Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Uruguay, Colombia, Ecuador, the USA, and Paraguay do not hug their markers; they create space to run toward the tackle before the next pass is played. That helps them generate constant positive momentum in the tackle.

Man-to-man marking is effective, but it becomes more effective when you pair it with space and timing.

There is always one player on the outside. They are not necessarily marking zonally or covering space, but they are not fully committed to their primary marker.

They are covering the man in front of them, who can receive a pass out from the back, or they can move back to defend the space behind them.

These teams are extremely good at splitting that defensive responsibility.

They will create five to eight yards of space between themselves and their marker, and then, two seconds before the pass is played, they move. They launch off their back foot toward the pass.

They are always arriving in the tackle with greater pace and intensity than the player receiving the pass, which gives them a higher chance of winning the ball and more room to be aggressive.

It is like an accordion. They are constantly moving in and out, closing the space and offering the space so they can plant off their back foot and arrive into the challenge with more aggression and more momentum.

That, for me, is a major differentiator for those national teams: Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Uruguay, Colombia, Ecuador, the USA, and Paraguay. Other teams should adopt this defensive approach more.