Football/Soccer Session (Academy Sessions): High press (Start Time: 2020-12-02 19:25:00)

9v9- TT (25 mins)

Players

18 players

9v9 SSG

White team* GK-2-4-2 (midfield diamond)

Maroon team GK-4-3-1

*Team that I am working on

Area

45x40

Equipment

Balls x16

Bibs x9

Learning Outcomes

1. Understanding of individual roles within system when defending

from the front

2. Understanding of the weaknesses to midfield diamond and

how to manage them

3. Understand roles and responsibilities on transition when

winning/losing the ball

Duration of Team Training

20 mins

Blocks

3 x 8 minutes

Conditions

White team have 8 seconds to shoot when winning possession of the ball back

Rationale for taking players out

Opted to take both full backs out of the white team (4-4-2 diamond) and two wide players out of the maroon team (4-3-3). The rationale for this was that I wanted to present realistic problems for the team I am working with and believe that keeping full backs in for the opposition will cause issues for the outside of the diamond when the oppo are playing out. I also needed to keep a centre forward in for the opposition to provide realisitc problems for my two centre backs.

Key Detail

Strikers

- Start outside and get down passing line to the full backs, force the ball inside to where our strength in numbers is (central areas)

- Angle of press, don't press in straight lines

- When ball played to one side of pitch, opposite CF must drop down and tuck into central areas to stop direct switch to FB and help deal with CDM (must force pass into opposite CB)

- If ball switched from one CB to other then CF will find it tough to get into position to stop it to FB so must press aggressively and body angle showing outside to FB

No.10

- Split the pitch and mark the opposition CDM from GK

- If ball played into CB then must mark CDM channel side and not allow an easy pass around the corner to the FB

- If ball does go out to FB then must drop in deeper and cover space in case the FB is allowed to move inside but must be in a close enough position to affect CDM if ball gets played back to them

No. 8s (outside of diamond)

- Starting position in between oppo MF's and FB's so that they are able to affect any passes inside and put pressure on the ball but are also in a comfortable enough position to get out to the oppo FB's if it is played there

- When ball is played into FB's then have to get out really quickly to affect them, show down the line, can't allow FB back inside as it causes problems

- When ball on opposite side, then opposite 8 must drop down into a defensive midfield position to make switches of play harder as CDM will have had to have popped out of position to cover no.8 going to press, must get distances right as they will be expected to get out to opposite FB if switched

CDM

- Generally hold central areas and stop passes into CF feet, communicate with wide midfielders and 10 regarding press

- If ball is played into FB and outside of diamond pressures them, CDM has to pop out into wider position and pick up opposition no.8, that may be to block passing lane, get tight and pressure the ball if played into them or go with their forward run into the channel/back line

CBs

- Keep high line, if we are pressing high, then can't allow big spaces to appear between units

- If less pressure is on the ball then CB's must anticipate this and be ready for the ball in behind (start to drop or anticipate dropping as a backline), must get timing of this right

- Ball in wide areas, then need to defend channel side to not allow CF to get ball into feet or down the sides

- Cover and balance as a defensive pair

GK

- Starting positioning key in order to deal with ball p