It is normal to see a full-back march into the box during a dead-ball situation. You see a John Terry or Branislav Ivanovic (for Chelsea) striding menacingly in the final third waiting for the cross from the corner or free-kick. No wonder, that you see some goals from these defenders. Terry has already scored thrice for his boyhood club in English Premier League while Ivanovic has scored four times.
So, what makes them more entertaining? It is no rocket science that fans who visit the stadium and supporters who follow the game are more interested in action in the final third. This is why a goal-scoring header from a corner gets more attention than a goal-saving slide. And, this holds good for the defenders too.
Premier League today has its share of defenders who are threatening in dead ball situations. We spoke about how Terry and Ivanovic love moving forward for Chelsea. The same can be said about Everton left-back Leighton Baines. The Everton defender is a constant threat on the wings and his marauding runs resulted in his eight assists. He is a dead-ball specialist too taking free-kicks and penalties.
This trend is not limited to Premier League alone. The Spanish La Liga has its own share of exciting defenders with Sergio Ramos of Real Madrid or Diego Godin and Miranda of Atletico Madrid coming into reckoning. These full-backs are a menace in the box when the corners are taken. Being a defender helps them analyze what the opponent defender is planning and thus plunge into action at the right time.
German Bundesliga isn’t immune to this latest trend either. The success of Wolfsburg this season is as much attributed to Kevin De Bruyne in the final third, as to their defender duo of Naldo and Ricardo Rodriguez. Rodriguez is highly threatening with his runs on the left and his return of 3 goals and 3 assists so far illustrates the same. Naldo, on the other hand, is a threat in corners and most of his 6 goals have come from such situations.
It is no secret that teams generally play for dead-ball situations because it gives them a chance to involve their full-backs too in scoring opportunities. This means that defenders have increased chances of being on the score sheet. Reason enough for us to check the Betting Market regarding that: the odds are generally high for the defenders to score. A quick analysis of the ‘exciting defenders’ will give you a high chance of reaping rewards on your betting strategies.
Ivanovic scoring anytime for Chelsea against West Ham (their next match) is offered at odds of 3,75 by William Hill. This is definitely a bet that can be considered going by the penchant of Ivanovic to get involved in the game. Invanovic’s defender partner Terry is listed at odds of 4,0 by William Hill to score in his next game at West Ham. Again, a very exciting betting opportunity considering the fact that he actually scores quite often. And you don’t need to go further than his latest strike in Capital One cup final against Tottenham.
Strikers are generally lauded for their match winning goals. But, it is often seen that defenders are equally important in scoring these match winners from set pieces. So, keep an eye on our betting tips and betting strategies, make your mind carefully and enjoy the defenders running at their counterparts.
