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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. Ben Woodburn Jersey . The South Africa international, who rejoined the club last month on loan from Tottenham, opened the scoring in the sixth minute with a powerful shot into the roof of the net. Loris Karius Liverpool Jersey .com) - The New York Rangers hope to punch their ticket to the second round when they visit the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday for a Game 6 battle at Wells Fargo Center. http://www.soccerliverpoolproshop.com/ . The third-seeded Bouchard, from Westmount, Que., was coming off a semifinal appearance at the French Open. She took the opening set before the unseeded American came back for the 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 victory. Sadio Mane Liverpool Jersey . - Chelseas 1-0 win at the Etihad, spoiling Manchester Citys perfect home record continues to be the talking point of the week. Ben Woodburn Liverpool Jersey . The bout served as the headlining matchup of Saturdays "UFC Fight Night: Brown vs. Silva" event, which took place at U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati. It was Silva who looked well on his way to victory in the early going, delivering a pair of crushing kicks to the body that sent Brown crashing to the floor, doubled over in pain.Buffalo, NY (SportsNetwork.com) - With the holiday season right around the corner, Sidney Crosby got into the giving spirit Saturday night. Crosby had five assists in the Pittsburgh Penguins 6-1 rout of the Buffalo Sabres, extending his league-best totals to 17 helpers and 24 points. The captain of the Penguins now has a 19-game point streak against the Sabres, upping his ledger to 10 goals and 26 assists in those contests. Kris Letang added two goals and two assists for Pittsburgh, which has won seven in a row for the first time since Dec. 9-21 of last season. Patric Hornqvist had two goals and an assist. Marc-Andre Fleury made 20 saves for the Penguins, who have won five consecutive games against the Sabres, outscoring them 23-3 in that stretch. That includes a 5-0 win Nov. 1 in Pittsburgh. Zemgus Girgensons scored the lone goal for Buffalo, which has lost three in a row. Jhonas Enroth stopped 33-of-39 shots in defeat. The Penguins dominated from the start with Letang opening the sscoring 1:21 into the game by scoring off Crosbys pass from behind the net.dddddddddddd Hornqvist lit the lamp on the power play at 3:31 when he deflected Letangs blast past Enroth. Letangs one-timer found the back of the net at the 15:04 mark of the first period. Hornqvist scored another goal on the power play at 4:56 of the second and Robert Bortuzzo then made it 5-0 with six minutes remaining on his first of the young season. Girgensons tipped in Josh Gorges shot from the point to put the Sabres on the board with 3:08 to go, but Evgeni Malkin kicked the puck from his skate to his stick and scored from the slot with 45 seconds left. Enroth made 13 saves in the third to keep it a 6-1 game. Game Notes Crosby last recorded five assists in a 6-1 win over the Islanders on March 10, 2013 ... Pittsburgh went 2-for-5 on the power play, while Buffalo went 0-for-3 ... Chris Kunitz had two assists for the Penguins ... The Sabres fell to an NHL-worst 3-11-2. 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