The following comes from Soccer Awareness eBook 12: 16 Team Shape Games. Soccer shape teaches players how to defend and attack as a team. No matter what formation you choose to play, Team Shape is a vital component to how successful your team will play on the weekend. In this book we will look at various options based on age groups for the size of the games. Get the book here.

The theme here is making diagonal runs with or without the ball to receive or create space for a teammate. When it is a forward diagonal run the player making it must avoid running offside in a game situation.

Coaching Points:

1. Creating Space.

2. Decision – when and where to pass into the receiver.

3. Technique – Quality of pass particularly the weight, accuracy and timing.

4. Angle and Timing of the Diagonal Runs both to create space and to receive the ball.

5. Support Positions of the players.

In the above example (2) is on the ball to pass it forward. (6) Makes a diagonal run away from the center taking man marking (B) with them. (4) Also makes a diagonally opposite run away from the central area taking (C) away also. This leaves space for (5) to come short with another diagonal run to receive the pass. As in receiving and turning (5) may have run (A) off to check back if time was available to do so thus creating more time and space on the ball.

Another way to create space for (5) coming short to receive would be for (6) to make a run towards (5) and cut across the path of (5)’s marker (A) to hold up their run.