Champions League Performance Insights: Defensive demands
Monday, October 20, 2025
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UEFA Technical Observers Frank de Boer and Michael Carrick examine the demands on defenders in terms of managing space and operating high up the pitch.
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For elite defenders today, the challenge of managing space is arguably greater than ever. With teams pressing high, players in the defensive line are often called on to cover significant spaces and distances.
Ahead of UEFA Champions League Matchday 3, UEFA Technical Observers Frank de Boer and Michael Carrick joined the UEFA game insights unit in reviewing the Barcelona vs Paris Saint-Germain fixture from last time out in order to explore these demands and the game knowledge and positional understanding required to cope.
Defending space – in front and behind
"Look at the distance covered," says De Boer of Jules Koundé's sprint upfield to press Paris left-back Nuno Mendes in this first video. Koundé covered 868m in high-intensity runs and sprints when defending that night, more than any other defender on Matchday 2. Here, he is seen stepping out of a compact back four to push far up the pitch, and clip two offers further examples of players on the front foot and ready to press, in Paris' Willian Pacho and Barcelona's Gerard Martín.
As well as looking forward, defenders must also defend large spaces behind. The second video highlights the importance of anticipation – of being ready to defend those spaces and provide cover for colleagues who have stepped up, as we see from Barcelona centre-back Eric García in both instances.
Good decision-making of this kind is crucial, as Carrick explains: "It's about sensing where the danger is and making the right choice when you have a decision to make. Often the question is: what do you give and what do you take away?
"You may have to let one opposition player have the ball in a certain area because that's the less dangerous choice, even though it's not ideal. Being able to judge what is the priority – who to stop – in that moment is crucial.
"Do you engage the ball and leave a space for a less dangerous player? Or do you stay with the runner because he is a more dangerous player than the man on the ball?"
Recovery runs
A team pressing high will inevitably face moments when the opposition break their press. As De Boer says of this third video, "It is an example where PSG are doing almost everything perfectly." Almost, but not quite, due to Gerard Martín's dribble which allows Barcelona to penetrate on the other side.
The question at this point is: what does the defender do next? In this instance, we see Bradley Barcola race back to make a tackle. For former Manchester United midfielder Carrick, this must be the "last resort". "You might react and make a big recovery tackle, which can look eye-catching, but it means something went wrong before that," he says.
"There'll always be a risk when you play with a high line"
Defending with a high line
When the UEFA game insights unit analysed Barcelona's semi-final against Inter last season, they observed that the average height of their defensive line was 40.8m.
It is a well-established principle for Barcelona and, on the requirements to do it well, De Boer notes that "all four defenders have to be connected with each other", as seen in the first clip above. Additionally, he cites the need for good communication – in particular, between the centre-backs.
The former Barcelona centre-half adds other details: an open stance will help a defender to anticipate and respond better to any balls behind, while the goalkeeper should be standing on the edge of his box – as Wojciech Szczęsny does in clip one, which "means that any ball by the opposition has to be perfect".
Clip two shows the danger that can arise when there is no pressure on the ball, as is the case with Paris centre-back Pacho.
"When you defend with a high line, it's so important that there's always pressure on the man who has the ball, making it difficult for him to get an easy pass behind the defence," says De Boer.
But when the player on the ball does have time and space, how should defenders react? De Boer explains: "When you see that, as a defender, you have to be aware that the ball behind will be an option. That means you have to be very alert to that kind of ball. The defenders need to be poised to sprint backwards and, of course, the goalkeeper must be alert too."
Coaching reflection: Michael Carrick on the keys to managing space
"Modern defenders need to be either very quick and athletic or highly intelligent. If you get both of those attributes, then you have the perfect combination.
"Defending today is less about physical contact than it used to be. Now, it's about managing the space, especially in behind, and being clever and cute and more of a pickpocket. This means positional awareness and tactical understanding are more important than ever.
"Mobility and being comfortable in one v one situations are essential at the very top level too, as you're expected to do your own job in isolation when defending man to man.
"For the defender, it could mean dropping off to delay the attack and give time for your fellow defenders to recover behind the ball or it could be about engaging the ball high to try stopping the attack at source while leaving space behind.
'Stay ahead of the game'
"The most important part is preventing the ball from even coming into your area by being in a very good position to prevent the pass or run even happening.
"Big recovery tackles may be eye-catching, but the very best defenders don't do them much because there's a lack of control in that moment. Rather, they stay ahead of the game so they never look stretched and put themselves in that position.
"My advice, therefore, is to anticipate things happening and know where the opposition are trying to play. That way, your work is done early before any action happens."
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