By Jakub Pietrzak -
Building sessions around attacking is something very usual. Most of the sessions involve possession or positional games and a final game. But with the focus mainly on the attacking, we can easily forget about progressing our players in exactly as important phase of the game – defending. It is very important to keep the focus on defending in any session as it increases the intensity and makes it more challenging for the player/team which is currently in possession of the ball. Teaching players how to defend in games requires earlier ‘technique training’. As it’s done it is good to put players in a realistic environment where they must adapt to different situations.
While teaching defending in that game, make sure that the attacking part is done at the highest possible quality. Players can still improve their technique and decision making. The session should improve them exactly the same way as any other. The only difference is what you focus on.
Focus of the game is press and cover. But at first teams will be working on communication and keeping the right distances between them. Divide players in 2 teams and split teams in 2 equal groups. The aim for both teams is to keep the ball as long as possible playing 2/3 touches and getting points for playing through opposition line of players.
At first players are limited to their zones and can’t get out of them at any point. At this moment the main coaching points are communication in between the defensive groups, good cover and distances between the players. Try to force the players on the ball to move on- and off-the-ball quickly to make it more difficult for the opposition. If the game becomes to easy to defend try to open the space a bit more. If it is difficult to defend, you can make the area smaller and allow attacking team to play a through ball using just one touch. Make sure you swap the groups in and outside so all players work on the defensive part of the game.
In the 2nd part, game becomes more dynamic and we add finishing and shot creation in the final third. Ball always starts in the middle third. Teams get a point for successfully playing to defenders and back to middle zone. After the pass into a middle zone, one defender joins the attack and the team has 10 seconds to finish it. Goalkeepers can be used in the game and put in goal at this point. If the goalkeeper is in goal there is no limit of touches to finish. If no goalkeeper put the rule of 1 touch finish.
Now the defensive 4 has to read the game and be ready for a forward pass from the other team. As the black team starts playing 5v4, yellow team can leave their zone and press. It is important to keep the level of focus high so the whole team works together to cover the spaces in between and defend on the front foot so they don’t let the attacking players from black team receive the ball forwards.
If players master the coordination of movement in groups of 3/4 another rule can be put in. As one of 4s is trying to play through, they are still limited to 2/3 touch but are allowed to drive with the ball through defensive area. When they do that they have unlimited touches to play forwards. Defensive team on the other hand can put a defensive player to press and the remaining 3 have to make sure the cover. Depending of your coaching style teach the players the right behaviours. If your marking zonally (the most popular nowadays) don’t allow just one player to press and remaining 3 to cover. The pressing one can be easily outplayed in a 4v1 and the remaining 3 won’t be able to cover that big area. Try to explain it to them that way so the players work on press and cover and ‘jump out’ of their zone when the ball enters their area.
By Jakub Pietrzak
