I am a huge believer that games are the best teacher and in order to maximize the most of your team, it needs to be competitive and you have to be going against live competition. Athletes today get more enjoyment out of the session when everyone is competing and involved in game-like situations. It also prepares your players to have the right attitude to compete and prepares them for critical moments that may arise in games. You have to practice above the level that you will see in games to better prepare you for when that moment comes in a game when you need a last gasp winner or a heroic goal line clearance with little time on the clock.
One of the activities I use in my sessions to practice finishing in a game situation is “8-Ball”. This is an instant classic that my players get excited about and presents all players with the ability to practice both attacking and defending in the box.
To set up, split your team into two teams of eight players. If you have more or less, you can adjust however you choose. One team begins by playing offense and the other team defends. The attacking team chooses an 8 to initiate play, a CAM and two wingers to act as neutrals and four offensive players in the box. Use goalkeepers.
The offense will have eight opportunities to attempt to score on the defending team. Play initiates when the attacking team’s CM plays to their CAM at the top of the box. He then is presented with three options to either turn and play to a teammate inside the box or play wide to the other neutrals. Keep the neutrals on a two touch limit. Once the defending team clears the box or the offensive team scores, the rep is over and the four defending players on the field are replaced by the four defending players standing outside of the drill on the posts. They switch once the rep is complete. Once the attacking team has had eight chances to score, the attacking and defending teams switch and the same rules apply. Whichever team scores the most in their eight opportunities to score wins the game. Offsides is in effect.
If the ball goes out of bounds for a corner, have all players from both the attacking and defending team enter the box and have one of the neutral wingers play in a ball for a corner. Play until a goal is scored or the defensive team clears the ball. If the defensive team clears the ball out for another corner, play the corner again.
This is a great opportunity to work on desperate defending in the box, man marking and finishing for those who are inside the 18. This also presents your creative CAM and wingers to work on delivering crosses. In my sessions, I am teaching the creative players the following…
The wingers can either take a big touch towards the endline and play a cutback to the penalty kick spot or deliver an inswinging cross to the back post. On the cutback, this puts defenders in uncomfortable positions as they are running facing their own goal, increasing the opportunity for either a mishit cross which will lead to a goal, the defending team will concede a corner or even they will concede an own goal. On the inswinging back post cross, this puts pressure on the goalie to communicate and decide. If he is indecisive and isn’t sure where the ball is going, this can lead to an easy headed goal at the back post or the goalie will freeze thinking the ball is going wide, but could end up in the back of the net. From that position wingers can also deliver a low driven ball for attackers to run onto if the defense has presented space behind the line. Tell your wingers to drive the ball low and hard through the opposite line on the 6.
For the CAM, this is a great opportunity to work on breaking lines and finding players on third man runs. If the neutrals are working the ball, the CAM can scan for opportunities to break lines or can work on attracting pressure to then be able to break lines for a through ball.
