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For many years now i have thought that a Defensive wall outside the box is a complete waste of time and makes defending any shot harder for keeper and defenders?
The goal the lad scored for Yeovil yesterday on half time a case in point........no way he would have scored that goal from that position that far out..............its hard enough to beat a keeper from the penalty spot let alone yards outside the box.
I feel the wall helped people like Beckham and co.........gave them an angle to decieve the keeper because he is blocked by the wall.
Of course for free kicks in the area or close to goal the wall may help.
It takes a shot of great power and accuracy to score a goal outside of the area....what do people think?...maybe you think that a wall blocks many goal bound shots and so it is warranted.....but surely a decent keeper would gobble those shots up anyway.

The wall is crucial in helping the keeper out. And so I reckon more goals would be scored without them as you are basically then giving a free shot on goal.

Of course it relies on the wall remaining intact and in position. Which didn't happen yesterday.

The wall fell apart yesterday.  Went in all directions!

You get dozens of shots from free play during a match that are free shots on goal outside of the box.........not many go in.

In my opinion without a wall you'd see 4 or 5 times the amount of goals a season scored from direct freekicks. Players such as Christiano Ronaldo would have a field day as they wold just smash the ball as hard as they can and no matter how good the keeper is when the ball is hit at a certain speed you just can't react in time, and even if the keeper does get to it with the new technique of getting the ball to bounce just in front of the keeper there would be so many goals scored from rebounds as it's so hard to catch shots like that cleanly first time.
With a wall the player can put the ball roughly 2 places...... over the wall or around the wall where the keeper more often than not should have it covered. Without the wall much it would become a bit like penalties and the keeper would just have to start guessing.

It's quite a bit different when the game is flowing, allowing tackles. A free kick gives the attacker alot more time to pick the spot..

Nice idea though

Good points Robin....i dont agree though,i feel the keeper would save most of them.........Ronaldo and co get most of there goals because the wall helps them.........it blocks out the keeper.

Ronaldo is an interesting one as watching the Real Madrid game last night they mentioned that about 95% or something along those lines go straight into the wall, so in that case it would suggest the wall does a pretty good job as those that get smashed into the wall would be on target so make the keeper work.

Remember i am not talking shots inside the area of course......a wall is a must then...i am talking outsde,remember Robin most players are not Ronaldo!
The stat about the wall is abit misleading as 95% may go straight at the keeper,wide or over........not all will fly in the net.
Not being argumentative......just a feeling i get especially at lower levels...many walls are naff and dont help but hinder.

Alot of free kicks in general do hit the wall. However you (one) only remembers when goals are scored as of course they are more memorable..

I play in goal so am probably a bit biased but I definitely rely on my wall quite a lot as it does help......tbh as soon as fit again I'm likely to go back to playing on Saturdays again as I'm not enjoying this season watching Town in the slightest but that a side issue to this convo.

Well my feeling is it will get a lot better for Town and you will start enjoying it again.......i pick and choose my away matches now.....money talks.

I'm no goal keeper, perhaps a few extra seconds of being able to see the flight of the ball might be a help to some, but generally I think its an absurd suggestion. You are just giving the attack more of the goal to aim at. Which is completely not the point of defending.

But with a wall the keeper cannot see the ball or the flight,,,he is completly guessing.
As i said most shots from outside the area during free play are gobbled up easily by most decent keepers...look at the stats from any match and there are plenty of shots at goal that dont result in goals...so not as absurd as you may think Dave.

if the wall wasn't needed it wouldn't be used.there is no written law that states walls should be created when defending free kicks,they are used because they work.

Unless of course players decide they want to run off in oppiste directions like yesterday. Shocking defending that was.

That's not true most of the time is it. He doesn't stand behind the wall.

Fact is when the ball is hit with pace and power he can't cover the whole goal.

exactly Batch.The wall is to cover the area of the goal the free kick taker can't see.If a player gets it over the wall and into the goal then the credit has to go to the goalscorer.Having a free shot with no wall would be insane.

Personally i use a 30 yard rule, anything around roughly around that distance I don't use a wall although that said if up against a free kick taker who is really able to smash it I will stick 1 or 2 in front of him just to stop or discourage a direct smash at goal.
Anything within 30 yards I'd definitely have a wall as it will offer some protection.

If anyone saw the Nottm Forest free kick from last week you'd agree that for some very special free-kicks it does not make the slightest difference if there's a wall there or not.

Also... who's to say the keeper would have a better sight of the ball anyway?  Presumably those blokes in the wall would simply defend in and around the box and, as they wouldn't be stationary, could distract the keeper.

The problem with the defensive wall yesterday is that it did little in the way of defending, much like if it wasn't there at all... If they'd stood firm the ball would've been cleared.

I don't think that's a good idea generally. Gotta keep the wall.

our wall didnt protect our goal from a shite free kick simple as that really - must do better - definatly something to work on the training ground - i think the timing of it is what hurt us most go in 1-0 half time its a different game

Totally agree that was the gippo's only chance of the first half 10 seconds later the whistle went for half time what a difference a good wall would have made  so keep the wall

Totally agree with this, but how often do you see a goalie move to the "wrong" side of the goal (ie behind the wall) just as the kick is being taken because he thinks thats where its going to go ? Can see both sides of the argument here, would be interesting to see a team try it !

Maybe some innovation is required, given free kick takers have adjusted the approach they take in recent years.  I'd go with a couple of players either side to force the free kick taker to go straight down the middle.  To go either side you'd be relying on a lot of curve bringing the ball back in.  Current trends are for players to get the ball up and over without much bend, this way the keeper would have a view of the straight shot and being able to see the ball could adjust if it did manage to curve outwards at all.

Of course, forwards could then adapt and block the view, making it seem like an entire goal width of a wall.

The real thing that baffles me, is why attacking teams are not more inventive rather than just having straight shots.  if a team commits players to a wall, you must have spare players you can use to cause confusion across the full width of the box.  I'd imagine the % of direct shots that actually go in is very small, so you are not losing much - the Argentina one against us in 98 is a prime example.

Put a keeper in goal say Cech,Reina who ever.........get Drogba,Rooney who ever to take free kicks at them without a wall say in training..........from 25 yards or further i would back the keeper to save most of the shots however hard they are hit.
As i have said you need a wall inside the box or maybe right on the edge.....further out than that i wouldn't bother.

Hahaha, I'll have some of whatever you're on leefer.

If you let Drogba have a free shot at any keeper from 25 yards he'd score more than the keep could even get a finger to.

No chance.....its not me and you in goal bud.

Leefer, Any thoughts as to why every manager and defence in every team DO put a wall in front of goal when a free kick against them is in striking range?

I'm with Leefer on this one - the keeper would save way more than Drogba scored.

But with a wall Drogba would miss more than he'd score. Question is would he score more with or without a wall?

I'll respectfully disagree with Leefer on that and leave it there.

Lets do this.

glos red said he's a keeper. I fancy myself as a free kick expert. Some volunteers for wall (might get hit alot)

I'll take 10 shots without a wall, 10 with a wall and see what happens.

I'll probably miss them all though :D

http://www.chelseafc.com/page/PlayerProfileDetail/0,,10268~28142,00.html


0.17 shot to goal ratio......look at the stats,and remember many of these shots are INSIDE the box.

Hitting the target is fairly easy for someone like Drogba...beating a quality keeper from outside the box....not easy........made easier by a wall because its blocking the keeper.

Course as i said origanally a wall is a must close in.


Edit..............look at all the stats and only half of his shots actually hit the target...let alone test the keeper,though i do know that most of these of course are not free kicks.

....and I expect alot of the free kicks dont hit the target because they hit the wall, go too wide round the wall and wide, too high over the wall and over.

Thats a fair point Dave......but my point is that from a certain distance a wall helps the attacker more than a keeper........i believe that a good striker wouldnt score many against a good keeper from outside the box.

You obviously disagree.....fair enough.