What is the most important space on a soccer field?Some suggest that it is the zone directly in front of the penalty area – referred to as Zone 14 – where the largest percentage of goal scoring opportunities originate. Air Max 270 React Bauhaus . Others suggest that the penalty area is the most important, as it is where the largest percentage of goals are scored. Still others suggest that the midfield is the most crucial area of the pitch, as it is often where games are "won and lost".I disagree with all three suggestions. For me, the most important space on a football pitch is the space between a players ears.For me, football is simply a game of decisions. The ability to make the correct decisions consistently is what is often referred to as a players "football IQ" or "football intelligence". You will often hear analysts refer to a player having a good "football brain", which is simply a way of saying that a player consistently makes the correct decisions on a football pitch.Does he pass the ball or does he dribble? If he passes the ball, whom does he pass it to? When he passes the ball, how hard does he pass it? Does he pass it to the left side or to the right side of the receiver? Does he pass it on the ground, or does he have to lift the ball in order to get it to its intended target?Players make thousands of these decisions during a 90-minute game, yet the difference between glory and failure can often rest on just one or two. For defenders, the wrong decision often results in conceding a goal.Consider Spains humiliating 5-1 loss to the Netherlands.Just one minute after Spains David Villa had a one-on-one with Dutch goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen – which would have put Spain in front 2-0 just before the halftime break had Silva scored - the Netherlands scored a fabulous equalizing goal through Robin van Persie. The goal completely changed the course of the game, as the momentum heading into the break turned 180 degrees in favour of the Netherlands.As wonderful as the goal was for the Netherlands, from Spains perspective it was a defensive calamity.When Dutch defender Bruno Martins Indi passed the ball to wingback Daley Blind, the assessment of the situation from Spanish defender Sergio Ramos was that there was no imminent danger.However, Ramos failed to correctly assess the situation because he got caught ball-watching. Ramos focused his attention on Blind, rather than on Robin van Persies position in relation to the ball at Blinds feet. Had he seen van Persies positioning on his back shoulder, Ramos would have realized that there was a genuine threat. Had Ramos then decided to run just three or four yards to get back into the correct defensive position, Blind would have opted to retain possession with a safer pass, rather than sending the ball forward for van Persie to attack.The ball in behind Spains back line from Blind was inch perfect, matched in quality only by the diving header from van Persie. The goal completely changed the course of the game, as the momentum swung in favour of the Netherlands – who went on to score four unanswered goals in the second half to pull off one of the results of the tournament.Consider Italys shocking 1-0 defeat at the hands of Costa Rica.Usually one of the most consistent defensive teams at the international level, Italy was badly caught out for Bryan Ruizs game-winning goal.When Costa Ricas Júnior Díaz picked up the ball on the left flank and shaped to cross, Italys Giorgio Chiellini (arguably one of the best defenders in the world) never spotted the run of Ruiz off his back shoulder. Why? Because Chiellini never took his eyes off the ball.Yes, it was clever movement from Ruiz. But Chiellinis decision to focus solely on the ball, rather than on Ruizs movement in relation to the ball, resulted in a devastating outcome for Italy. A tremendous cross from Diaz and a clinical finish from Ruiz was all Costa Rica needed to separate the two sides, clinching the minnows passage to the knockout stage.Consider Ecuadors winning goal in their 2-1 victory over Honduras.One of the key principles of good defensive play is "see the ball, see the man". A good defender always puts himself in a position where he can see both the ball and the player he is marking. Generally speaking, this is a position that is ball-side and closer to the goal that is being defended than the attacker.On Ecuadors free kick, Honduran defender Juan Carlos García committed the cardinal sin of turning his back on the ball when marking Ecuadorian striker Enner Valencia. Garcia had no idea that the ball had been kicked, as he was trying to wrestle with Valencia instead. This left Valencia the easy task of wriggling away from Garcias clutches to head the ensuing cross into the back of the net.While there have been some examples of very good defensive play at the World Cup – Iran, Greece and Costa Rica have all put on excellent defensive performances in various games – I have been surprised at how many individual defenders are making fundamental defensive mistakes.As the game changes – fullbacks are now more coveted for their ability to get forward in attack than they are for their one on one defensive abilities – the characteristics of the next generation of defenders will also change. Speed, comfort on the ball and a wide passing range are all characteristics that the modern game seeks in its defenders.But those characteristics should never come at the expense of situational and positional awareness, tackling, heading, organization and communication. The young players - like Frances Raphael Varane and Uruguays José Giménez – who can marry all of these traits together will go on to be the next "defensive artists" of the modern game. Air Max 270 React Achat .J. -- All those records, all for naught. Air Max 270 React Fluo . Pominville scored in all three of Minnesotas games last week to help the Wild (8-4-3, 19 points) earn four out of a possible six points. His best performance was in a 4-3 win over Montreal on Friday, where he posted a season-high three points (two goals, one assist), including the game-winning goal. http://www.airmax270reactpascher.fr/fausse-air-max-270-react-winter.html . So they rushed to re-sign the first baseman who general manager Ben Cherington described Friday as "a unique player." The World Series champions finalized a $32 million, two-year agreement Thursday with the slugging former catcher who turned into a surprisingly good defender.Tuscaloosa, AL (SportsNetwork.com) - Devin Booker headed a strong Kentucky shooting effort with 13 points and the No. 1 Wildcats kept on rolling with a 70-48 pasting of Alabama at Coleman Coliseum. Kentucky (17-0, SEC 4-0) dominated in all facets en route to its second straight blowout win after a pair of narrow overtime triumphs to begin SEC play. The Wildcats shot 50 percent from the floor, knocked down 8-of-17 attempts from 3-point range and finished 16-of-18 from the foul line. They controlled the glass as well, outrebounding the Crimson Tide by a 30-21 margin, while forcing 15 turnovers to deal Alabama its first home loss of the season. Booker finished 3-of-6 from beyond the arc and Tyler Ulis hit 3-of-4 from long distance in an 11-point effort. Dakari Johnson also tallied 11 points for Kentucky, which remained one of the nations two lone unbeatens along with Virginia. Alabama (12-5, 2-2), which entered Saturdays matchup 10-0 in Tuscaloosa, received 13 points from Levi Randolph and 10 out of Rodney Cooper in its second straight conference setback. Final Score: (2) Virginia 66, Boston College 51 Chestnut Hill, MA (SportsNetwork.com) - Malcolm Brogdon scored 20 points and No. 2 Virginia pulled away late against Boston College to come through with a 66-51 victory over the Eagles. The Cavaliers unblemished record was temporarily placed in jeopardy when they trailed 38-33 early in the second half. However, Virginia put together a 13-2 run and dominated the final 14 minutes to prevent the upset bid. Though Justin Anderson, the Cavs leading scorer on the season, was held without a field goal, Anthony Gill amassed 11 points and 10 rebounds to help Virginia (17-0, 5-0 ACC) to its first 5-0 start in ACC play since 1980-81. London Perrantes added eight points -- all coming in the second half -- along with six assists. Boston College (8-8, 0-4) remained winless in conference games despite Olivier Hanlans 18 points and six assists. Patrick Heckmann finished with 15 points for the Eagles. Final Score: (3) Gonzaga 72, Loyola Marymount 55 Los Angeles, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - Gary Bell Jr. paced a balanced Gonzaga attack with 17 points and the No. 3 Bulldogs posted a 72-55 victory over Loyola Marymount on Saturday. Kevin Pangos hit four 3-pointers and scored 16 points for the Bulldogs (18-1, 7-0 WCC), who notched their 11th straight victory overall and against the Lions. Byron Wesley finished with 14 points, six rebounds, five assists and four steals for a Gonzaga team that opened the game on a 14-0 run. Ayodeji Egbeyemi had 14 points to lead Loyola Marymount (5-14, 1-6), which snapped a five-game skid with a win over Portland on Thursday. Final Score: (4) Duke 63, (6) Louisville 52 Louisville, KY (SportsNetwork.com) - Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski is now only two wins away from capturing the 1,000th win of his illustrious career. Krzyzewskis squad got back on track Saturday with a 63-52 victory over the sixth-ranked Louisville Cardinals. Amile Jefferson scored 19 points on 6-of-7 shooting and pulled down seven rebounds for the fourth-ranked Blue Devils (15-2, 3-2 ACC), who avoided dropping three straight ACC games for the first time since the 2006-07 campaign. Jahlil Okafor added 18 points on 8-of-10 shooting and grabbed seven boards for Duke, which shot 48.8 percent from the field and went 17-of-23 from the foul line. Terry Rozier ended with 17 points for the Cardinalls (15-3, 3-2), who have lost two of three. Air Max 270 React Pas Cher. Montrezl Harrell tallied 10 points and 14 rebounds. Final Score: (12) Notre Dame 75, Miami-Florida 70 South Bend, IN (SportsNetwork.com) - Jerian Grant scored 23 points and handed out eight assists to help No. 12 Notre Dame shake off a slow start and top Miami, 75-70, on Saturday. The Fighting Irish (17-2, 5-1 ACC) trailed by as many as 12 in the second half but had enough time to recover and shoot their way out of their hole. V.J. Beachem added 13 points on 3-of-7 shooting from 3- point range and Pat Connaughton contributed 10 points and 11 rebounds. The Hurricanes (12-5, 2-2) were led by Sheldon McClellans 17 points and JaQuan Newton chipped in 16. Tonye Jekiri scored eight with a game-high 13 rebounds, but star Angel Rodriguez had just four points on 1-of-10 shooting. Final Score: (13) Wichita State 61, Evansville 41 Evansville, IN (SportsNetwork.com) - Darius Carter and Ron Baker scored 18 points apiece to help 13th-ranked Wichita State beat Evansville 61-41 on Saturday. Carter also grabbed 11 rebounds in the Shockers wire-to-wire win. Shaquille Morris had nine points and Fred VanVleet added seven with five rebounds as Wichita State extended a record with a 24th straight regular- season Missouri Valley Conference victory. The Shockers (16-2, 6-0 MVC) won their 12th consecutive league road game. D.J. Balentine scored 16 points but shot 6-of-17 for the Purple Aces (13-5, 3-3), who were held to 30 percent shooting. They entered the game third in the nation in shooting at 51.1 percent while leading the MVC in scoring with an average of 74.6 points. Final Score: (14) Maryland 75, Michigan State 59 College Park, MD (SportsNetwork.com) - Melo Trimble and Jake Layman each had a big first half to help No. 14 Maryland in a 75-59 win over Michigan State. Trimble scored 21 of his 24 points in the opening half, while Layman added 13 of his 23 over the first 20 minutes. Layman also pulled down a team-high 12 rebounds for the Terrapins (17-2, 5-1 Big Ten), who have won three straight. The Spartans (12-6, 3-2) had their three-game winning streak snapped, a run that started after a double overtime home loss to Maryland on Dec. 30. Branden Dawson paced Michigan State with 14 points and 10 rebounds and Matt Costello chipped in 12 points. Final Score: (17) VCU 70, Duquesne 64 Pittsburgh, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - JeQuan Lewis had 16 points and five assists as No. 17 VCU held off Duquesne, 70-64. Melvin Johnson gave 14 points and Doug Brooks added 10 for the Rams (15-3, 5-0 A-10), who have won 10 straight since a loss to Virginia on Dec. 6. Derrick Colter had 14 points and five rebounds, Dominique McKoy added 12 points and six rebounds and L.G. Gill had 11 points and seven boards for the Dukes (6-10, 1-4), who have lost their past three. Final Score: Kansas State 63, (22) Baylor 61 Manhattan, KS (SportsNetwork.com) - Nino Williams posted 18 points and seven rebounds, as Kansas State edged No. 22 Baylor thanks to a second-half surge, 63-61, at Bramlage Coliseum. Marcus Foster added 11 points for the Wildcats (11-7, 4-1 Big 12), winners of four straight games thanks to shooting 50 percent (23-of-46) from the field. Kenny Chery poured in a game-high 21 points -- but his runner as time expired failed to fall -- and Taurean Price added 20 for the Bears (13-4, 2-3), who have dropped three of their last five. ' ' '