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The players who stay back while the team attacks, ready to deal with a counter if possession is lost. Usually includes a centre-back or two and the holding midfielder. Guardiola teams obsess over rest defense positioning - they want numerical superiority or at least equality behind the ball even during attacking phases. Getting it wrong means getting hit on the break.
Manchester City under Guardiola structure their rest defense meticulously - Rodri drops between the centre-backs, both full-backs rarely push up at the same time, and the team is always positioned to handle counters even when dominating possession.
Robbie
Jan 11, 2026
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