In Episode 8 of the WCC Podcast, Matt and Fedd had Bryan Fisher, Head Coach of Notre Dame High School Boys Soccer Team, discuss player and coach mental health. In the episode, Bryan talked about using the 5v5+2 and the 5v5+3 as a modable tool that can be used every day to focus on either offense or defense. This simple drill can be used in recovery, as a warm-up, or as your big teaching drill, depending on what you need out of your session.
The drill starts with a square box, we suggest a 30x30, but this can be adjusted depending on what you want to accomplish in the drill. If you want to extend the size and make it more possession-based exercise, you can, if you are looking to make connections on the contested areas of the pitch, shorten it up. In the box, you have a 5v5.
On the outside of the box, you have two neutral players. These neutral players are reduced to 1 touch. Everything else is fairly malleable within the drill; you can add or reduce the number of players in the box, or even the neutrals, but the neutrals must be one touch. The purpose of this is to create an atmosphere where play does not simply stop because the ball has gone to a neutral player. Players must quickly look for off-the-ball movements to receive from the neutral or the defenders will easily be able to predict the play of the attackers and negate any options for the neutral, resulting in a turnover
The beauty of the drill is its simplicity, and the focus here should be on painting the picture for your players. What does the neutral represent? Are they a target 9 dropping in? A Winger who we are looking to play outside and then back in? Is it a negative pass to the CB who is looking to relieve pressure and open up the pitch? These are the key questions you need to ask yourself, and then relay to the players to make this drill successful. The players then should be looking to read the visual cue of the pass to the neutral and look to react in accordance with what you would like to see them do in a game. The ball goes to the CB. How are you creating width? How many players should be checking short? Do we have enough depth to spread the opposition? Focusing on these situations and then finding repetition within the drill is where this simple drill, that can be set up in seconds, shows its strength.
Often Coach Fisher will then move to a 3rd neutral, who is generally a player who is taking too many touches or having trouble finding the right pass in traffic. This player is also limited to one touch, and it forces them to operate with a “one touch mentality”, being forced to constantly ask themselves, if I were to pass the ball now, where can I go with it in only one touch? In addition, the 5v5 players can also have their touches modified to slow down or speed up the decision-making within the drill.
