Soccer Slang: The Rest Defence

Positioning is everything - learn more about one of the best: The Rest Defence.

Soccer may ultimately be about putting the ball in the net — but the modern game is overflowing with jargon.

As tactics become increasingly shaped by data and analytics, players and coaches have developed an ever-evolving technical language — one that NYC Footy’s Soccer Slang series aims to decode.

From Gegenpressing to The Rest Defence, we translate the phrases that make contemporary soccer sound more like science fiction.

This week, we break down the art of defending when you’re actually attacking. Bear with us! 

The Rest Defence

You’re on the front foot. The crowd’s whipped up, your team’s momentum is building by the second — you can feel deep in your bones that a goal is coming. But at which end?

With transitions and counter-attacks in vogue these days, it pays for managers and players to put contingency plans in place. And that’s where a team’s rest defence (a term derived from German and Dutch phrases that translate as ‘remaining defence’) comes in.

When a team attacks, plenty of players push forward to try to create chances. But the other players — usually defenders and defensive midfielders — stay behind the ball. They might circulate possession when needed, but their real job is to control space, manage risk, and prevent counter-attacks.

This supporting cast — their positioning, their decisions, their responsibilities — forms the team’s rest defence. In most tactical systems, around five players commit to the attack, while the other five outfield players (plus the goalkeeper) provide the defensive structure behind them.

Arsenal arguably have the most effective rest defence in Europe at the moment, so let’s quickly assess the attributes of their defensive players. 

An intelligent defensive midfielder like Martin Zubimendi is essential, given his tactical awareness and ability to screen his defence while supporting attacks. Rugged, quick centre-backs like Gabriel Magalhães and William Saliba are built to win 1v1 duels and shut down the counter-attacking threats posed by fast forwards.

“Attack wins you games, but rest defence wins you leagues.”

We’ve butchered a timeless Alex Ferguson quote there — but we’re not too far wide of the mark.