Football/Soccer Session (Moderate): Full-sided Play: Positioning & Responses to the Transitions

Phase of play / Positional exercise (30 mins)

Full-sided Game to Big Goals 30 min (in picture, Blue has just lost possession)

Exercise is focused on game situations, with relation to the thirds of the pitch. Pitch is shortened to to provide more repetitions related to the defensive transition, and to reinforce high tempo defending.

Exercise: 11v11 on shortened field. Corner kicks, goal kicks and restarts included.

Objectives: Improve game situational awareness, anticipation, response and tactics by individuals and the team to both reducing and controlling the defensive transition. Offsides is in effect.

Related Objectives: Improve team's decision-making, movement and execution of possession play

Space: 75y L x 60y W

Scoring: Win the ball back within 4 passes. Create finishing opportunity within 2-3 passes into big goals.

Defensive Coaching Points:

While in possession of the ball:

Use deception with body when identifying and connecting passes.

Longer ground passes must have adequate weight to prevent interception.

Use positioning of weakside players to load areas of weakness and prevent opponent from finding open player on the counter.

Always keep one player overload on our back line.

Goalkeeper use a high enough starting position to be able to control space behind our CBs.

At the moment of defensive transition:

Decisions whether to swarm man on man or execute controlled press into central midfield?

CMs, CBs, GK communicate what is seen (Go! = Swarm, "Press!" = controlled press into midfield).

Team in balance (man for man) at the moment of losing ball? Swarm! (collective shrink).

Team in balance but unable to win ball right away, Press! (encourage pass to strong fullback, swarm that player to win the ball or force hurried pass into the middle).

Team out of balance? Corral ball out wide, wide players underneath their opponents.

Team out of balance? Pressure on the ball, get into positions goalside of opponents.

Our midfield is broken by penetrating pass? Pressure, delay, bodies behind the ball.

Inadequate pressure on the ball? CBs look to drop off, GK look to help control he space behind us with positioning and anticipation.

Loss of possession in risky areas? Quick pressure on the ball, try to win it without fouling opponent, while team collectively shrink behind the ball and into the center to deny attacking space to the opponent.

Win the ball in attacking 1/3? Find free/open man, create finishing opportunity within 2-3 passes (cross, cutback, shot - aerial crosses should be whipped.

At the moment of attacking transition:

If won in attacking third, create goal-scoring chance within 2-3 passes

If won in the middle or defensive third, consider: Can we counter attack?

If counter attack isn't possible, be willing to safely reset possession by playing to the pivot or goalkeeper

1st attacker: secure the ball for the team by finding and connecting with the free (open) teammate

Team expands shape immediately

Attacking coaching points:

Team - Move the ball to unbalance the opposition and create the free man

2nd & 3rd attacker - Create space for one's self in order to provide bona fide support

Use rotations when to create spaces exploit

Overload central space to help with ball circulation. Don't be static.

At least 3 attackers positioned on opposition back line in the buildup to allow for passes to feet or passes behind the opposition's back line.

Before you receive the ball: look forward, look opposite, look near. Be aware of isolations in our favor. Use play rounds and quick switches of attack to unbalance and exploit opposition.

Provide full width (both sides of pitch) whenever we have the ball in central areas. Weakside attackers may pinch in some based on our ability to fully switc