Developing soccer skills: Challenging

Moritz Kossmann speaks to Soccer Coach Weekly about the skills of challenging - how it has changed over the years, the role of strength in the challenge and the information that goes into decision-making around challenging…

SCW: How has the element of physicality, and what is appropriate in a challenge, changed over the years?

MK: I think the amount of sliding tackles that have been utilized at all levels has decreased.

The main reason for that, at the top level, would be the surface quality. In the 1970s, ’80s and ’90s, a lot of games, especially in the winter, were played on relatively poor surfaces which led to balls not being under as much control by attackers as perhaps now.

That then leads to loose ball situations where players are more likely to be successful with sliding tackles. 

In the past, referees were more lenient towards these types of tackles - it was just seen as a very prime defensive action. If you were a good defender, you had to have a signature crunching sliding tackle.

Now, the sliding tackle should be a last-resort, because of the risk of giving away fouls. Also, if I make a sliding tackle, I am going to be on the ground for a short period of time. That means if I’m beaten by the opponent, I’m not likely to get back up and recover in order to challenge again.

I’ve gone in all-or-nothing with the sliding tackle and committed everything. If I’m unsuccessful, the chance of the attacker making good actions increases enormously. 

It is still something that players need to be able to do but they have to understand that it is a last resort.

You are much more likely to get blown for fouls if you go into tackles with your legs only. You are also going in with a higher risk of getting injured because you’re exposing your leg, which is unsupported by the rest of your body. So if you are kicked in these moments, you run a higher risk of injury.

However, if you go into a challenge with your upper body and your leg at the same time - and your upper body is supporting the lower structure by trying to initiate contact to the opponent’s upper body and perhaps shoving them off the ball - you are way less likely to get injured. You are also more likely to win the ball cleanly.

It is key to understand where the upper body comes into the game, because we play primarily with our feet and legs. But the upper body, and upper body strength, is still a key element. The technical action of challenging is where upper body becomes most relevant.