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Football/Soccer Session (Moderate): C License Paired Coaching - Defending the Switch of Play

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FAW Coach Ed

Alex Pegler

Profile Summary

Alex Pegler
Name: Alex Pegler
City: Merthyr Tydfil
Country: United Kingdom
Membership: Adult Member
Sport: Football/Soccer
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Description

Coach 1 - Nile Abraham

Coach 2 - Alex Pegler

Principle: Defending the Switch of Play 

  • Force on-ball players into wide areas of the pitch.
  • Keep continuous pressure on the ball to create less comfort for the in-possession player.
  • Have higher numbers on the side of the ball and encourage less attention on marking the wide player on the opposite side. 

Organisation (Practice Layout & Transition) 

Players: 12 - 4x Red, 4x Blue, 2x White (Red underneath), 2x White (Blue underneath).

Coaches: 2 (The leading coach will mainly coach the defending principles with the assisting coach focusing on the on-ball principles).

Coaching Time: 5 minutes per coach for each practice (10 minutes each overall)

Style of Practice: Continues, Mostly Aerobic with elements of anearobic accelerations.

Practice Layout:

25 L x 35 W 

  • Pitch is wider due to the focus of defending the switch of play, therefore a more wider and shorter length encourages moving the ball across for both on & off the ball. 

Session is built so both drills take place within the overall practice area with a quicker transition between practices 

Equipment Considerations:

  • Cones placed to create the outside pitch markings.
  • Flat markers on the inside of the pitch to create wide channels (Flat markers are used inside as they prevent players tripping over cones when on & off the ball).
  • Mini-goals used to replicate passing the ball forward when winning possession, instead of using medium goals which will likely encourage shooting from a longer range instead of moving the ball forward.

Evidence:

Research and analysis by Almeida et al., (2014) suggests that the more successful and better performing teams utilised organisation and a structured method of applying a higher intensity of pressure as a team. This session encourages defending with teamwork rather than an individual focus, requiring an organised team.

 A technical report by UEFA (2024) shows evidence of Europa League winners Atalanta applying effective pressure successfully by pressing in units when the ball is out wide. Provides a heavy relation to our focus of forcing the ball into the wide areas of the pitch,

Reference List: 

Almeida, C.H., Ferreira, A.P. and Volossovitch, A. (2014) ‘Effects of Match Location, Match Status and Quality of Opposition on Regaining Possession in UEFA Champions League’, Journal of Human Kinetics, 41, pp. 203–214. doi:10.2478/hukin-2014-0048.(Accessed: 8 November 2024).

UEFA (2024) UEFA Europa League Technical Report 2023/24. Available at: https://uefatechnicalreports.com/pdf-uel-2024-technical-report (Accessed: 8 November 2024).

Football/Soccer Session Plan Drill (Colour): General Practice

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Football/Soccer Session Plan Drill (Colour): General Practice
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Learning Objectives

Technical Technical
Defending with the inner foot more forward to encorage the on-ball player wide. Outer foot back in order to turn quickly if the on-ball player attempts to dribble or pass around them. Keeping a strong centre of gravity to maintain balance when applying pressure and turning
Technical Tactical
Forcing the on-ball player to move into the wide areas of the pitch results in more struggle to move the ball across due to the increased distance. Applying higher numbers on the side of possession creates difficulty in passing to a short option, and potentially forces a diffucult long and/or lobbed pass.
Technical Physical
When pressing, players will be quickly accelerating & decelerating in order to maintain close distance with the on-ball player and moving across when the ball is passed across, either to intercept the ball or move across the width. Defending players will be encouraged to shuffle across in order to apply pressure.
Technical Psychological
Players will develop their cognitive thinking with the decision-making of when to press the ball & when to move across when needed.
Technical Social
Defending players will require communication in order to be organised. For example, triggering the press and communicating with the team to state that they are the pressing player. Communication is also required for the timing of when to shuffle across.

General Practice (10 mins)

Set-Up:  

  • 25 L x 35 W zone, with 5 L x 5 W, x4 corner squares inside.
  • 4 corner squares, each being 5 L x 5 W, become target zones.
  • 12 players are split into 3 teams of 4 (4x Red, 4x Blue, 4x White)
  • 1 team will have each player in one of the 4 corner zones.
  • 2 teams will start within the playing zone, except the corner zones.

Objective: 

  • Objective for the defending team is to prevent the ball from being transferred from 1 corner zone to the other.
  • The team in possession aims to transfer the ball from 1 corner to a corner on the other side of the pitch.
  • The corner zone team will be substituted out to ensure all players have taken part in both elements of the practice

Off the Ball 

 

  • How a secondary player can provide support when a nearby teammate is applying pressure to the on-ball player.
  • The action of shuffling across as a unit.
  • The trigger to intercept a loose pass.

 

On the ball 

 

 

  • Dragging a defender out in order to open up space for a teammate to enter and create a pass option.

Intervention:

Freeze 

  • Freeze the play to provide a chance for our players to see their position on the pitch with the ball stopped without the consequence of losing focus.

Walkthrough

  • Walkthrough the action of when our 1-2 pressing players engage, the other players support by shuffling across. Show  

Challenges, Conditions or Targets: 

  • When on the ball, the white team players have a maximum of 5 seconds on the ball.
  • If the defending players win the ball, they earn 1 point.
  • If the defending players win the ball,and score in any of the goals, they earn 2 points (1 for winning the ball & 1 for scoring)
  • If the on-ball team manges to play the ball from 1 corner zone to another, they earn a point.
  • If the on-ball team manages to play the ball from 1 corner zone to the opposite zone (example, Bottom Left to Top Right), they earn 2 points.
 Adaptations (Progressions & Regressions):

 

  • Players within the corner zones can spend a maximum time of 3 seconds on the ball

 

Football/Soccer Session Plan Drill (Colour): Medium Sided Game

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Football/Soccer Session Plan Drill (Colour): Medium Sided Game
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Learning Objectives

Technical Technical
Defending with the inner foot more forward to encorage the on-ball player wide. Outer foot back in order to turn quickly if the on-ball player attempts to dribble or pass around them. Keeping a strong centre of gravity to maintain balance when applying pressure and turning
Technical Tactical
Forcing the on-ball player to move into the wide areas of the pitch results in more struggle to move the ball across due to the increased distance. Applying higher numbers on the side of possession creates difficulty in passing to a short option, and potentially forces a diffucult long and/or lobbed pass.
Technical Physical
There is now an increase in area space, potentially resulting in more movement and an increased/decreased time of accelerating/decelerating. When pressing, players will be quickly accelerating & decelerating in order to maintain close distance with the on-ball player and moving across when the ball is passed across, either to intercept the ball or move across the width. Defending players will be encouraged to shuffle across in order to apply pressure.
Technical Psychological
The increaed area of play may result in the need of eaerlier decision making of when to press. The condition of having a maximum of 2 players in the wide zones will result in the need of awareness of who is entering the area. Players will develop their cognitive thinking with the decision-making of when to press the ball & when to move across when needed.
Technical Social
Communication is important for identification of who is applying the pressure in the wide areas, and how surrounding players will support. Defending players will require communication in order to be organised. For example, triggering the press and communicating with the team to state that they are the pressing player. Communication is also required for the timing of when to shuffle across.

Medium Sided Game (10 mins)

Set-Up:  

  • 25 L x 35 W zone, with 25 L x 5 W, x2 zones.  
  • The 2 zones are marked off by flat markers.
  • Both the blue & red team remain the same.
  • 2 white team players become red team players, with the other 2 becoming blue team players
  • Medium Sided Game becomes a 6v6.

Objective: 

  • Players are able to roam anywhere on the inside area of practice.
  • In either of the wide areas, only 1 on-ball & 2 off-ball players are allowed.

Off the Ball

 

 

  • How a secondary player can provide support when a nearby teammate is applying pressure to the on-ball player.
  • The action of shuffling across as a unit.
  • The trigger to intercept a loose pass.

 

On the ball

 

 

  • Dragging a defender out in order to oppen up space for a teammate to enter and create a pass option.

Intervention:

Team Meetings

  • Allow both teams to feedback to themselves and think about their strategy.

Concurrent

  • Provide feedback that doesn't require stopping the play. Look at technical work such as body position, centre of gravity.

Challenges, Conditions or Targets: 

 

  • When on the ball, either team can score by scoring in the opposition's goal.
  • If the defending team forces the ball to remain wide for 5 seconds, they earn a point
  • If the defending players win the ball by applying the principles, they earn 1 point.
  • If the defending players win the ball,and counter by scoring in any of the goals, they earn 2 points (1 for winning the ball & 1 for scoring)
 Adaptations (Progressions & Regressions):
  • When countering after winning the ball, a team can no longer score in their any goal, including their own, but instead only the opposition's goal.
  • When a goal is scored, that same goal is locked until the team scores in the opposite goal (Example, scoring in the left goal cant be repeated until they score in the right side goal)..

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