man-marking

In the most extreme form of man-marking, each player has a pre-established opponent to be followed and to be man-marked, from a more or less short distance, wherever he goes. The main objective of the defender is to steal the ball from his opponent if he receives it, or to place him in a threatened condition, thus forcing him to immediately get rid of the ball.

2003, Floriano Marziali, Vincenzo Mora, “The Factors in a Soccer Player’s Performance”, in Bryan R. Beaver, editor, The Zone, Spring City, Pa.: Reedswain Publishing, →ISBN, page 34