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Football/Soccer Session (Moderate): 2025 U20 Training: Defensive Practice

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Football New South Wales

Robert Fleming

Profile Summary

Robert Fleming
Name: Robert Fleming
City: Newport
Country: Australia
Membership: Adult Member
Sport: Football/Soccer
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Description

Practice Aim

- generic practice which forms the basis of the press which sides will utilise

- looking to get three main outcomes from the session

1) pressing intent from the squad

2) closest player presses the ball

3) recognition around the ball to identify the next likely pass

Terminology Used

- "close the net" when talking to players about surrounding passing options

- "move as the ball moves" when working with those behind the play

- "final step" when working with the pressing player to make sure they dont pull up before getting to the opponet

Key Tactical Attributes to apply

- anyone not ballside has one of two jobs to do

1) apply backwards pressure on the ball; or

2) get back goalside

- upon BPO>BP turnover then forward runners (with the ball) should attack the penalty spot

- protect central areas and force the play wide

Football/Soccer Session Plan Drill (Colour): Functional - Individual Def

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Football/Soccer Session Plan Drill (Colour): Functional - Individual Def
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Functional - Individual Def (5 mins)

Practice Aim

- Working with players with their body shape when defending 1v1


Practice Process

- Split players into two teams

- Yellow passes into Blue

- As pass is played then Coach signals to either goal  "1" or "2" and the blue player has to attack that goal in a 1v1

- Blue must be in the stripped area before they can score

- Yellow player has to show the Blue player away from the target goal. If they win the ball back then they pass to the other end

- Once done then Yellow joins the back of the Blues and vice versa 

Coaching Areas

- Check shoulders and angle run to protect

- Bodyshape to defend to force away from goal selected goal

- Patience and not diving in

- If the attacker is facing away from goal dont let them back inside

- Recovery if beaten

- (advanced) matching footwork


Timing

- Working in 2 x 3 min blocks

Football/Soccer Session Plan Drill (Colour): Tactical Rondo

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Football/Soccer Session Plan Drill (Colour): Tactical Rondo
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Tactical Rondo (15 mins)

Practice Aim

  • Possession fundamental
  • Creating +1 and triangles in possession
Process
  • 4v4+1 spread around as per diagram
  • Outside players cannot intercept /tackle
  • Outside players are on restricted touches (1)
  • The in possesion side must combine centrally once they receive from an outside player before they can play to the outside

Timing

  • 4 blocks of 1 min (neutral stays set)

Coaching Areas

  • Creating of triangles around internal players (angles and awareness of not blocking passing lanes behind you)
  • Coaching message should be "can you see one another"
  • BPO player can they apply pressure and force an error whilst keeping the other player in their cover shadow



Football/Soccer Session Plan Drill (Colour): Closest Man Presses - SSG

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Football/Soccer Session Plan Drill (Colour): Closest Man Presses - SSG
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Closest Man Presses - SSG

Practice Aim

  • Driving the willingness to press
  • Establish closest man pressing the ball carrier
  • Establish communication and organisation when pressing
  • Protecting central areas

Process

  • split into two teams with two target players who you must play into
  • can use the target player in possession 
  • once you score into a target player then you reverse the pitch i.e. if attacking left to right and you score then you attack right to left after
  • organise into a 1-4-1 out of possession when ball with target player

Timing

  • 3 x 6 min games

Scoring

  • Target player is worth 1 goal

Coaching

  • Work with one team at a time
  • Closest player presses the ball
  • Organisation behind from the players to the next potential passes
  • What communication is given to the pressing player
  • Organisation behind the ball and recognising of player receiving back to goal

Non Working Team

  • S&C 

Football/Soccer Session Plan Drill (Colour): 3rd Team S&C in session

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Football/Soccer Session Plan Drill (Colour): 3rd Team S&C in session
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3rd Team S&C in session

Practice Aim

  • Functional S&C sprint work
  • Working on press cover and balance as well as shifting when the line is broken
Process
  • As per the animation for the player movement (I have used different colours to highlight what we're after)
  • important to note that every diagonal pass sees the player hold the ball there; this is 4 reps of the same activity
  • When players get to the end then they sprint back up to the top and change roles
Coaching

  • Ensure correct body position
  • Communication and Organisation  



Football/Soccer Session Plan Drill (Colour): Game Training

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Football/Soccer Session Plan Drill (Colour): Game Training
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Game Training

Process

  • Bring in the goals
  • Now directional
  • Remainder stays as previously
  • Put players into shapes and allow them to play

Timing

  • 3 x 10 min games
  • coaching in first two games - focus on one team per block

Coaching

  • Working with one team at a time
  • Does the closest player press the ball?
  • Do they press in to out or out to in. What influences this? 
  • What visual clues are we looking from from the secondary defenders to recognise next passing options
  • Who are the secondary defenders
  • Following press through to compress and win
  • Organisation behind the ball
  • Defenders being high, however how does this change if the there is no pressure on the ball (bodyshape)

Scoring

  • Goal = 1
  • Goal after central combination = 2
  • Win the ball in the opponent half and score = 3
Football/Soccer Session Plan Drill (Colour): Pitch Geography

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Football/Soccer Session Plan Drill (Colour): Pitch Geography
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Pitch Geography

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