Football/Soccer Session (Academy Sessions): Compact defending in central areas (Start Time: 2023-02-21 18:30:00)

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Daniel Murray

Profile Summary

Name:	Daniel Murray
City:	Dundrum
Country:	Ireland
Membership:	Adult Member
Sport:	Football/Soccer

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Description

This is a defensive session focused on defending narrow in the 4-1-4-1. It is based off a 16 player session however practices can be adjusted to suit numbers.

The goal is to get our players to understand the principles of defending central areas - Remain compact, deny space, prevent through balls, work as a unit, force opposition out wide, transition to attack quickly where possible

All parts of the session (Warm up/technical practice - Tactical practice - Match) will have a focus on defending narrow and defending as a unit to ensure players are working on these principles and implementing them

Football/Soccer Session Plan Drill (Colour): Warm Up/Technical - 2v2 pressing

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Warm Up/Technical - 2v2 pressing (10 mins)

Method:

Players will split into 2 groups and line up on opposite end of a narrow rectangle
The blue team will start with the ball and they will attack and try to beat the red defenders and play the ball to the red line
Red team will press and try to win the ball, if they do they can play the ball to the blue line
Play until ball goes dead
Players swap lines each time to make sure they have the chance to attack and press

Objective:

Get players warmed up while working on pressing for the session ahead
Get players to work on and understand press, cover, balance, pressing triggers

Coaching Points:

Press, cover, balance: If one player is pressing the ball carrier, the other defender must provide balance behind and prevent passes in behind
Positioning of 2nd defender: The 2nd defender must not be too close to the 1st defender in a position where they can both be beaten by a dribble or pass
Press technique: On toes, open body shape ready to react, stop arm's length away, force wide or away from other attacker
Communication: Talking the entire time, if ball is switched from one attacker to the other, player should tell partner whether to press or stay
Decision Making: Do defenders decide to be aggressive and press the attackers straight away, or do they sit back and wait for pressing trigger?

Football/Soccer Session Plan Drill (Colour): Tactical 1 - Defend the zone

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Tactical 1 - Defend the zone (30 mins)

Method:

Divide training area into 3 rectangles. To make it more difficult on defenders make zones bigger, however keep relatively narrow as this is a defending central areas session
Split players into 3 groups. If uneven numbers you can have 1 neutral player who will work with middle team
Keep players in shape, in above example blue and red teams are in a rough 4-1 shape. Black team are in 4-2 shape
Ball starts with one of the end zones, players keep possession and attempt to switch to other end zone where other team will do the same
The middle team work together to prevent through balls to other zone. They can send 1 player to press in another zone
If middle team win the ball back they switch zones with team that lost the ball

Objective:

Get players to work together as a unit to prevent ball getting through
Work on narrow defensive shape

Coaching Points:

Players work as a unit: Shuffle together, and press up if one player presses ball carrier
Prevent gaps in defensive line: Ensure correct spacing between all players
Decision making: Do you send 1 player to press or remain in compact defensive shape
Speed of attackers: Can attackers move ball quick enough to create opportunities for line breaking passes? How do defenders prevent this

Football/Soccer Session Plan Drill (Colour): Tactical 2 - 8v6+2 defend narrow

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Tactical 2 - 8v6+2 defend narrow (30 mins)

Method:

This is an 8v6 game. Defending team (red) will be set up in a 1-4-1-2, based on the 1-4-1-4-1 while the attacking team (blue) will be set up in 3-3

Attacking team start at the halfway line with the ball and attempt to score in the big goal

Defenders look to defend narrow and compact and attempt to force ball out wide to press

If defenders win the ball back they look to transition to attack quickly and score in one of the 3 mini-goals

Play until ball goes dead

Objective:

Work on narrow defensive shape, forcing the ball wide. Prevent through balls through middle or runners through half space
Force players to make decisions, remain compact, and allow opposition to have the ball in midfield, or press and try win the ball back?
Work on fast transitions and exploiting space when counter-attacking
Focus on objectives from previous drills, press, cover balance, moving as a unit, press technique + triggers

Coaching Points:

Focus on your man: Each player should have someone to man mark and press when they receive the ball
Remain compact: Prevent gaps and force opposition out wide
Communication: When to press, when to sit back
Quick transitions: Can we counter attack quickly when ball is won? Can attacking team delay or prevent the counter attack?

Football/Soccer Session Plan Drill (Colour): Match

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Match (20 mins)

Method:

8v8 match to end the session, with a focus on compact defensive shape
Normal match rules, but if team concedes a goal a goal from the middle it is worth 2 goals against them
Encourage players to implement what they just learned
Keep intensity high, if ball goes out coach can drop a ball and play restarts from there
Keep supply of footballs in goal and on sidelines to encourage quick restarts

Coaching Points:

Focus on session goals: Narrow, compact defensive shape, transition to attack when ball is won, make opposition play wide
Focus on transitions: If ball is lost can we quickly get into a compact defensive shape? Rest defense - Can we ensure we are in good shape to prevent counter attacks through the middle?
Positioning: Make sure players are sticking to positions and working as a team

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