Defending Corner Kicks

This article addresses the issue of releasing the players on the posts when defending corner kicks. The purpose of having players on the near and far post when defending against a corner kick is to have the players on the post make the area the keeper has to worry about smaller then the full sized goal. If the keeper doesn’t feel there is a need for this “help” the keeper wouldn’t have a player on the posts so, it’s extremely important the keeper communicate with the players on the posts so they know where to stand and also, when to leave. 

First of all, if the purpose of players being on the post to defend corner kicks is to make the goal smaller, then it’s important for them to be positioned properly. Too often I see players on the post position their bodies so that their entire body is facing the corner. There are two primary problems with this positioning. First of all, the player on the near post is possibly blocking the keeper’s view of the ball. Secondly, the players aren’t actually blocking the goal but rather, they are blocking the path along the goal line. Instead, the players should line up on the goal line with their shoulders beside the post Once you have the players positioned properly, the next thing is to make sure everyone knows when they are to leave the post and when they are to stay. As a general rule, the players on the posts should only leave if one of two things happens.

If a player on either post is 100% sure they can leave their post and win a ball (either to maintain possession or to clear the ball) then the player should go and win the ball. If they think they can win the ball but aren’t 100% sure, then they should stay in their spot. The other time the players should leave their posts is when the keeper tells them to do so. Each keeper will have different preferences of when the players should leave and when they should stay. 

As a general rule, the keeper would want the players to stay until either the ball has been cleared or, at the very least, is no longer in a dangerous position