Marking (association football)

In association football, marking is an organized defensive tactic which aims to prevent a member of the opposing team (usually a striker) from taking control of the ball.

Several marking strategies exist in football, and they mostly differ from each other according to the duties assigned to defenders, positioning and off-the-ball style.

Their formation consisted of a defensive line made up of four man markers with a sweeper playing behind them.

The strategy is one that has been supposedly dying out in football over the past decade or so despite Greece's success with it in the 2004 European Championships.

Examples include Dynamo Kyiv's Aleksandr Khatskevich man-marking Real Madrid's Predrag Mijatović in the 1999 Champions League quarter-finals,[2] PSV Eindhoven's Park Ji-sung man-marking Milan's Andrea Pirlo in the 2005 Champions League semi-finals,[3] Chelsea's Michael Essien man-marking Liverpool's Steven Gerrard in the 2009 Champions League quarter-finals,[4][5] Chelsea's José Bosingwa man-marking Barcelona's Lionel Messi in the same season's Champions League semi-finals[6][7] and Manchester United's Danny Welbeck man-marking Real Madrid's Xabi Alonso in the 2013 Champions League round of 16.

When the team regains possession of the ball, players are still in their positions and can start an attack more quickly.