What is the job of the defender after gaining possession of the ball in soccer?

Answer 1

His job is the same as every other player on the field. Keep posession of the ball and find an oppurtunity to score. Many times unskilled or younger teams will just have their deffenders clear the ball but you want to try to score and clearing the ball creates a 50/50 ball down the field and often stops the counter attack. My coaches have always wanted our defenders to try to push forward and take up space, if your opponent lets you carry the ball the whol length of the pitch then take the oppurtunity, and if you see an oppurtunity to pass that would lead to a better chance of the team scoring then pass the ball off. If a deffender does carry the ball up the field someone needs to swing back to cover for him and it could be a number of diffrent players depending on the formation you are playing. Clearing the ball should be a last resort if theres no other option, like in tight spaces around the goal mouth trying to dribble out of the box could create a dangerous situation.