Football/Soccer Session (Academy Sessions): Final 3rd Play

Final third practive (1)

Set Up: 1/2 Pitch. Full goal, 8 x mannequin, ball, bibs 

Session Objective:

• Developing combination play in central attacking areas
• Developing attackers’ timing of movements away from defenders and into space
• Developing wide players’ timing of runs in wide areas
• Improving the quality of attackers’ crossing and finishing

Instructions: 

• A pattern-of-play practice in which two groups of players work identical patterns on the left and right-hand sides of a full-width pitch. 
• The players in each group replicate the roles of a center-back, a midfielder, a wide player, and two forwards, and work to build and create final-third opportunities against mannequins that represent an opposition back five and midfield three. The opposition back line is positioned 20-25 yards from the goal. 
• All players should have the opportunity to play in each of the positions
  

Variation/Progression:

Key Coaching Points:

• Good Passing
• Midfielders to move off the mannequin to receive
• #10 to move off mannequin to receive side on a deep pass for #11
• #11 to time run forward to receive a pass and to play a good pass into the #9

Player Coaching Points:

Conditioning SSG (1)

Set Up:

Objective:

• A conditioned small-sided game played on a narrowed pitch to practice working on central areas.
• The playing area is split into thirds, with a 2v2 in each, and two neutral wide players operating in a designated wide channel for whichever team has the ball.
• The final thirds are approximately 25 yards x20 yards.
• The middle third should be around 15 yards x 20 yards, including a free zone on either end to enable attacking combinations.

Instructions: 

• Players to stay in designated areas
• The free zone can be used by forwards or midfield
• Play balls forward as soon as possible to create goalscoring opportunities
• When play enters the final 3rd, 1 midfield can join to create a 3v2 attacking overload
• Wide players are not involved in the build up play but can join in attacks and can only receive from a slide pass with the aim of running out to in to receive for a cross or shot on goal

Variation/Progression: 

see next screen

Key Coaching Points:

• Think and look before playing accurate passes forward
• intelligent movement ahead of the ball to exploit space in final 3rd
• play using minimal touches
• CF to look at ways to stretch CB  to create space for oncoming midfielder

Attack vs Defence Game

Set Up: 16 players inc GK, 18

Instructions:

• This is an attack-against-defence phase-of-play game played on half of a full-sized pitch vertically and brought in from both touchlines. 
• The attacking team is set up in a 1-3-3 formation in the main playing area, with one additional wide player operating in each designated wide channel. 
• The defending team is set up in a 1-3-2-1 formation. Their aim is to win possession and score in one of the two mini-goals at the opposite end of the playing area, within two passes, for one point. They earn two points if they manage to score in the main goal, guarded by a goalkeeper, within three passes. 
• The wide players are allowed to join in only when starting their run on the outside of the mannequin and making a run inside and across centrally to receive a slide pass. 
• The ball always starts with the goalkeeper for the attacking team. When the ball goes dead, the defenders have the challenge of sprinting up and beyond the offside line as quickly as possible, to condense the space and get pressure on the ball ahead of the next phase of play.

Variation/Progression:

• The coach can progress the practice by introducing a one or two-touch limit on the attacking team in their build-up play. This encourages quicker circulation of the ball and serves to increase the pace of the practice.
  

Key Coaching Points:

• Forward Passes
• Forward runs 
• Quick passing
• Minimal touches 

Player Coaching Points: