1Midfielder
- Decision 2Centre-back
- Decision 3Full-back
You are 8, marking their nearest player.
Your player is moving to get free for the throw. How do you mark them?
Play the build-up, then choose.
Best choice
Between them and our goal, you can step in front if they come short and follow if they spin. The short throw is gone.
It can work
You can see everything, but the gap lets them receive the short throw and turn.
Costly
Ball-watching. Your player slips away behind you, and a throw-in becomes a run at our box.
In the match, play carries on from the best choice.
You are 5, our right centre-back.
The long throw goes down the line. 2 is getting tight. Where do you go?
Play what happened next, then choose.
Best choice
If the winger beats 2 inside, you are there. Now 2 can show them down the line without fear.
It can work
Two on one by the line, but the middle is empty behind you.
Costly
Without cover, 2 has to guess. The winger cuts inside and nobody is there.
In the match, play carries on from the best choice.
You are 2, our right-back.
You are tight to the winger by the touchline, with 5 covering. How do you win it?
Play what happened next, then choose.
Best choice
The touchline is your extra defender. Show them down it and wait: the mistake comes.
It can work
Hard to beat, but you have given them time to look up and cross.
Costly
If you miss, 5 has to leave the middle to stop them, and the box is open.
How you know it is happening
- A throw-in to them in our half.
- Their players start moving to get free.
- The touchline is next to the receiver.
Why it works
A throw-in is the one restart where the receiver almost always has their back to goal and the touchline next to them. Tight goal-side marking takes the short throw away, and the touchline helps us win the long one.
The tactics behind it
Your job, by position
- CMCentral midfielder
- Mark goal side, close enough to touch.
- Step in front if they come short.
- CBCentre-back
- Cover inside your full-back, a few metres behind.
- Talk: "I've got inside!"
- FBFull-back and wing-back
- Get tight, side-on, inside the receiver.
- Wait for the heavy touch; the touchline helps you.
- DMHolding midfielder
- Track the runner into the middle.
- Stay between the ball and our goal.
- WWinger and wide midfielder
- Mark the thrower when they step on, so the return pass is gone.
How to explain it
- Freeze the throw and ask each player: who are you marking, and are you goal side?
- Teach "tight, side-on, wait".
- Remind the cover player to talk.
On the training pitch
- On your ownNeeds a friend or the teamIt is about reading other players, so there is no honest way to practise it alone.
- The practiceDefend the gateThe same decision, over and over, with a little pressure.
- The game2v2: pressure and coverA small-sided game set up so the moment keeps happening.
Set the game up so it keeps happening
- Start every attack with a throw-in. Defenders score for winning it within five passes.
- Defenders score double for forcing the ball out.
Three things to say
- Goal side.
- Cover inside.
- Wait for the heavy touch.
On Saturday
Tick them off on the day. Nothing is saved: print the page if you want to keep it.
After the whistle
Ask yourself
- Did your player ever get free from a throw?
- Did you have cover when you pressed?
What to look back on
- How many of their throws did they keep?