Double Box: Tactical Balance
If your team, while it is attacking, keeps a balanced structure, it will be ready to defend rapidly in an appropriate way when losing the ball. It will make your players be better at finishing, at pressing after losing the ball, in the counter attack, in the previous moves to the ball loss etc.
Four squares possession
To achieve an appropriate players’ distribution in the free spaces, to switch the game successfully, to choose either checking to the ball or checking away… this drill will make you players think and take decisions.
Anticipation, Man to Man Marking and Losing own Marker
It is not easy for a coach to teach the player which is the appropriate moment to make a run to lose the defender, to teach which is the speace where he has to run to, etc… what if you create a situation where the player is able to identify it and solve it by himself?
Transitions: Narrow down the spaces
The following situations are basic tactical and repeated situations in the game: The team that loses the ball has to close spaces, the team winning the ball back has to start winning width, opening up the field. You can practice this drill continuously.
To accelerate or to delay the game, to dominate the change of pace of the game.
To control the game pace we need the players to dominate the offensive tactical principals of delaying, change of pace etc.
Blocking the Receiver and Defensive Transition
To get quickly to the player with the ball will help us winning the ball back easier. To do this, we will need to be good at defensive vigilances. We will practice them constantly in this drill.
Rondo with an intense pressure (Liverpool FC)
Do you know Liverpool’s Henderson Rondo? It is an interesting conditioning in order to reach a maximum pressure from the first pass.
Hexagon Rondo
This is a very special space in order to make the players stay in triangles first and then add another player creating a diamond. Doing this we will be able to give 3 supports at least to the player on the ball, becoming a really difficult situation for the defenders to defend.
Create and Defend Passing Lanes
To defend in a staggered way, is going to make your players not only practice coverages and defensive support but also, offensively, you are going to make your players go through passing lines. This is a big formative challenge that you will be able to achieve.
4 Squares – Positional Game
To occupy the field rationally is one of the main objectives of the coaches at early ages. This is a good introduction to the position game for different playing systems.