Qwiss Coombs
Yep — that's why we're one of the best teams in the world, because every single player defends.
VinÃcius Jr. and Mbappé are a major reason why Madrid's defense and midfield look so porous. You can't watch Arteta build a side that embodies modern defensive demands—giving us one of the tightest backlines in Europe—and still not get it
Defending starts from the attackers in the exact same way building up starts with the goalkeeper and defenders. You can't view football through a late-90s lens where defenders only defend and attackers only attack. The game has completely changed.
Spacing between the lines—from striker to goalkeeper—during the press, counter-press, build-up, and transition is the most important quality to be a top side. Everyone has to defend and everyone has to contribute to build-up AS A SINGLE UNIT. It's exactly the same reason why Pool are so porous because their frontline of Isak, Wirtz, and Ekitike fails to press or track runners effectively, leaving opponents to run at them time after time because they don't have a first line of defence.
Without a cohesive pressing structure off the ball, opponents get a free run directly at your defense. Blaming the defenders and midfielders when your forwards refuse to put in the work is completely missing the root cause. It's like complaining that your car doesn't have a heater when you're missing the entire metal exterior. We get a masterclass every fucking weekend for god's sake.
Last season we saw time and time again - when Jesus would come on for Gyokeres and we would go from pinning the opponent back in their own half, to the opponent pushing us back into our own half and creating chances all by the single switch of the striker. How the fuck did that happen when we had the same midfielders and defenders on the pitch? That's what happens when your attacker decides to jog around and let the opponent build up instead of putting pressure on them and forcing them to turn it over.
