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We all want the ball, and as yourRematchteammates have already likely shown you, some of us want the ball more than we want to win. But if you do want to win, then there is going to be one element that you will need to master to do so: defense. Because even if you manage to score a dozen shots, if the other team scores two dozen, then it is all for naught.
Since defense is something of a dark art in the world of Rematch, we will provide you with all the arcane knowledge you need in order to excel at keeping the ball out of your goal. We’ll provide you with everything ranging from tactics to abilities. With our help, you’ll be a defensive wizard in no time!
Always Keep An Eye On Your Team’s Defense
Before we get into the nitty-gritty, there is one thing we need to address first and foremost to establish the baseline: you are responsible for the entire team’s defense. That may seem ridiculous, but no matter where you are positioned,you always need to keep an eye on the defense. If you are playing forward, glance back at your goal. If you see that the goalie is all alone and the other team has a player cherry-picking, then you will maybe want to fall back a little and position yourself so that you’re able to back the goalie up.
There are times when you glance back and realize that the goalie decided they want to be a striker instead, and they’ve left the net wide open. You need to always keep an eye on what your team is doing so that you can avoid disasters. Similarly,be willing to fall back when you see a problemforming.
How To Be A Better Goalkeeper
First and foremost,don’t limit yourself to being directly between the posts. Moving up and smothering the ball is often deeply important. Remember that you have infinite stamina, which means that you can sprint at will. If a member of the rival team misses a pass, and you are roughly an equal distance from the ball, then you will be able to beat them to it.
If the ball is in your goal area (the box in front of the goal), then you may scoop it up and immediately remove all threat. This is huge.If the ball is ever loose in the goal area, and you can get to it before the other team,do not hesitate to snatch it up.
How To Pass More Effectively As A Goalkeeper
Once you have the ball, you are obviously going to want to get it to a teammate. A well-placed, rangy kick will do it, but there is always a threat of it being intercepted. A good way to ensure that the ball gets to one of your players is toaim your kick a little short;that way it will roll to them. However, this is only a good idea if there isn’t a member of the rival team in between you and the person you are passing the ball to. In general,be extra careful if there is a player between you and the player you want to pass to, as they can hop up and intercept the ball.
If there is a player in between you and the teammate you are trying to get the ball to, you may be able to ricochet the ball off the wall. This only works if the player you are targeting is halfway between the wall and the middle of the field, but it can be an effective way of getting around coverage.
Of course, you may always throw it to a team member if there is one nearby, but that only makes sense to do if there aren’t a bunch of the other team’s players crowding your half of the field. If the other team is effectively covering everyone, and you don’t have a person to pass to,it is always better to clear it, and place the ball on the other side of the field. Aim for the player that is farthest away, and just do your best to get the ball to them.
You can play the ball up a little as the goalkeeper if there aren’t any rival players nearby, but you don’t want to stray too far from the goal area. Additionally, don’t allow yourself to be outside the goal area and close to a rival player. All they need to do is sweep you and there will be no one stopping them from scoring.Never take the ball forward, across the center line, as a goalkeeper!This is an act of utter arrogance and incompetence. If the ball gets taken from you, it is a free goal for the other team.
How To Deal With Players Rainbow Flicking The Ball Over The Goalkeeper’s Head
One thing that a lot of players like to do is to casually stroll right up to the goalie, then rainbow flick the ball over their head. This has probably already gotten you once or twice, but understand that it is a gimmick. If they are getting close enough to do that,slide into them,and you willalwayswin. Additionally, if you are a little slow reacting, youcanjust jump up and grab the ball. If an opponent rainbow flicks the ball over your head, then more often than not, you were playing a bit too far forward.
How To Deal With The Ricochet Shot
Another popular tactic is to shoot the ball above the net, then, as it ricochets forward, firing it into the corner. This is a tough one, as you will need to see that the ball is going to ricochet and do nothing. Then, you’ll have to react to their follow-up kick. If they are close enough,you can rush forward, and hop up and grab the ball after it ricochets, and before it can get to them, neutralizing their attack, but sometimes you’ll have to simply react. There is no way to guarantee they won’t score. Which is why it is important for there to be defenders to back the goalkeeper up.
How To Be A Better Defender
The most important thing to do as a defender is toapply pressure to the rival strikers. That is your primary goal. If the goalkeeper is all alone, and a member of the other team has the ball, they have all the time in the world to play mind games with dribbles and pinpoint a shot to the top corner of the net. The more time they have, the better the shot they’ll make. So, defenders need to swarm them. Don’t let them get comfortable.
A big part of this is not playing too far forward. If your whole team is already on the attack, hang back a little.Use that center line as a guidefor how far forward you should play. Stick around that area, so that you can rush back to the goal if the rival team clears the ball from their area. If you see that the other team has a player sitting in your goal, then always be close enough to fall back before a ball can reach them.
Defensive Techniques To Be Aware Of
The two tools you will need to be aware of most as a defender, outside the standard tackle, of course, are your headbutt, and defensive stance. Just like the goalie, you’re able to take a defensive stance. While this won’t allow you to dive like a goalkeeper, it does make it a lot easier tosquare yourself with the ball, and it turns your dash button into a quick side shuffle, which will intercept balls. In situations where a shot is incoming, it is a solid way to improve your odds of intercepting the ball.
Headbutting the ball is a modified version of the pass. It is done byholding the sprint button and pressing the pass buttonwhen the ball is in midair. This is a great way to intercept balls that are over your head, as it will cause you to hop up and get them. Just like a regular pass, you will be able to aim the ball midair as well.
How To Strip The Ball From Rival Players More Effectively
The first thing you will want to do is toavoid using the sliding tackle. The sliding tackle should only ever be used in desperate times, or when you are approaching a sprinting player from behind. The standard tackle required a tenth of the commitment. It recovers fast enough that you can miss, and still cover the player with the ball. You can use it more speculatively, while the sliding tackle basically takes you out of the action.
While I strongly recommend avoiding the sliding tackle for the most part, if you are a few feet away from a player who is winding up a shot, you will want to use it as a last-ditch effort. It does have some utility in those moments where you need to make up a little ground, and you are all out of time.
If the player is using a lot of dribbling techniques, hang back a little and see what they do. Obviously, this will give them a free pass (though we will tackle that in a second), but if they are playing particularly selfishly, then there is a good chance that they will try something gimmicky like a rainbow flick, at which point you canleap at them and knock the ball away.A wait-and-see approach can be a powerful weapon.
How To Cut Off Passing Lanes
More often than not, rival players will approach along the wall to avoid the traffic in the center of the field. As a defender, this is to your advantage. If you are between them and the net, then they can’t fire a shot off, and if they are up against the wall, that means they only have one viable passing lane. Instead of rushing forward,sit tight in this space and force them to make a decision.
The longer you hold them here, the more likely it is that one of your teammates will cut off that single passing lane, at which point they will be forced to try to ricochet it off the wall, which will likely lead to it getting scooped up by your goalkeeper. Let them do your work for you and give them opportunities to make mistakes.
Try To Anticipate The Cross And Intercept
One of the most fundamental offensive plays you will see is a player on the far left or right of the net passing it across to a teammate who will then bicycle kick the ball into the back corner of the net. It is an effective play and one that is hard to reliably defend against as a goalie. So, if a rival player is covered by one of your teammates,look for an obvious player that they would want to pass the ball to.
Don’t crowd that player, instead, hang back a little, which will bait the cross, then, once the ball is on route,run in and headbutt it away. If you can reliably intercept the cross, then you will dismantle the cornerstone of every striker’s offense.
What To Do With The Ball Once You Have It
Since you are a defender, what you are not going to do is scream ‘Pele’, then try to use your sick dribbling techniques to take it forward. Instead, you are going to do one of three things…
