who must make those decisions based on

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. Ketel Marte Jersey . A last-minute leveler ensured the two-time defending champion remained nine points ahead of Roma, which drew 0-0 at bitter rival Lazio in the capital derby. Luis Gonzalez Jersey . Brad Malone had the other goal for the Monsters (1-1-0), while Elliott chipped in an assist for a three-point night and the games first star. Bryan Lerg also had two assists. Corban Knight and Max Reinhart scored for the Heat (1-1-0), who opened their season Friday with a 5-2 win over the Monsters in Cleveland. http://www.diamondbacksteamshop.com/Diamondbacks-Curt-Schilling-Kids-Jersey/ .TV Series: Duck Dynasty. Zack Greinke Jersey .Mila Kunis was a guest on Kimmel last night and revealed a surprising side of herself that comes out when she watches sports. It turns out screaming something vulgar at professional athletes is therapeutic for Kunis. Arizona Diamondbacks Jerseys . The biggest shock of this seasons competition was on when Watford took a 2-0 lead after 30 minutes at Etihad Stadium, only for a remarkable Aguero-led comeback by City in the final half-hour. The Argentina striker produced clinical finishes in the 60th and 79th minutes to level the score before Aleksandar Kolarov put City in front in the 87th.OKLAHOMA CITY -- Kevin Durant displayed his usual dominance as a scorer, and the Thunder supported him with one of their best defensive performances of the season. Durant scored 29 points to help Oklahoma City beat the Sacramento Kings 94-81 on Friday night. Durants high-scoring ways have been wasted at times by the Thunder, who lost 128-119 at Dallas on Tuesday despite 43 points by the NBAs leading scorer. This time, the Thunder held Sacramento to 51 points and 30 per cent shooting through the first three quarters. Durant could have done more damage, but he sat for good with 1:25 left in the third and the Thunder firmly in control. "Lately, weve been much better defensively and offensively," he said. "So, tonight was a good game. We put both sides of the floor together pretty well." Durant has scored at least 25 points in 37 consecutive games, the longest streak since Michael Jordans 40-game run for the Chicago Bulls during the 1986-87 season. Russell Westbrook had 18 points and six assists and Jeremy Lamb added 13 points for the Thunder, who have won five of six. The Thunder have held their opponent to 96 or fewer points in four of the five wins. "We put ourselves in position, if we defend, to win every game," Westbrook said. Ben McLemore scored 18 points and Travis Outlaw added 17 for the Kings. DeMarcus Cousins, who entered the game ranked 10th in the league in scoring, finished with four points on 2-for-8 shooting while dealing with foul trouble. Rudy Gay, who averages 20 points per game, finished with seven on 3-for-11 shooting. "Not one guy could take credit for stopping Gay or Cousins, so we just try to do it together and rely on each other, and we did a good job," Durant said. Sacramento point guard Isaiah Thomas missed his second straight game with a right quad contusion. In two games against the Thunder this season, he averaged 31 points and 4.5 assists while shooting 56 per cent from the field. Thomas scored a career-high 38 points against Oklahoma City on Jan. 19. Without him, the Kings shot 37 per cent from the field inn one of their worst offensive performances of the season.dddddddddddd "The toughest position to lose is your point guard, just because he runs your team, and there were times tonight where obviously, we didnt look like an organized basketball team," Kings coach Michael Malone said. Oklahoma City bolted to a 32-15 lead at the end of the first quarter after holding the Kings to 26 per cent shooting, and the Thunder led 54-38 at halftime. Durant scored 16 points in the first half on just six shot attempts. Sacramentos starters shot 7 for 28 from the field before the break. Cousins had two points on 1-for-3 shooting in the first half in just seven minutes because of foul trouble. Durant surpassed 25 points on a 3-pointer in the third quarter, and then his lob to Westbrook for a dunk on Oklahoma Citys next possession gave the Thunder a 77-51 lead. Oklahoma City led 82-51 at the end of the quarter. "We did a good job of focusing in," Westbrook said. "We did a great job of just focusing on us and focusing on our team and trying not to worry about them so much." No Kings player reached double figures in scoring until McLemore made two free throws with 10:27 remaining in the fourth. "We are undermanned, we dont have a lot of bodies, so the guys who are able to play need to play with more of a sense of urgency and greater effort," Malone said. NOTES: Thunder C Hasheem Thabeet inadvertently deflected a ball off the backboard and into the hoop for the Kings in the first quarter. ... Westbrook scored 10 points in nine minutes in the first quarter. ... Westbrook was issued a technical foul in the second quarter for punching the ball and making it go out of bounds. Oklahoma Citys Serge Ibaka got a technical in the first minute of the third quarter. ... Thunder G Reggie Jackson sat out with a mid-back sprain. ... Thunder G Reggie Williams played for the second time this season after recently signing a 10-day contract. ... Kings F Derrick Williams did not play due to illness. ... Kings rookie G Ray McCallum got his second career start in Thomas place. 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