First things first, who is a defender in a football match?. In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposing team from scoring goals.
The first priority of the defender should be to prohibit the ball from reaching the attacker or stopping the attacker from turning goal-side with the ball. If that fails, the defender should contain the offensive player and force them to give up the ball away from the goal or risk being tackled as they turn. Final strategies include maneuvering the attacker into a less dangerous space or getting into position to deflect the attacker’s shot or pass.
The defender’s role in stopping forward movement by the offense is not limited to overpowering the attacker. They must work to rush, pressure and confuse the attacker, thus causing them to make mistakes. Taking advantage of your opponent’s errors makes it easier for you to win the ball and deny penetration toward your goal. A solid defense is a crucial part of a successful soccer team.
Back to the 2017 Kenyan Premier League, various partnerships have been made defensively in all teams but some have been more effective in preventing the opponents from scoring goals.
The number of goals conceded is crucial when it comes to determining the goal difference. When teams are in the table on an equal number of points, the most common method of determining who goes higher than the other is goal difference. Simply the number of goals scored minus the number of goals conceded. In theory, the better team of the two should have a bigger goal difference meaning they’re winning games in a bigger.