The following drill is part of a 28 page presentation entitled DEFENDING AS A TEAM IN A 4-2-3-1 that can be found on the recently added 4-2-3-1 System of Play page in the Soccer Awareness Training Center. Soccer Awareness Training Center provides unlimited access to Wayne Harrison's Soccer Awareness systems, training sessions, drills and more. Wayne's system helps develop world class youth soccer players and teams in a systematic and imaginative manner that guarantees performance at the highest level of competition. Whether you’re a beginning coach who needs help getting started or someone who wants to add some variety to their training sessions, the Soccer Awareness Training Center offers a wide variety of drills to choose from. Join Today

The game is designed to work on pressurizing the player on the ball, prevent a forward pass and ultimately win the ball. Closest player has to pressure the ball. To score, a player has to make a pass from anywhere into the keepers hands. The ball can be played in the air to the targets hands (to practice quality long distance lofted passes) or on the ground to feet (driven passes). All over the field players must work hard to close people on the ball down quickly.  

Develop –

A) As a reward when a team scores a goal they keep possession so they play to the opposite goal to score. Previously they played to the same goal and the opposition got the ball when they scored.

B) Go to man –marking so in possession players must get free and defenders must work hard to stop them scoring. Show by high pressure as a team how defenders can win the ball back early and close to the opponent’s goal to score. Need to push up from the back to start this.

Coaching Points:

1. Quick Pressure on the ball

2. 2nd defender supplying close Support for first defender

3. Deeper Cover from third defender

4. Recovery runs from players in front of the ball

5. Regain possession

Here the job of player (G) is to pressure the ball as quickly as possible to win it back. (F) supports across, (G) shows the player on the ball inside towards (F) and between them they try to win the ball back quickly. (E) Offers a balanced covering deeper position behind them.

Players cannot go into the keeper’s area.

Here (6) gets free of defender (D) and chips the ball into the keeper to score a goal. Once this has happened a few times players get the idea they need to work hard to close down quickly opponents on the ball.  

This game improves the urgency with which players need to close opponents down as they are so easily punished in this game if they don’t.

New 4-2-3-1 System of Play Presentations in the Soccer Awareness Training Center

Soccer Awareness Training Center provides unlimited access to Wayne Harrison's Soccer Awareness systems, training sessions, drills and more. Wayne's system helps develop world class youth soccer players and teams in a systematic and imaginative manner that guarantees performance at the highest level of competition. Join Now