Behind the Walls: Why are footballers laying down for free kicks?

Nicknamed the ‘draft excluder’, in recent months it has become popular for teams to position a player on the grass behind the wall formed in defense of a free kick. There are claims that the unlucky player is the one who lost a pre-match bet, the butt of an in-joke, or simply just the man who drew the short straw in the dressing room. Whether your betting strategy consists of choosing super 6 teams, picking the stars of the week or following form, it is worth looking at how free kicks are defended by each team and working out who gets the role of lying behind the wall.

We are not sure how the (un)lucky player is picked, but we are here to take a look behind the walls and ask: why are footballers laying down for free kicks?

Those of you with a good memory may well remember how the move was first used back in 2018 when Inter Milan’s Brozovic threw himself to the turf when he spotted the fact that Luis Suarez was planning to send a free kick under the wall as it jumped. The video went viral around the world, and many people (including Messi) were amused by the stunt. However, after the giggles died down there was time to think about the logic of the move and it slowly gained momentum as one of the latest trends to hit the field with the teams.

Every team has a free kick specialist, and they often feature on bet slips when it comes to possible scorers. The teams that the best dead ball specialists play for also often feature in accas every weekend. James Ward-Prowse comes to mind when thinking of the Premier League, but he is certainly not the only great kicker in the game. The likes of Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and Gareth Bale come to mind when you think of the ball dipping  up and down and hitting the back of the net. However, as the kickers get better, so do the defenders and the wall put up by the goalkeeper often keeps the ball from making much progress towards the goal once it leaves the attacker’s boot. As with all things in football, new tactics are always emerging. Kicking the ball beneath a jumping wall was made popular by Ronaldinho and many a player has scored by using the same tactic and hence the draft excluder was born.

Putting your body on the line is no easy thing to do and it is often attacking players who are told to get to the ground as they are seen to be of least use in a defensive wall. There is, of course, a need to be careful when given the job as if the handball rules in the Premier League are somewhat unpredictable (aka ridiculous) and we are anticipating the first penalty awarded due to the ball hitting the hand of the man tasked with being a human speed bump.

Keep your eye on the screen and your hand on your bet slip as the Euros come around as it’s pretty certain that we will see more of the tricks that we laugh at from the footballers we have come to know and love.