Football/Soccer Session (Academy Sessions): Defending the Box

Set up/ Design - Specific Practice

Defending the Box (Session Plan)

Session Objectives

- Develop Red Teams' ability to defend their box under attacking pressure, facilitating understanding of key principles when defending in the final third, including defending narrow, preventing play through the middle, forcing play wide or backwards and pressing aggressively, getting out to the ball to prevent danger. 

Session Design/ Setup (Specific Practice):

- 1/3 of a pitch

- 7 vs. 7 (Red vs. Blue)

- Red Team (Coached); 1-4-2 formation with GK, LB, CB, CB, RB, CM and CM (derived from 1-4-4-2)

- Blue Team (Opposition); 5-2 formation with CDM, CM, CM, LM, RM, ST and ST (derived from 1-3-5-2)

Specific Practice

Block 1 - Defending the Box Centrally

Blue Team (opposition) must look to penetrate the middle of the pitch and create overloads in central areas. There will be emphasis on their wingers rolling inside the pitch and their midfielders stepping in to join the forward line; there will be opportunities for quick interchanges and rotations between players.

Red Team (coached), in a low block must attempt to defend against Blue Teams' central play by staying compact and pressing aggressively as the ball comes forward. Ideally, Red Team must attempt to force play back and continue to press. Naturally, Blue Team will look to utilise wide areas in these moments to create gaps centrally through shifting Red Team; Red Team must stay compact and press with intent.

Block 2 - Defending the Box in Wide Areas

Blue Team (opposition) must attempt to play around the pitch and penetrate the opposition box through crossing or combination play. Blue Teams will have to rely on rotations and runs from their ST's and the CM's joining in the attacks to create overloads in wide areas. Blue Team may look to switch the play if they are forced to play back on one side. 

Red Team (coached) must shift as a unit across the pitch to defend against Blue Team playing in wide areas and their potential wide overloads, employing an aggressive press to try and force their play back. If the opposition creates wide overloads, Red Team must try to stop box entries by either blocking crosses or recognising combinations and rotations and then defending against them appropriately. If Red Team break, they can score in either mini goal.

How to Achieve Success

Red Team must:

- Defend with compactness

- Press with speed, intent and aggression to force play backwards

- Do not allow opposition players through the lines or inside the pitch (protect the middle)

Blue Team must:

- Exploit their numerical advantage

- Have players move into threatening positions (overlap/ roll inside) to overload the opposition

- Allow for player rotations (ST-RW as an example)

- Keep ball speed and tempo high

GK must:

- Consider their starting position to defend balls from wide areas, considering in or out swinging crosses

- Make decisions relating to defending the space (dealing with crosses) or protecting the goal (recovering to potentially set)

- Consider their distances in relation to long distance shot stopping

Session Organisation

- Blue Team initiate play with either their CDM

- Blue Team earn goals for scoring in the 11-a-side goal

- Red Team earn goals from block 2 by scoring in the mini goals

Specific Practice - Block 2

Block 2 - Defending the Box in Wide Areas

Blue Team (opposition) must attempt to play around the pitch and penetrate the opposition box through crossing or combination play. Blue Teams will have to rely on rotations and runs from their ST's and the CM's joining in the attacks to create overloads in wide areas. Blue Team may look to switch the play if they are forced to play back on one side.

Red Team (coached) must shift as a unit across the pitch to defend against Blue Team playing in wide areas and their potential wide overloads, employing an aggressive press to try and force their play back. If the opposition creates wide overloads, Red Team must try to stop box entries by either blocking crosses or recognising combinations and rotations and then defending against them appropriately. If Red Team break, they can score in either mini goal.

Small-Sided Game - Block 2

Block 2 - Defending the Box in Wide Areas

Blue Team (opposition) must attempt to play around the pitch and penetrate the opposition box through crossing or combination play. Blue Teams will have to rely on rotations and runs from their ST's and the CM's joining in the attacks to create overloads in wide areas. Blue Team may look to switch the play if they are forced to play back on one side.

Red Team (coached) must shift as a unit across the pitch to defend against Blue Team playing in wide areas and their potential wide overloads, employing an aggressive press to try and force their play back. If the opposition creates wide overloads, Red Team must try to stop box entries by either blocking crosses or recognising combinations and rotations and then defending against them appropriately. If Red Team break, they can look to score against the opposition.