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The player who lies down behind the defensive wall at a free kick to stop the ball going underneath. As attacking players got better at dipping the ball under jumping walls, teams started putting someone on the ground to block that gap. It looks undignified but it works. You see it at almost every free kick near the box now, especially in the Premier League.
Chelsea popularized the draft excluder in the Premier League - whenever opponents won a dangerous free kick, you'd see a defender drop to the ground behind the wall, ready to block any attempt to sneak the ball through the gap.
Robbie
Jan 28, 2026
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