Bend but Don’t Break
If you’re a fan of the NFL and in particular the New England Patriots then you’ve almost certainly heard of the bend but don’t break defence. The Pats have been masters of this approach, giving up plenty of yardage to their opponents, only to shut them down as they approach scoring range.
In contrast the Southampton Saints of the English Premier League have proven to be defensively naïve in their own third, nervous in high pressured situations, and liable to be more porous than a sieve.
That was until recently at least.
The trip to Sussex saw the continuation of the team’s defensive improvement. Brighton struggle to make an impact for much of the match but piled on the pressure for the final 20 minutes.
Chris Hughton’s outfit dominated the football as Saints opted to batten down the hatches. The Reds struggled to clear their lines, for more than brief periods at a time, but proved immovable as the opposition attempted aerial assaults on the box.
Although, Jan Bednarek and Maya Yoshida didn’t always look at their most comfortable, they managed to hold off the onslaught, with a strong aerial presence. BHA came close, with a shot fired against the crossbar, and two fired straight at Angus Gunn. Nevertheless, the backline minimized the breaches.
The travellers bent but didn’t break.