News » lly over. American opened the second half shooting 1 of

Arsenal and Everton drew 1-1 on Sunday in a fantastic back-and-forth match between two teams high on style. Both sides passed the ball with confidence, and despite only coming away with a point, Evertons confidence will get a massive boost from having played so well at The Emirates Stadium. One of the talking points during the game was how high Arsenal were defending wide free kicks. The game commentator said it was a dangerous tactic from the Gunners, as it invited the ball to be played in behind the defenders. I disagree, for a number of reasons. 1. The goalkeeper needs space if he is to come and attack the ball. It is essential for the defenders to set a defensive line that gives the goalkeeper enough room to come and claim the ball if (when) it comes into the penalty area. It is a fine balancing act, though, and this is something that Arsenal do exceptionally well. In the 15th minute, Everton had a wide free kick. Arsenal have not yet picked up their defensive marks in this picture, but it indicates just how high they are prepared to hold their line. They are not even ten yards from the line of the ball, and when the ball is played short by Everton, they are quick to react and force the ball away from goal. Wojciech Szczesny has the entire penalty area to come and claim the ball if it is flighted into the box, which is all that he can ask for - an excellent example of a well-organized defensive line from Arsenal. 2. Defenders need to be ball-side, goal-side. By this, I mean that good defenders are always in a position where they are favourite to win the ball if it is played in behind them, and can also get a challenge in if the ball is played into the attackers feet. When defending wide free kicks, it is imperative for the defender to be ball-side, goal-side. You do this by ensuring that you are “touch-tight,” meaning that you are close enough to touch the attacker, and closer to your goal than the attacker. With a more central free kick, Arsenal still hold a very high line; they are inviting Everton to play the ball into the penalty area. But because they are ball-side, goal-side, they are favourites to win the ball when it comes into the area. The one Everton attacker that is in behind the defensive line is in an offside position, and must come back onside before the ball is kicked. At this point, the Arsenal defenders must get ball-side, goal-side, or they run the risk of being second favourite to win the ball. 3. If the defensive line is set too deep, the goalkeeper cannot react to a header or deflection. This point was perfectly exemplified in Canadas 2-0 loss to the Czech Republic in November. Canadas defensive line was set so deep, that goalkeeper Lars Hirschfeld could do nothing about the first goal, scored in just the third minute of the game. Look at how deep the Canadian defensive line is (in red). When the ball is flighted to the near post, Marcel de Jong is out-jumped by Ondrej Celustka, who heads the ball past Hirschfeld. The goal could have easily been prevented had Canada held a more aggressive defensive line nearer the 18-yard line. If the ball is floated in behind the defensive line, it is a much easier play for Hirschfeld to make. Being a good defender is about assessing, prioritizing and mitigating risk. You always want to be in a position where you are favourite to win the ball if it comes into the most dangerous area - which is generally closer to your goal. But there is no hard and fast rule when it comes to your distances from the ball, when to drop in and when to hold your line. That is down to the judgment of the players, who must make those decisions based on their individual and collective skill sets. The best teams, like Arsenal at this point in time, are exceptionally well-organized and consistently make the right decisions as a group when defending. Nike Air Max Cheap Canada .Y. - Terry and Kim Pegula have no immediate plans to tinker with their new NFL team. Wholesale Air Max Cheap Candada . Patton was placed on the restricted list testing positive for a banned amphetamine. Patton took Adderall, a drug commonly used to combat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, late in the 2013 season and then was given a random drug test. http://www.wholesaleairmaxcanada.com/ . Off-Season Game Plan looks at what the Blue Jackets may do to build upon last seasons success to return to the playoffs again next year. Nike Air Max Sale Canada . Peter Dawson took his long before he started the job. "I was playing an American one year at Oxford Golf Club, and he introduced me to this travelling mulligan," Dawson said. Wholesale Air Max Canada . Tristan Jackson returned a missed field goal 129 yards early in the fourth quarter as the Roughriders beat the B.C. MILWAUKEE -- A sea of fans wearing Wisconsin red roared after every stop and every score, growing more exuberant as the Badgers NCAA opener became a historic rout. Playing the first two tournament games close to home was a goal all year, and Wisconsin players fed off the energy to extinguish any upset hopes of 15th-seeded American. Ben Brust scored 17 points and the No. 2 seed devastated the Eagles with a 22-5 run to close the first half in a 75-35 victory Thursday in Milwaukee, barely 90 minutes from their campus in Madison. No. 2 seed Wisconsin (27-7) recovered from a brief first-half rut as the Eagles (20-13), champions of the Patriot League, built a seven-point lead with their Princeton-style offence. "It was good to get the building loud," Brust said. "I said, Hey, theyre up. We better wake up." Trailing 17-10 about midway through the first half, the Badgers took away the backdoor cuts, forced turnovers and otherwise flustered American into 4-of-26 shooting over the final 29 minutes. One field-goal drought lasted nearly 14 minutes. "Thats pretty crazy," guard Josh Gasser said. "That must mean you did something well." The Eagles dont encounter the type of execution and athleticism displayed by Wisconsin in the Patriot League. "Theyre a No. 2 seed for a reason," coach Mike Brennan said. After Wisconsin was ousted in the first round last year as a fifth seed, Brust made sure his senior season didnt end the same way. He attacked the glass for buckets on back-to-back possessions, ending with a 3-point play to give Wisconsin a 23-20 lead. The rout was on. The Badgers hit 57 per cent of their shots in the second half on the way to their largest margin of victory in the schools 44 NCAA post-season games. John Schoof and Tony Wroblicky each had 11 points for American. "We were excited. We were playing well. We were making them take tough shotts," said Wroblicky.dddddddddddd "We were scoring, then we kind of hit a rut." Schoof hit two early 3s and Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year Tony Wroblicky proved to be handful on the offensive end to help the Eagles build a surprising lead. But this year, offence isnt as much of a problem for the Badgers, even with leading scorer Frank Kaminsky on the bench with foul trouble at the end of the first half. Anyone on the floor can score. On Thursday, it was Brust. After hitting two 3s earlier in the half, Brust drove the lane and pumped his fist after getting a bucket and drawing a foul. Traevon Jackson later added a 3. Gasser posted up and got fouled, walking away with an angry look before returning to the line to hit two foul shots. By then it was 28-22 Wisconsin, and Jackson raised his arms to implore the crowd to get loud. It was basically over. American opened the second half shooting 1 of 11, and coach Bo Ryan started going to his backups with 5 minutes left and the Badgers up 38. The reserves didnt waste what might be their only chance in the tourney floor time. "Right away, when a couple guys took shots, they knew right were the camera was," Ryan joked. Jackson finished with a game-high 18 points on 6-of-8 shooting, while Sam Dekker finished with 11. Florida Gulf Coasts NCAA tournament run last year as a No. 15 seed has given all underdogs hope. And for a while in the first half, American was on a similar roll. But Ryan was confident his team could handle the Princeton offence, a scheme the Badgers had faced successfully when playing Northwestern in recent years under Bill Carmody. Ryan said he was even awoken by a few nightmares last night of his team getting beat on backdoor cuts. They figured it out and earned another game in friendly surroundings. "We couldnt score," Brennan said. "They stopped us stone cold." ' ' '