Football/Soccer Session (Academy Sessions): Team training

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Team training

Main principal: Switching play by a variation of passes.

Sub principles: How to create a 2v1 in wide areas. 

3 Blocks x 6 minutes. Rest period 2 minutes between each Block. 

Organisation: 8 V 8

• Reds 8
• Blues 8
Blue teams formation is based on 1-3-4-2-1  (1-4-2-1).  Removed 1 GK, 2 CB. 
Red teams formation is based on 1-4-3-3    (1-4-2-1)    Removed 1 CM, 1 RW, 1 LW. 

Block 1-  Progression 

Conditions Blue CB: To play off a maximum of 2 touches. 

• Possession starts with the goalkeeper of the defending team (RED). They build from the back, facing only passive pressure, before playing to the opposing team’s (BLUE) Wingback in one of the two designated wide areas. This begins the first phase of attack for the blues.

• The attacking team then switches play through one or both centre-backs and/or a midfielder before ultimately playing to the opposite wingback in a wide area. Again, pressure from the defending team should be passive. Once the ball enters the wide area, play becomes live as the attacking team looks to use a 2v1 overload against the opposing full-back to engineer a crossing situation. In this system, it will be the blues (attacking teams) wingbacks and the CDM of the box formation creating the 2v1 against the defending team’s full-back, which are the only ones allowed in either wide area.
  

• If the defending team manages to win possession from the subsequent cross, they should attempt to score in any of the four mini goals positioned at the far end. This counterattack should be restricted to the central areas, giving the attacking team an opportunity to counter- press aggressively and get back into a compact out-of- possession shape.  If the ball goes dead from the attacking phase, the coach will feed a ball into the defending team to initiate a counterattack in exactly the same way. Once that phase is over, the practice resets with the defending goalkeeper playing out in the opposite direction to the first repetition.

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Block 3 - Progression 

Possession starts with the goalkeeper of the defending team (RED). The GK will start with a pass to the RED LB/RB. The LB/RB will then pass the ball into the BLUE midfielder. This will then launch the attack, Blue this time will try switching the ball by either working a midfield combination or directly switching  the play to the opposite wingback.

The wingback can try variation 1 or 2 with the midfielder to create the cross or alternatively take the defender on 1v1. 

COACHING DETAIL: IN POSSESSION

BALL SPEED

• Encourage the players to play quick passes that help build and maintain momentum in each working block.

OPPORTUNITIES TO PLAY WIDE

•  Players should be encouraged to recognise the earliest opportunity to play wide, in this case to either of the two wide players.

SWITCHING PLAY

• Encourage the players in possession to switch the play as quickly as possible. 

COACHING DETAIL: OUT OF POSSESSION

PRESS AGGRESSIVELY

• Encourage the defending team to press aggressively to disrupt possession. React and score in their target goal.

OPEN A PASSING LANE

• As the practice progresses the players in  the far box should attempt to open up passing lanes for the in-possession team to exploit.

The two defenders who don’t press in either end box should ensure they take up relevant defensive positions to screen passes into the opposite box – either through the wide players or, as the practice progresses, via direct passes through the centre box.

Block 1 Opposition team targets (REDS). 

- Defending losing the ball trying to play through 

- Score in the mini goals, by overloading midfield 

Block 2

- Defending losing the ball trying to play over. 

- Score in the mini goals, by playing wide 

Block 3 

- Defending losing the ball by either through or over. 

- Score in the mini goals, by playing wide or narrow.