Champions League Performance Insights: The art of defending
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Ahead of UEFA Champions League Matchday 7, the UEFA game insights unit consider the qualities needed for successful defending in the competition.
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What does it take to be an elite defender today?
More than once already in this 2025/26 campaign, the UEFA game insights unit have shone a light on the defensive work of individual players in the UEFA Champions League in order to display the requirements for players operating in the last line.
One excellent example was the performance of right-back Conor Bradley in Liverpool’s victory over Real Madrid in early November.
The detail of his defending against Vinícius Júnior that night provided a lesson in body orientation for the footballers of tomorrow when defending 1v1.
When summing up what Bradley did so well, Kris Van Der Haegen, head of coach development at UEFA, explained: “It's about having a good body shape and stance, being on your toes. You need a low centre of gravity so bend your knees and be on the balls of your feet. Also, to be able to change direction, you have to be side-on. You cannot change direction quickly if you are not side-on."
Matchday 5 provided another important example in Chelsea left-back Marc Cucurella’s Player of the Match performance against Barcelona.
After frustrating Lamine Yamal, UEFA Technical Observers Rui Faria and Roberto Martínez lauded Cucurella for getting so many aspects right: the awareness to show the winger onto his weaker foot; his low centre of gravity; the patience to not commit too early; his excellent anticipation; and then the necessary aggression when he did commit to the challenge.
Ahead of the penultimate round of league phase fixtures, the UEFA game insights unit have now switched the spotlight to one of the competition’s leading centre-backs by analysing Manchester City defender Rúben Dias.
Spotlight on Rúben Dias
Man City's Portuguese centre-back was exemplary in his defending in the Matchday 6 victory at Real Madrid. As with the Bradley example above, he had the challenge of containing Vinícius Júnior.
He had to contest the ball in spaces both big and small, and as the video below shows, gave a masterclass in dominating situations and winning duels.
"He reads the game perfectly. He never stands still."
A pivotal feature in all three clips is Rúben Dias’ body orientation which helped him – literally – stay one step ahead of his opponent. “He reads the game perfectly. He never stands still,” says Bruno Cheyrou, UEFA’s senior player development manager.
To start with clip one, Cheyrou points out his excellent anticipation and his side-on stance, which gives him the opportunity to move quickly in either direction and defend the space behind.
Cheyrou explains: “He reads the game perfectly. He never stands still. He really wants to lead and be proactive. Look at his body orientation – his feet, his shoulder. When you’re against a really fast opponent like Vinícius Júnior, you must be ahead of the game and read things in advance.”
In clip two, we see Rúben Dias defend the space behind following Thibaut Courtois’ long kick forward. Cheyrou says: “He’s aware of the goalkeeper going to play a long ball so he changes body orientation, the orientation of his feet, and it allows him to get ahead.”
Crucially, he is aware of the space around him – and that includes knowing where his team-mates are, in this case Matheus Nunes. “Because he is one metre ahead, he’s able clear the ball in the proper way – to the feet of one of his team-mates,” Cheyrou affirms.
Rúben Dias's 1v1 defending
- Anticipation
- Body orientation
- Aggression
Finally, clip three shows his 1v1 defending – and, once more, the technical details on display offer a lesson to young players and coaches.
First there is his anticipation. “Man City lose the ball but he is in a good position, not too far away from Vinícius Júnior,” says Cheyrou. “This means he can close him down and prevent him getting face on.”
Then, thanks to his body orientation, he can quickly adjust his feet and command the situation. “He pushes him to the side and is able to touch him with his left hand and force him to go where he wants him to go. What is really good for a defender is to lead the striker where you want him to go – rather than where he wants to go.”
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