Bill Belichick Quotes

If we don't start playing better on defense, it's going to be hard. We can't just sit there and win shootouts.

Defending isn't just about tackling and heading, it's also about getting the ball down and playing - starting the attack from the back.

The interaction between the goalkeeper and the back four has to be top to compete in the Premier League.

Stop by stop by stop. Play aggressively. Sprint back on 'D' and pay attention to how we're supposed to guard as a team

I would always treat my attacking game as the more natural part. With defence, you have to get yourself in positions to understand the game and understand situations and that might not be as natural a thing.

Defense is a definite part of the game, and a great part of defense is learning to play it without fouling.

At one time, we were asked to play your own man; you're responsible for your own man. And, if you were good enough and kind of a ball hawk, you helped everyone else. Now it's really much more of a team concept defensively than it was when we played.

I am not a player who goes on mazy runs - I like to defend. I like to do a job for the team.

I know when I step into midfield I have to sharpen my feet up and be more aware of what's around me, at centre back it's more about timing, positioning and communication.

If I'm playing higher up the pitch, it's important I don't get carried away and start dropping too deep and I stay in my position.

We believe defending is very much a team job, and we can't just rely on a back four and a goalkeeper.

Rafa Benitez was keen on defending - all dropping back together if you lose the ball.

If someone is going to spend a whole game marking you, then there may be games when I will have to sacrifice myself for the team and take them away and create space for a team-mate.

Any good defensive team has a strong anchor, because he cleans up mistakes.

I think a lot of managers say that it starts from the front and us as defenders know it helps our job when the front two strikers put that pressure on. If they can do that it makes our job a lot easier.

That's how you get better on defense; not just 'oh, man, my guy beat me,' but you have to think about, 'okay, my man beat me, so I either have to pick up the next man, or I'm going to give somebody a foul.

At Tottenham, we are just bombing on as wing-backs, but sometimes on the international stage, where there is so much quality, you need to be more careful about the distance between yourself and the right-sided centre-half.

When you look at older teams in the finals, Miami and San Antonio, they're not really the most explosive or athletic team but they're always in the right position defensively.

It's a war of wills out there on the court. You have to have a stronger will than your opponent, and every guy on your team has to feel that same way against the guy he's guarding.

If you commit to the defensive end of the floor, you're going to have a chance to win every night. And if you're a great defensive team, you're going to go to the playoffs.

You need to defend as a team to defend well.

Now and again, you may be picking a pass or two in behind, making something happen, but when we're attacking - especially at Liverpool - I'm focusing on protection, being disciplined, being careful, worrying about counter-attacks, things like that.

Someone said that my coaching is a combination of Milan's defensive discipline and the Dutch propensity for attacking football, and I think that is a fair description.

Defense all starts with the ball and the rim-protector is the last resort, the last line of defense. I take pride in that.

To be useful in defence, to win back the ball, you don't always have to go sliding into the tackle. It's also about your positioning; sometimes all you have to do is take a step back.