Bradley Johnson: How to win a 50-50

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Improve the odds with these crunching tackle tips from tenacious midfielder Bradley Johnson

“I pride myself on my tackling, but I lose more 50-50s than I win… or I get sent off. How do you get it right?”
Simon Yallop, via Twitter

“The worst thing you can do is to go in half-heartedly. You’ve got more chance of getting yourself injured if you hold back. When you go into a challenge committed, nine times out of 10 you’ll come away with the ball.

I never go into a tackle with the intention of hurting anyone, but I try to go in as hard as I can and win the ball. The key is to keep your eye on the ball at all times. Never try to pre-empt where it’s going to be.

Sometimes it’s hard not to go in full-blooded, but the cardinal sin is jumping into a tackle. Sometimes the moment gets to players and their feet come off the ground. It’s important to stay composed.

If you’re on a yellow card your job becomes that bit more difficult, so it’s probably worth not diving into a 50-50 challenge unless you’re sure you’re going to get the ball.”

Bradley Johnson was taking part in the #FIFA13CelebCup. Go to YouTube.com/EASPORTSfootball to watch Premier League stars battle it out. EA Sports’ FIFA 13 is out now on all formats

For more football tips see:
Patrick Vieira: How to be a midfield destroyer
Michael Carrick: Protecting the back four
Aaron Ramsey: Overrun the opposition
Marco Verratti: How to be a deep-lying playmaker
Shield the ball like Philipp Lahm
Lucas Leiva: The spoiler