By Mike Smith
I have told my team several times, if I could get them to understand 3 and 4 and even 5 man combinations at the high school level we would make some noise in the state tournament every year. The fact is, most teams understand the basic “ give and go” two man combo – both in terms of how to do it and how to defend it – but when that third man is added, the defending sides usually start to have trouble. This is especially true for teams who usually play a zone based defense but then find themselves having to chase more than one target after the initial give and go. I have a team in my district and region which does this ( 3 man combos )well and my guys are just now closing the gap on them – in large part to how we are defending the 3rd mans run. Here is what I mean:
This particular opponent likes to play out of the back and get wide using a 5-3-2, which they have the personnel to make work. In the diagram above, the dilemma they create is clear, so we have bucked conventional wisdom in a way and allowed a vertical run to go untracked in the midfield. The shaded outside defender has been tasked with waiting for the “give” and allowing the attacker to come to him, which he always does. An additional defensive mid is tasked with holding and stepping into the space created by the initial run to prevent the central mid from gaining possession. We allow the outside back to set this up as long as everything else is in front of us. Our ( the yellow team ) forwards stay up to prevent the switch from the back. In this situation, leaving the vertical run open in midfield works.
Here ( above ) is how it looks when it works, and while there are two wide attackers open, the service to them is now challenged, there are free players in yellow ready to track the long switch and everything around the ball is marked. Compare this to the alternative:
If we step up and track the runner this usually creates confusion between the mid and outside back, who both go wide with the attacker. A bent run from the attacking forward combined with the option to use the attacking runner or attacking center mid ( shown in red ) and a shot is inevitable. Try this drill to help your team delay pressure, even against vertical mid field runs.
Set Up
On a half field, place cones on the side lines to mark the top of the defensive third. 7 defenders plus the keeper take on 5 attackers. One attacker starts in the back of the defensive line, one starts wide at the half line, with 3 others who start play with out pressure by trying to combine. The idea is for the attacker who starts with the ball to run into the back line, where the outside defender is expecting him. For the purposes of the drill , the starting player may not receive the ball again until it has been dropped for the initial give and go. The ideas are as follows: 1. For the outside back to pick up the runner and even deny the ball if possible once the attacker has come to them. 2. For the central back line defenders to be ready to provide cover for both the entry pass to the marked forward AND the long switch to the attacker out on the line. 3. For the mid field to cover the attacking runner who entered play from the cone ( the receiver of the initial pass ), step out to pressure the service across and prevent the marked forward from stepping down into midfield for and easy switch.
Progression
The drill is free play to goal, with several groups of 5 attackers rotating in. As the activity progresses, the coach may add an additional attacker in the midfield for the defending mids to cover. The defending side should always have at least one more player than the attacking side and this can progress into a 10 v 9 half field exercise.
Coaching Points
The focus here is the mid fielders being able to trust the outside back to hold in central and track the 3rd man instead of stepping out to pressure the initial give and go from the wide player. After the initial runner is picked up, the focus is on the lateral shifting of the defenders to keep everything wide and in front of them. These two coaching points will make the difference in success or failure on the field with this scenario. While not the focus, an added bonus will be the practice your attackers get in running these combos as they are very challenging to stop for a lot of teams, it’s a win / win.
By Mike Smith
Currently the Head Coach for University Heights Academy Boys Soccer in Hopkinsville, KY , Mike is in his 14th year as a high school head coach with 23 years coaching experience overall and 34 year as a student and fan of the game. He holds a USSF D License.
