Modern Soccer Coach Podcast Is The Art of Defending Dead? Danny Collins & Ike Opara on the Center Back Position Today
Dec 29, 2025
Danny Collins, a former Premier League center-back turned coach, and Ike Opara, a seasoned MLS defender, revisit the evolution of the center-back role. They tackle how defender-first mindsets have shifted to possession play and the impact of Pep Guardiola's tactics on youth training. The duo dives into the necessity of balancing technical skills with traditional defensive craft, discusses the current standards for elite defenders, and speculates on the future of defending, weighing the risks of playing out from the back. It's a deep dive for anyone involved in soccer coaching.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Ball-First Centre-Backs Are The New Norm
- Center-backs are now primarily required to be comfortable on the ball and start possession for attacks.
- That priority has shifted attention away from traditional defensive duties like clearing the box.
Player Career Spanning Two Eras
- Danny Collins describes his career spanning the traditional defender role into the modern ball-playing expectation.
- He recalls being a defender-first early on and seeing the shift toward building from the back by 2019.
Philosophy Filters Down The Pyramid
- Coaching philosophies (inspired by Guardiola/Barcelona) reshaped teams to prioritise possession and building from the back.
- That shift filtered down into MLS and youth systems, sometimes unrealistically.