ABSTRACT
The zone-oriented defence is based on the defensive organization that emphasizes exerting pressure on the opponent player with the ball, at the same time providing backup and cover once the team loses ball possession in open play (Worthington, 1980; Olsen et al., 1994). The empirical evidence on whether these practical guidelines really work is rarely found in the literature. The aim of this case-control study is to examine the effects of the zone-oriented defensive tactics of defensive pressure, defensive backup and defensive cover, separately and combined, on the probability of conceding a goal in real matches from Norwegian elite soccer.
