Tag Archives for " Cover "

0 Space - Ball - Space

By Mike Smith This session is focused on small groups of players working together to defend the space behind them. I am first and foremost a defensive minded coach. I have had tons of success teaching teams to drop back early in two lines of four, essentially playing a 4 man midfield like a 4 man back

0 Pressure, Cover and Balance

By Sean Pearson Area Size: 24 x 30 yards. Divide area into 3 equal areas of 8 x 15 and an area in front of the goal 24 x 10 Teams: 3 v 3 Time: 20 - 25 Minutes Objectives: To know who is pressure (1st) defender, cover (2nd) defender & third (3rd) To recognize when, where

0 Functional Defending Session with Front Three

By Eric Clermont -  In the modern game today, the demand of players technically, tactically and physically have increased considerably over the past ten years. Defenders are expected to build out from the back, midfielders are held accountable for defending deep runs into the box and forwards are also told that they must defend from the

0 Defensive Pressure and Attacking Speed

By Lawrence Fine, Author of the FineSoccer Coaching Bible.

Welcome to the FineSoccer Drills Newsletter. Today’s featured activity works on  defensive pressure and attacking at speed.

Start with a 30 x 20 grid, 3 attackers, and 2 defenders. There is a group of balls on the end line the attackers are starting on.

One of the attackers starts with a ball and as soon as he touches the ball the

0 Bayern Munich's Positioning in Midfield

By Stevie Grieve

Bayern initial set up – 4-2-3-1/4-3-3 hybrid

With Alonso (yellow) screening infront of the defence and playing laterally, this allows Rode (yellow) and Hojbjerg (orange) to be free to drift between the lines and support if Robben or Ribery (Red) stay wide. If they stay wide, Bernat/Rafinha stay deeper and tuck inside as inverted FB’s and help overload centrally to look for forward passes through the defence.

Bayern 4-3-3 with 1v1 zones on the side and inverted full backs

As Robben and Ribery are excellent 1v1 players, staying wide opens up a lot of space in

3 Lack of Defensive Cover in the Midfield

By Stevie Grieve

In the last few seasons, Arsenal have tried to play a possession and pressing system, but often with massive instability, mainly through Mikel Arteta’s bad decision making at the bottom of the midfield triangle when deciding to press (and often foul) or drop off.

As he was always more of a controlling central midfielder than a deep playmaker in the #6 position, adjusting to this position in an attacking sense has been a lot easier than the defensive aspects needed for the role, such as pressing, covering, screening passes into strikers, tracking runners and offering protection to centre backs.

In the recent game against Manchester United, the lack of stability in the Arsenal midfield out of possession was again evident, particularly when pressing, and often with no stability around or behind the pressing zone.

Example; Rooney’s goal for 2-0 in the 86th minute

In this image, the ball is rebounded to the central midfielder. Above the dotted line, there is only 1 player able to confront the ball carrier and delay play, and not from a weak side position. This dictates that