Football/Soccer Session (Academy Sessions): Defending - Out of Possession

Pressing Out of Posessionn

Key Factors

General / Defending the Lines / Out of possession

Mode Phase of play

Welsh way principles

Understand when and how to stop the opposition playing through, around & over.

Organisation

Area size : Half a pitch 2 Teams of 5, either 2 goalkeepers (taking turns) or have a floater in the middle who plays for the team in possession. The floater can be utilised in the progression as a target man. Attacking team - Blues Defending team - Reds

Blue team are to set up starting from the keeper, having both CBs on the edge of the box to receive short and the Full backs or wide player higher and touchline wide, letting the middle player roam free. Reds are to start behind the coned line, and man mark their opponents using the goalkeepers pass as a trigger to press.

Explanation

Coach reds & manage blues

Staring from the keeper the blues are aiming to play out from the back and break the line by playing around, through or over the reds. The blues must get the ball across the half way line by either dribbling or passing to a teammate across the line.

The reds are looking for triggers of when and how to press the blues. Reds start behind the coned line to allow the blues to play short, when the keeper passes out, that is the trigger for the reds to press. The reds are looking to stop the blues from playing forward and force them back and in their half of the area (across the red line) forcing them to make a mistake and regain possession. If the reds regain possession they must try and score a goal. There is no pass limit or touch limits for either team.

Targets, challenges & conditions

- Defending team is looking to win the ball back in a pressing manner whilst protecting the space centrally, staying narrow and trying to stop split passes

- Team in possession try and break the lines, dribble the ball over the half way or pass to a teammate.

- Challenge the team in possession and limit their touches

- Challenge the team out of possession to press as a unit in 2 & 3s, covering each other.

Key points

- Stop the split

- Stay narrow

- Force wide

- Protect the space behind

-- React to trigger

- Use points of reference 

Interventions

- Concurrent 

- Walk through

- Coaching process 

- Terminal

SSG

Key Factors

7v7

Same principles apply.  Attacking team to work their way across the line and try and score, Defending team to press, if they regain possession can they go and counter attack the team who have just lost possession.

Organisation

Area size : Half a pitch 2 Teams of 5, either 2 goalkeepers on each team.. Attacking team - Blues Defending team - Reds

Ball starts from the keeper, Defending team are to start behind the coned line to encourage playing out and press as soon as the ball is in play from the keeper.