Soccer: Delight in art of defending

Ryan Nelsen

Ryan Nelsen will have a key role to play if Blackburn are to dump favourites Arsenal out of the English FA Cup and book their place in the final for the first time in 45 years.

The modest Kiwi has forged an alliance with Andy Todd in the heart of the Rovers defence that manager Mark Hughes claims is the best in the Premiership.

"Ryan enjoys the art of defending," Hughes said. "Some defenders can get carried away wanting to be ball-playing centre halves and forget the main reason they are in the team - to defend.

"He has a presence, a voice in the dressing room and he's strong. He's a man, basically."

Hughes said Nelsen played most of a recent Premiership encounter with Manchester United with a fractured thumb. "It was smashed to bits, but he just played on."

Nelsen will wear a special cast when he plays in tomorrow's semifinal at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff.

Blackburn are six-times winners of the world's oldest soccer competition, although their last victory was in 1928.

They have had recent success, mostly notably in 1995 winning the Premiership and in 2002 winning the League Cup, but success in the FA Cup is something only a few can recall.

Hughes, a former Manchester United striker, has cast the present Blackburn team in his own image - strong in the tackle with a hard physical and mental edge.

It is a style of play that has gained unfair criticism from some managers in a league which Bolton boss Sam Allardyce complained had "gone soft".

But the approach has worked for a Blackburn team light on attacking options.

"You have to play to your strengths," said Nelsen. "The system we play suits the players we have at the club. You can't play all-out attacking football if you haven't got the players to do that."

Blackburn may not always be pretty to watch but they are one of the form teams of the Premiership - grinding out the points to secure their future in the top flight, which not so long ago looked decidedly fragile.

Though he would be the last to admit it, Nelsen has been integral to the Rovers' revival.

In the 13 games he has played for the side they have conceded just four goals. Statistically he is vying with Newcastle's Titus Bramble as the Premiership's top defender.

But the All White is quick to dismiss any accolades.

"I don't really look at things like that. It's based on an average from the games I've played in and I haven't played long enough for it to really mean anything."

Blackburn's success is based on a 4-5-1 system, with South African Aaron Mokoena playing just in front of Nelsen and Todd.

Hughes likes to pack the midfield. It makes his team very hard to break down but does limit them in attack. Lone striker Paul Dickov acts more as an agitator to the opposition defence rather than an out and out goal-scorer.

In their last nine games Blackburn have been defeated only once, but that was by Arsenal. Blackburn's tactic on that day had been to lock Arsenal out and nullify the North Londoners' wealth of attacking talent.

For a while it worked. Arsenal became increasingly frustrated and resorted to the amateur dramatics that so often blight the European game.

Manager Arsene Wenger complained about Blackburn's rough-house tactics but when the deadlock was finally broken, Rovers had little to reply with. Had a warning shot for the semifinal been fired?

"I don't think we will have that problem," said Nelsen. "Cup games are completely different. We may start by playing one system but the management will always have options for a change should we need one.

"We can play more than one system."

A fact backed up by a 3-0 win over Southampton last weekend when Blackburn showed they can attack.

But few are tipping Rovers to win this one. The FA Cup is Arsenal's last chance of winning any silverware this season, though as Hughes pointed out with a wry Welsh smile, "it's also Blackburn's".

* David Fearnhead is an English soccer writer based in Blackburn.