Football/Soccer Session (Moderate): Maintaining and Building

6v3 Rondo

FUNCTION

• The practice is a 6v3 Rondo, but can be adapted depending on numbers and ability of players.

• The team in possession – here, Team A – scores by completing 10 passes or by playing through the triangle area in the middle as marked by the cones.

• The out-of-possession team – Team B – looks to win the ball and score in either of the mini-goals.

• If Team B wins the ball, Team A should look to counter- press and win the ball back.

• The team out of possession works for 90 seconds before changing to manage the intensity of the practice.

• Ensure that there are a number of balls available to keep the intensity of the practice high.

PROGRESSION

• Change the number of passes required for a goal at the coach’s discretion.

• If Team A makes a split pass at any point, they have 2 touches to score. If they take more than 2 touches as an individual or as a team, they should then again look to maintain possession. This should encourage them to break the line and then look to play forward again, as they would in a game.

• If Team B wins the ball and scores in 2 touches or under, that’s worth 2 goals.

COACHING DETAIL: IN POSSESSION

BREAKING LINES/MAINTAINING POSSESSION

• Encourage players to play forward and break the line when the opportunity arises.

• If there’s no opportunity to play forward, encourage players to circulate the ball to move the opposition and wait for the opportunity to play line-breaking passes.

• Encourage players on the outside to ‘slide’ to support the ball.

• Encourage players centrally to be in positions where they can connect the play.

• Encourage the player opposite the ball to be in a passing line, where the player on the ball can see them – not in the same line as the central player.

• Always encourage diamond shapes, with passing options left, right and central.

• Technical detail: recognise what foot to play to in order to make the receiver’s next action effective.

• Technical detail: ball speed. Players may need to play a punched pass with pace to break the line.

• Players should be aware of different types of passes. It might take slower passes or bounce passes to draw defenders out and open up opportunities to play through.

• There are two ways to score: 10 passes or a line- breaking pass. If they can’t line-break, players should keep the ball – this will encourage defenders to come out and give players the opportunity to play forward

COACHING DETAIL: OUT OF POSSESSION

DEFENDING AS A TEAM/RECOGNISING PRESSING TRIGGERS

• Encourage players to defend as a team, and not go

chasing as individuals.

• First priority: don’t be split! Encourage the team to

defend compact and together.

• The first pressing player should look to direct play in a

direction where he is supported by teammates.

• The second and third players should then take their

positions off the first player and look to cut off passing

lines and read the triggers to press.

• The defending team should stay compact and look

for triggers to press, such as a bad pass or bad touch. Distances should be close enough that they can affect the ball, and once they’ve set a trap they should all go together.

• Once the defending team sees the trigger, they should look to be aggressive – both as individuals and as a team – to win the ball back.

SSG

FUNCTION

• This a 1-0 small-sided game – either team are only allowed to win the game by 1 goal.

• Whenever one team goes a goal up, they are not allowed to score again and must therefore maintain possession and defend effectively.

• When scores are level, both teams are allowed to score.

PROGRESSION

• The team in possession can use both goalkeepers and the magic man (M) to maintain possession

• Develop the game so that 10 passes for either team also counts as a goal. This encourages the team that is 1-0 up to press.

INTERVENTION STRATEGIES

• This final small-sided game should tie together the learnings from the first two practices in the session and allow the coaches to stand back and observe.

• Encourage players to discuss problems and solutions within their own teams.

• Work in blocks of time, so the winner of the first block gets a point. If it’s a draw, award half-points each – as in the Ryder Cup, for example – to keep the games competitive.

MANAGING THE GAME

• This game challenges players to deal with different scenarios.

• Coaches should encourage players to explore and discuss their approaches to either scenario: being 1-0 up or being 1-0 behind.

• At 1-0 up...

How do we maintain possession? In what area of the pitch do we maintain possession? Do we play in an expansive shape to maintain effective possession? Do we have balance behind the ball to counter? Do we press or defend deep? How do we defend compact to protect our lead?

• At 1-0 down...

How does our strategy change? We need the ball. How do we change our press? How do we break down an opposition that now defends in a block? Time’s running out - do we still show patience to wait for the golden opportunity to score, or do we force play? Can we stay composed under pressure and make effective decisions?