Football/Soccer Session (Academy Sessions): Defending the Final Third practice OOP 4/8

Block 1 Defend wide overloads

Block 1 Defend a Wide Overload

Challenges, Conditions or Targets Block 1:

Red team defends blue team full backs and wingers creating 2v1 overloads by matching up 2v2 with one of the central midfielders shifting over and following the run of the full back

What if the blue CM shifts across to create 3v2? 

The free blue central midfielder will shift across to create 3v3 while the back 4 protects the width of the box

SSG

Area Size

Half Pitch tapered

Positions /Players – roles and responsibilities

Red team GK-4-2-3-1 taken out Wingers and ST (Coached)

Blue team GK-4-2-3-1 taken out CBs & CAM (Managed)

Timings / Blocks of Work to Rest

3 x 4 minute blocks 1 minute rest in between

Problems & Solutions x 2

Problem 1 wide overloads 2v1 against red fullback

Solution 1 RCM or LCM to match up wide to make 2v2 and communicate with the red 10 to drop into midfield to cover their position

Problem 2 central overload opposition ST or defender steps into midfield to create 2v1 or 3v2 centrally

Solution 2 If opposition ST has dropped into midfield one of the red CMs should follow to match up 2v2 or 3v3 and communicate to the 10 to drop into their position 

Solution 3 If ball is switched to blue fullback the closest red CM should sprint across to pressure them and communicate to red 10 to cover their position and red 10 should move across fill their position centrally with the other red CM returning to their original position. If ball is switch to blue winger a red fullback should sprint across and tell their defence to shuffle over with the red CM on that side in a position to intercept a backwards pass to blue fullback if the blue team try to switch the ball again

Conditions / Challenges / Targets

If the red team can score from a transition that is worth 2 goals

Look to play into 10 quickly (can be worth an extra goal if reds are struggling to play to ST)

Possibly if the blue team can score in the box it is worth 2 goals

Opposition Management

Width and depth - Risk taking - Final pass - Finishing

Intervention Strategies

Terminal - Tactics board, explaining formations and positions, reinforcing principles of play

Concurrent - When to press, body positioning, angle of run when pressing, when to jump to intercept

Walkthrough - To show success, errors or example of how you want the play to be, help them recognise the opposition movement

Coaching process - To show the solutions to the problems, fix errors and positioning, to coach technical details  

What If?

If the red team gets lots of success the blue team should start their build up deeper to invite a higher press from the reds to exploit space in behind

For the higher press the reds can either match the numbers with a CM joining the 10 pressing and a CB stepping into midfield with the defence narrowing or they can sit back and keep their shape to not give any space in behind - depending on the situation winning or losing

Technical

When to press triggers, body positioning, angle of run to press(away from the middle),when to jump to intercept, back 4 stay check distances and stay together to stop box entries, blocking crosses/shots making their body big, timings of tackling

Principles of play

Force wide - Stop crosses - Protect the middle - Minimise box entries - Defend the box