Functional analysis of losing your marker in football

Abstract

The lines of research which seek to understand the technical and tactical behavior of football players in game situations have two basic aspects: firstly, the fact that for most of the game a player does not have the ball in their possession, and secondly that football is a sport which calls for constant tactical interpretation. It is a functionally changing sport in each of its actions, always leading to new and different game sequences. The objective of this paper is to break down losing your marker, one of the most important concepts for an attacker not in possession of the ball. Losing your marker should bring continuity to play by providing the player who is in possession of the ball with options since the other player is ideally placed to receive the pass. Losing your marker is examined taking into account the changing situation of the game sequences using a functional teaching model approach and based on the interaction criteria which structure it (Solà, 2010): achievement of the physical objective (opposition), technical harmonization (collaboration) and modification of the motor sequence (attack and defense). Losing your marker is broken down into two construction phases: coupling phase and pass phase.