Football/Soccer Session (Academy Sessions): Good info

FAW Coach Ed

Gareth Pegg

Profile Summary

Name:	Gareth Pegg
City:	BRECON
Country:	United Kingdom
Membership:	Adult Member
Sport:	Football/Soccer

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Description

Specific Practice

Creating and Exploiting the Overload

Overview:

This session focuses on the Blue team's ability to create and exploit overloads through smart movement and positional play to generate numerical advantages and scoring opportunities. The Red team will aim to disrupt these overloads, stay compact, and transition quickly into attack upon regaining possession.

Objective:
The Blue team starts attacks from the halfway line, aiming to create overloads and score in the full-size goal.

The Red team must defend these overloads by maintaining a compact structure and then transition to attack if they win possession.

Once the Red team wins possession, they must quickly move to exploit any gaps and score in the two mini goals placed at the halfway line.

Focus:

Player Movement

Decision Making

Identifying Spaces

Setup:

Field Dimensions:

Half a pitch divided into 5 channels (3 central, 1 on each wing).

Full-size goal at one end.

2 mini goals placed at the halfway line, 10-15 yards from the sideline.

Formation:

Blue Team (Attacking): 1-2-3 formation
1 Holding Midfielder (deep-lying playmaker)
2 Attacking Central Midfielders
3 Forwards (central and two wingers)

Red Team (Defending): 4-2 formation
4 Defenders (center-backs and full-backs)
2 Central Midfielders
1 Goalkeeper

Football/Soccer Session Plan Drill (Colour): Specific Practice

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Specific Practice

Overview:

Focus:

Player Movement

Decision Making

Identifying Spaces

Tactical Movements to Create Overloads:

1. Wide Player Isolation:
The Blue team’s wingers should pull wide and deep to isolate Red full-backs, creating overloads on the wings. The central midfielder can either play quick passes or make runs to support the winger.

2. Central Midfielders Combining:
Central midfielders should rotate positions to draw Red midfielders out of shape, creating space for through balls or wide plays. A midfielder can also overlap or underlap to support attacking plays.

3. Overloading the Central Channels:
Blue players can shift to overload the central channels by having wide players cut inside or central midfielders make vertical runs. This will stretch Red’s defense and open up space for key passes.

4. Weak-Side Overload:
The weak-side winger should make diagonal runs or cut inside to exploit space left by the defensive shift, creating a numerical advantage on the opposite side of the ball.

Challenges:

Attacking (Blue Team):

1. Create Overloads: Use quick passes, intelligent movement, and width to create numerical advantages.

2. Switch Play: Quickly switch play to the opposite wing or exploit the weak side with the far-side winger.

3. Exploit Space: Recognize and exploit gaps in the defense with intelligent runs.

4. Combination Play: Use one-twos, overlaps, and underlaps to break down the defense and create scoring chances.

Defending (Red Team):

1. Compactness: Maintain a compact shape, with central defenders and midfielders closing down spaces.

2. Delay and Disrupt: Delay Blue’s attacks and disrupt the build-up by cutting passing lanes and closing down wide players.

3. Transition Quickly: Once possession is won, transition quickly to attack, exploiting any gaps left by Blue’s overloads.

Conditions:

1. Zone Occupation:
Blue players must occupy all 5 channels, stretching Red’s defensive shape and creating space for overloads.

2. Weak-Side Winger Attack:
Encourage the weak-side winger to make diagonal runs or cut inside, creating confusion and potential overloads.

3. Overload Recognition:
Blue players must recognize overload situations (e.g., 2v1 or 3v2 or 4v3) and exploit them with quick decisions, passes, or shots.

4. Quick Transitions (Red Team):
Upon regaining possession, Red should quickly transition forward, using wide players to stretch Blue's defense and create scoring chances in the mini-goals.

Football/Soccer Session Plan Drill (Colour): Screen 2

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Screen 2

Session Progression: Transition to 9v9 Game

Overview:
After working on creating and exploiting overloads in the previous drills, we will now transition into a 9v9 game to allow the players to apply these principles in a more game-like setting. The focus will be on maintaining the same tactical awareness, quick decision-making, and exploiting overloads while continuing to defend them. There will be fewer stoppages to encourage continuous play, but key coaching points and tactical objectives will still be reinforced during the game.

Setup:

Field Dimensions:

Use a 9v9 field, approximately 70x45.

Goals:

Full-size goals at either end of the pitch.

Formation:

Blue Team (Attacking): 2-1-4-1 formation (1 GK, 2 CBs, 3 Midfielders, 3 Forwards)

Red Team (Defending): 4-3-2 formation (1 GK, 3 Defenders, 3 Midfielders, 2 Forwards)

Game Structure:

Duration: 25-30 minute game with no stoppages unless necessary for major tactical points.

Rotation: Teams switch roles (attacking/defending) halfway through the session or after a set time.

Focus:
Create Overloads

Switch Play quickly

Communication

Defending Overloads (Red Team)

Transition Play (Red Team):

Key Coaching Points to Enforce During the Game:

1. Width and Depth:
Blue must continue to use width to stretch the defense, while players in central areas offer depth to create passing options. Red must remain compact and prevent Blue from easily switching play.

2. Quick Decision Making:
Both teams should focus on quick, decisive passing and movement. Encourage Blue players to recognize overloads and exploit them with one-twos, direct attacking passes, or diagonal runs into space. Red must transition quickly after regaining possession, recognizing when to go forward immediately.

3. Communication:
Players should be vocal in both attack and defense. Defenders must communicate to shift together as a unit, and attackers should call for the ball and make runs that pull defenders out of position.

4. Defensive Shape and Transition Awareness (Red Team):
Red players should remain organized, covering key zones and focusing on denying Blue central areas when defending overloads. Upon regaining possession, Red must look to exploit any gaps quickly, especially if Blue has committed players forward.

5. Awareness of Space:
Blue players need to remain aware of spaces to exploit, particularly in wide areas or between the lines. Red needs to track runners, particularly those making late runs into the box.