Resources

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• The field is setup in a 30 x 30 metre grid (15m between each marker)
• Have two teams setup with 3-4 players (6-8 in total for each team)
• Drill starts from Teams 2a and 2b. In this example we start with player 1 (Team 2a)
• Player 1 plays a pass to the first player from Team 1a and gets one touch return pass (position 2)
• From position 3, player 1 then plays a long pass to the next player in Team 2b and continues the run to the end of the line (Team 2b)
• The first player from Team 1a continues the run to the end of the line in Team 1b
• The drill is exactly the same from the other end
• Green players will reotate from corner-to-corner and orange players will rotate from side-to-side
• Encourage 1 touch passing at pace
• This drill focuses on right foot passing. Simply change direction to work on opposite foot (Green teams change corners and Orange teams work other side of marker)
• Rotate Green and Orange teams every few minutes
• Remember that the drill is to have two footballs working simultaneously
• From this setup, a small sided game of 6v6 (or 8v8). 1-2 touch possession is played without any changes to a field size, equipment or players
• This drill can be modified to suit younger ages. For example, number of touches, size of field, and so on

Dribbling

• Use feints and tricks (for example, stepovers), Ronaldo chops, scissors, Maradonna spin, and so on. Promote creativity!
• Use a change of pace to throw the defender
• Dribble with the ball between the feet. This allows theh player to move in both directions
• Accelerate past the player and avoid them a chance to have a second attempt to tackle
• Avoid turning your back on the defender for a long period

Defending

• Maintain a low centre of gravity
• Stay alert on the toes and be patient
• Use the front foot to tackle
• Fake to tackle to force mistakes
• Tackle when 100% success is guaranteed

Drill setup

• Place 10 footballs on top of 10 markers
• Have two teams on each side of the markers with the coach inbetween, who acts as a server with the footballs
• Play starts when the coach instructs the players. On the call to ‘go’, both players sprint to the end of the markers and back into the middle
• The coach plays the ball to the first player in the grid
• The plays dual 1 v 1 – the goal being to knock off one of the footballs off the markers. This ball is not replaced
• The team who successfully knocks off five footballs first wins the game
• Encourage your players to dribble and not to shoot or pass from a distance
• Discuss key points with the players and attempt again. Have the players analyse the techniques of their team members

Do your left and right fullbacks become part of the attack?

The key to overlapping is to have both the winger and fullback working close so they can link up with each other. When the ball is played to the winger, it is ideal if the winger is facing the opponent (forward) in space.

The first touch of the winger must be inside to allow space for the overlapping fullback. Timing of the pass is crucial.

The winger must delay the pass and try to commmit the defender which will allow the overlapping fullback to penetrate the space left by the defender. This will also make it harder for the defender to recover quickly.

This sequence of overlapping can also act as a decoy run. It’s then important that the winger sits in to fill the space left by the overlapping fullback to avoid a quick counter attack if possession is lost. But the winger must still maintain a good distance to support the fullback.

Drill setup

• Start with the fullback (1a) passing the ball to a midfielder (2)
• The fullback starts to overlap around the outside of midfielder (2) while midfielder (2) passes to attacker (4a)
• The attacker turns the ball back to midfielder (3), who plays a ball towards the right corner and into the run of the fullback
• The fullback crosses the ball and the attackers (4a) and (5) run into the penalty area to attempt a shot on goal
• Attacker (5) runs to the near post while attacker (4a) finds a central position by arching their run so they are coming forward to meet the ball (4b)
• Make sure you rotate your players so everyone has a go at overlapping
• You can easily advance this session by first adding passive defenders, then full pressure in a small sided game