“The main thing is to keep your eye on the ball. There are a lot of tricky wingers out there and they’ll always try and drop a shoulder or pull a trick – they will try and take you on that way.
It’s important not to get fooled by that and just watch the ball. You also have to get your distances right because if you get too tight to the winger, he can just hit it and go, whereas if you are too far from him you’re giving him time to do exactly what he wants.
If you’ve got a winger running at you and you’re too tight, he’s got the momentum to kick it past you and go because at that time you’ve got to turn while he’s on a straight run. You have to judge the speed of the winger too and you can work that out quite early in the game.
Get your body position right. If a winger is running at you show him away from goal and out wide because that’s where he’s least dangerous.”
For more football tips see:
Stop a winger in their tracks: 4-step guide
Defending for full-backs: Tricks of the trade
Ashley Cole: How to handle every opponent
Ashley Cole: Dominate your opposite number
Ashley Cole: Handling different wingers
Stop that, twinkle toes!
Micah Richards: Dealing with different types of attacker
Chris Hughton: Dealing with a quick winger
Thank you for reading 5 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
