Ernie Brandts, coach NAC Breda
We talked to Ernie Brandts at the end of the 2006/2007 season. A period in which NAC was doing well, and when the team is performing coach Ernie Brandts is happy. Enthusiastic, fanatical and animated about football he tries to explain why his team was performing so well. It all starts with points, when you are gaining points, there is a certain tranquillity within the team and that is when you can start to work on playing good football, says Enie Brandts. Football starts with good defending, hard work, trust and then success will follow. During his interview Brandts comes out with many anecdotes from his playing days, which have relevance to the knowledge and experience of this ambitious coach. As a player at among others, Roda JC, Germinal Ekeren and PSV he reached a total of 28 caps. By: Hans Slender
“A defender has sever “NAC is club that is allowed to lose games, as long as we put up a fight. This is the way the supporters experience football here. We must win two games a year, against Willem II and Feyenoord and the remainder of the games must be played with a fighting spirit. If we lose, but give everything, then we get a standing ovation. That is therefore also the philosophy of the club. During the past two years NAC experienced a difficult period, because there were too many players who did not fit within this philosophy. In the Netherlands everyone always wants to play offensive football. Outsiders look at this in an odd way. In
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Germany they have respect for the way we play, but they also find it foolish, because the result should count the most. In the Netherlands we nevertheless enjoy watching polished football, with good positioning, individual actions and offensive play. But ultimately it has been proven that more result can be achieved with counter football than with offensive football. That is a fact. I think it is important to obtain points first and then to look at whether this is possible with offensive and beautiful football.”
like Penders and Zonneveld. We had the team complete just one week before the first league game. On top of that our first game was in the new AZ Alkmaar stadium. So we were somewhat prepared for a heavy loss. This came at a time when the team needed team spirit and faith. The players, as a team, had to organize their game-play on each other. We had to start working on good organization. We wanted something to fall back on, starting with a good defensive organization. This automatically meant playing closer to our own goal. As playing on the opponent’s half and defending there is riskier and more difficult. You must first win some points and then work on the build-up little by little.”
A certainty The start of the season was difficult. A slightly flattering 8-1 defeat at AZ and afterwards a defeat against Ajax. Two games, zero points and all at a time where the team needed to gain confidence. “We then had an away game against ADO The Hague. There you must win some points. In this situation you do not choose to play an offensive strategy, but for certainty in the build up. We paid a lot of attention to the defensive organization. When the opponent has possession the forwards will drop to just over the half way line, playing close together, the defending line thirty meters from each other, shifting well over to the side of the ball, winning duels and from there rapidly looking for depth with ours fast strikers (diagram 1). When you are able to win some points you will start creating some stability. We won two games in a row and were able to start playing forward a bit more.”
ral options” Diagram 1: defensive organization
A new beginning
Opponents mistakes
“For two years NAC was flirted with relegation from the Dutch first division, ending the season in fifteenth and sixteenth place respectfully. We started this season with a new group and a new coach. You will first have to get to know and get used to each other. The football that was being played was somewhat incoherent. Someone received the ball and then had to figure out what to do with it. The first thing that needed to happen was to create a good team spirit. The players must go through fire for each other. There were players who returned from long-term injuries,
“When the results began to come in and the players gained some confidence, we were able to start work on football matters. It quickly became apparent that we had a pretty good team. Because we had players with speed and good running capacity such as De Graaf, Leonardo and Diba, we were able to take advantage of the opponent’s mistakes. Whenever an opponent made a mistake we were able to quickly take advantage and create chances. This is how we began to get into the competition more and more with every game and were able to work
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“The further you play from your own goal, the more space you leave in your back”
on the football aspects. Taking the ball out of defence by means of one of the two central defenders and build from there, working on the offensive strategies. As the central defender takes the ball out of defence, one of the opponents’ midfielders will automatically step out, in turn releasing one of our midfielders. When you know how to play well, you can take advantage of this. But everything starts with points, trust and a good defensive organization.”
Resting defense “The further you play from your own goal, the more space you leave behind you. Resting defense becomes an important term in this situation. I used to be a defender myself. A defender is inclined to play the ball and then sit back like a supporter to wait to see what the midfielder and attackers will do with it. The opponents striker is frequently positioned three or four meters back waiting to see what happens from there. What frequently happens in this situation is that whenever we suffer a loss of possession the opponent will immediately pass to their striker. He then has that 3 or 4 meters he needs to receive and control the ball and they can initiate the counter attack. Resting defense is therefore important here. I always tell my defence that the moment they have given a pass they must already be thinking about what can happen if we lose the ball. This is repeated often in my training sessions. When the opponent’s striker falls back during the game and we suffer loss of possession, I immediately stop the game. You will often see that both central defenders have allowed sufficient space to the opponent’s striker to receive a pass. The agreement is that one of the two central defender marks the striker and that the other central defender provides back cover.”
Red card “When you are covering the striker tightly at the loss of possession you won’t be given a red card. I have experienced it myself when Huub Stevens and I formed the central duo in PSV’s defense. Whenever we were standing 30 meters apart to build up
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Diagram 2: covering after a through pass
from the back, the opponent’s striker was positioned in between us, waiting for the loss of possession. When he gains possession from the midfield after a mistake from our side, he can simply run in between us. We were frequently able to tackle him just in time, but the risk of a red card is very high in this situation. Being positioned correctly in these situations is often an underestimated area of attention (diagram 2).”
Connecting “A second important point of interest during ball possession is that the last line connects well. The moment we pass the ball to the striker during the build up, I want my team to move up the first 10 or 15 meters as soon as possible. This is also important when we suffer loss of possession. If you are positioned compactly in this situation you can immediately execute pressure together. At the beginning of the season this space in our team was about sixty meters, so our midfielders had to run a lot. If the spaces are smaller, then you can trap the opponent easier and do not have to fall back with the entire team immediately. You must always ensure that you can form a block whenever you lose possession, to chase away the opponent from there. That is hard to get through.”
Help “Another problem we were confronted with frequently was that the players tended to help each other whenever the opponent had possession. In itself of course a good intention, but it worked against us. When Slot is defending his opponent, De Graaf was tempted to help him. What you then nearly always see is that De Graaf’s direct opponent would be unmarked and the ball would be passed to him. When you play compactly there will always be someone to provide cover. When you play with a lot of space, everyone must closely guard their direct opponent to prevent them from passing the ball behind our last line. If need be you can commit a foul. When that long pass over the defence is played, then the last man must make sure that he covers the side where the opponent’s fastest striker is running. For example, when we play against Excelsior and lose of possession, then one of our central defenders must cover the opponent’s central striker and the other central defender must cover Slory’s (Excelsior’s fastest striker) side (diagram 3).”
Diagram 3: covering by the central defenders
Trapping “Another important aspect during the opponent’s ball possession is correct positioning when the opponents goalkeeper has the ball. Our attackers must position themselves correctly between their defenders. The point of reference here is the front of the middle circle. The striker pressures in between the two central defenders. Many teams have a right-footed left central defender. We allow this defender to retain possession. Our striker Salmon must then press from the other central defender to the left central defender. As a result he will not be able to pass the ball wide to the other central defender (diagram 4). Because this player is right-footed he will have difficulty to open up on the right-hand side. He will often be unable to give a cross-pass with his weaker foot. He will have to choose a wide pass to the left wingback or a pass straight ahead. We can anticipate this. Our left side can shift a little to the right to make the spaces smaller, because they will already know that play will not be moved easily to their side. Because we are shifting, the space will be so small that there is always sufficient cover. For example our left wingback can shift a little more to cover the centre, because that cross-pass to his direct opponent won’t come. If the central defender gets through, then Slot will have to cover, so he is guarding the passing lane to the centre. Everyone on the side of the ball must be positioned well to cover. This must be done exactly. Shifting two meters too little or too much at this level can be decisive. It is all a question of good planning and dare.”
Diagram 4: destroy the opponent’s build up
Covering “The moment the opponent’s striker moves to the ball, I want one of our central defenders to cover. There are coaches who allow him to run into midfield. I, however, do not want the striker to get the space to play. I want one of our central defenders to cover and that both wingbacks shift slightly inside to prevent the spaces from becoming too big (diagram 5). The shortest way to the goal should always be screened. You then have a three-man last line left. Dutch players are known for having the ability to run between the lines. This creates situations in which defenders will have to choose who will pick them up. Who will cover the striker when he falls back? I believe you have to make a choice in this type of situation. It is better to make a bad choice than no choice at all. If we agreed on covering, then
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you must cover through, no matter who does it. You constantly have to pay attention to these kinds of agreements in your training sessions. Coaching to build up every time and executing pressure correctly. I then coach on connecting, on covering through, pay attention to all agreements. Repetition, repetition, repetition.”
Pressure
Diagram 5: covering through and squeeze in
“You can execute pressure in several ways. You can put pressure on to force the opponent in a certain direction and you can put pressure on to win the ball effectively. Not all players master this way of pressing. Diba is not the type of player who presses nor will he actually steal the ball. Edwin de Graaf is the type of player who can win a ball. With players such as Diba it is difficult to defend forward and steal the ball as soon as possible. If we know that, for example, the opponent’s right wingback is weak in the build up, then we press accordingly. We position our team in a way where it is easy for this player to receive the ball. Then we pressure him, Salmon will cover the way back and our right winger will move in (diagram 6). This way you force their weakest player to play deep. It therefore depends on the opponent who we force to build up. You frequently see that weaker players who build up, will start to dribble followed by a bad pass. If we intercept this pass we can immediately pass to the forward who is supposed to be marked by this player. The first half of the season we could often take advantage with Leonardo, who is very fast. Now we have Glen Salmon and that changes the situation. That is the fun part of football, you must anticipate each time a situation changes.”
4-3-3 against 4-4-2
Diagram 6: Leaving the opponents wingback uncovered
“There is of course a substantial difference in the way you defend against several different styles of play. The first game against AZ, we didn’t get a chance in the first sixty minutes. We played with a 4 player zone defense against their two strikers. We played in a 4-3-3 games, but ensured that we shifted a lot. They played with two strikers and a diamond in midfield. The controlling midfielder is then frequently left uncovered, as we play with the point to the back to be able defend their number 10. You are therefore often one player short somewhere and that is frequently the opponents controlling midfielder. One of our wing backs will have to step-in towards the opponents controlling midfielder at the right moment and our back on that side will also have to step through. But where do you do that? On the opponents half or right in front of your own goal? The other side must shift really far to provide cover. You will be positioned each time with three men against the opponents strikers and one wingback will cover through on the opponents winger (diagram 7). When the opponent then has fast ball circulation, then this demands a lot from the team, because you must constantly shift across all those meters. Against AZ we managed to do this for 60 minutes, then we broke down. AZ got five chances and scored all five.”
3-4-3 against 4-4-2
Diagram 7: 4-3-3 against 4-4-2 in the zone
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“Now we have made another choice. Against teams with two forwards we now play with three defenders against two strikers. In the midfield we create a diamond to play against their diamond. When I came here, the task was to play 4-3-3, with the point forward or the point backwards in the midfield. That was the main point. In the past they have had bad experiences playing too
many systems. My task was therefore to play that one system, but we also have the players to play with three men against two strikers and with a diamond in midfield. In this zone you must wait to shift at the right moment and to let your player go. You must also be able to move in between two players, so that you can cover the passing lane to the other player. If you play too far apart this is impossible. This demands a lot of training. On the other hand it is also not easy to play with three defenders. The field during the build up, for example, is very wide with three players, therefore you must pass well. If you do not and you loose possession, the opponent will walk straight through your defence. We therefore choose to have our right midfielder, Edwin de Graaf fall back to support in the build up (diagram 8). This may also create problems for the opponent, because if they cover through on de Graaf, then they will create space for our number 10, our right winger or our striker to come in the ball. I always tell my players that it is very important to recognize situations and that returns each training session and each game. It is also very important to take responsibility and to make choices.”
3 against 2 “I always draw three defenders against two forwards with their backs to the outside of forwards (diagram 9). One of the strikers will always start to run into space. When you are then a meter ahead, they will pass the ball straight into your feet. When they pass the ball inside, the central defender will provide cover. When they pass the ball across, then the other back is still there to provide cover. I experienced this as a player at Germinal against Standaard Luik with Henk Vos. Vos moved into the space on the side every time. At a given moment I figured it out and I simply positioned myself on the outside. We won that game 0-2. Players should be able to find these kinds of solutions themselves.”
Diagram 8: 3-4-3 against 4-4-2 during ball possession
Duels “In the end football stands or falls with winning duels. This is for a large part based on individual quality, but also partly a players
Diagram 9: 3 defenders against 2 strikers
“You need players on the field who find their own solutions”
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mentality. You can start a duel for the sake of a duel, but you can have to enter with the conviction to win it. When you put your foot down you have to put it all the way down, never halfway. When you cover it should be with the intention that he will never get passed you. When you have a large striker in front of you, he will want to lean on you. If you lean back as a defender, then he will know where you are and he will turn away from you. When he feels you right, then he turn away left. You must be smart. When you know his first touch isn’t very good, you can give him some space and go for it right after the first touch. It is however important take into account where you are on the field. Near your own goal you must keep some distance, because he can turn you. If you give him some space and he turns you can still block him. You must then however always take small steps, because you must be able to block him at any given moment and he cannot shoot the ball through your legs either. As a defender you can also cooperate in these situations with your goalkeeper. I had an agreement with Hans van Breukelen that I covered the short angle and the long angle was for him. I had to ensure that the player didn’t shoot through my legs and if he curled it around me, then it was for Van Breukelen. Furthermore you must enter the heading duels to win. It is then a bonus if you can head the ball to a team mate.”
Training “We also sometimes make time to train individually with the defenders. Train the defensive headers, also with a goalkeeper. The defenders must not have any misunderstandings with the goalkeeper. You then throw a number of crosses in and the defenders must solve it with the goalkeeper. Throw the cross in from the front, the side and the back. It is also good for jumping strength. I will never forget that I played as a young boy at PSV against Go Ahead Eagles, with the large muscular Kees van Kooten. The cross came and I thought: `I am going to head that ball away’. He gave me a slight push and headed the ball into the back of the net. He was the first striker who scored against me that year. Then I knew that this could never happen again. You must watch the man and the ball. If you are pushed you must at least ensure that the opponent cannot head the ball either.”
Signal “I also believe that a player must give a signal. There are coaches who believe that when the striker falls back to the midfield, the central defender can let him go, because the striker will not be dangerous there. I believe that the central defender in the game must cover through and must chase him, because then the striker will play differently whenever he falls back. The same thing applies to a winger. If he wants to receive the ball at his feet, then he must go deep first two times and then that ball must also be passed into his feet. The defender will position himself differently and the winger will be able to ask for the ball in his feet more simply. You must enter the first couple of duels in a game with full conviction. Then an attacker will not get a chance to come into the game. Even if it means committing a foul.”
Outnumbered “If you get a fast counter against and the defence is not well organized, then you can be outnumbered. It is then of course important where it happens. But also what kind of outnumbering situation. Two against three is already a completely different story than three against four. If you train with four defenders and a keeper against five attackers with attacking waves (exercise 1), then the attackers won’t score. As long as you are correctly positioned, force the opponent to the side, bend your knees, make fake moves each time. In any case you should not allow them to play the attack out. Shift well to the side of the ball and move back and forth as a block. Two against three is a completely different story. The spaces to defend then become significantly larger. You must then be very strong in the 1v1. When you initiate a tackle you must ensure you have him.”
Options in to defend “A defender has several options if he wants to defend against his direct opponent. The first option is to intercept. That is the best solution, because you immediately gain ball possession. The second solution is to tackle. The third option is to move with the opponent and intervene at the right moment. The last option, which is also the worst, is to let him play and allow him to dribble towards you. It is dependant on where on the field the situation occurs. When you can foresee what is about to happen, you can anticipate and try to
5v4 with attacking waves Organization: - 5v4 with goalkeeper - The defenders can score in the small goals - When the ball goes out of play, a new 5 start
Coaching defenders (blue) - Stay close together, shift well - Do not step out too fast - When stepping out centrally, the wingbacks must come in to close centre - Good positioning close to the goal, so that shots can always be blocked
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intercept the ball. If the striker asks for the ball at his feet 1. To intercept and he doesn’t re2. To tackle ceive it well, then you 3. To follow can tackle him. If the 4. Allow to receive and slow down opponent goes deep, then you must follow him and kick the ball away at the correct moment or use a sliding tackle. And in a situation where your team is outnumbered you must allow him to receive the ball and let him come to you. Then you must try to slow down the opponent and initiate the duel at the right moment.”
Four defending option
Diagram 10: Create additional passing options
Create passing options “A lot depends on the creativity of the players. You can practice according to templates, but the players must assess possibilities in the game. If we play with our three strikers and our midfield against four defenders, they must do something to create passing options. Of course we want to pass to our strikers, but that is not always possible. When our right midfielder protrudes a bit, he will create an open line to the winger. The winger comes in a bit further and you have created an additional passing option (diagram 10). Another interesting situation is when Edwin de Graaf does not protrude, but chooses depth. He has the quality to go deep at the right moment. The opponents wingback must then choose to either close down the center and leave the winger unguarded, or to cover the winger which will leave de Graaf with the opportunity to go through (diagram 11). These aspects are coachable and this way you can create extra passing options. Because you these aspects attacking trains, also the defenders learn handle. Because defensively you must make choices, whenever the opponent tests you in these situations.”
Solutions “When you play against Excelsior, you know that whenever Bruins gets the ball he will pass it deep to Slory, who will have started to go deep. When you know this as a defender you must position more to the inside and leave some more space. Slory can then only ask for the ball to his feet, which is not his strength. The moment a player like Slory receive a pass to his feet, you must cover
Diagram 11: Force wingback to make choices
short. A lot of players do not have a perfect first touch. Our left wingback Mtiliga is extremely fast, but uses this speed too scarcely to cover the opponent. I try to point this out to him frequently and sometimes it just doesn’t happen. I at one point played a game at Dundee United and I started the game with heavy legs. These things can happen, it is then simply not your day. On days like those covering short simply won’t work. Then you must find other ways to solve it. Also when things aren’t going your way, the players must take responsibility and choose the best possible solutions. You can’t teach or preach this. You need players on the field who can find their own solutions.”
11v11 defending Organization: - 11 v 11 game - Opponents will play like the next real opponent (for example 4-4-2) - Start with the build up of the opponent a couple of times
Coaching defenders (blue) - Running direction of the striker to force the weakest player to gain possession/build up - Cover short on the side of the ball - Back and cover space by players on the other side - Go through tactical problems, such as when and where to cover, how far to shift and forcing the opponent to a certain side
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