In the days after our defeat in Kiev, the talk centred on England’s inability to win penalty shootouts. That’s a red herring.

An honest analysis of England’s four matches would focus on a more fundamental problem. An inability to keep possession of the ball and complete simple 5 yard passes under pressure.

Bill Shankley said “Football is a simple game based on the giving and taking of passes, of controlling the ball and of making yourself available to receive a pass. It is terribly simple.”

So why can’t English players do it? Are there are too many foreign players at our top clubs? Do we play too many games in a season? Are players so highly paid that they have lost their desire?

It’s not any of those things, nor can the problem be fixed between now and the world cup in Brazil in 2014. We need to turn away from the Premiership and look at the roots of our game.

Good habits are learnt early in life and football is no different. The kick and rush we saw in Ukraine is the by-product of how youth football has been played in this country for generations.

The emphasis is on winning matches and medals not on technique and game craft.

Youth Football is the only leisure activity where it is deemed acceptable for a group of (often unrelated) adults to shout instructions at young children.

Is it any wonder that young players get rid of the ball as soon as possible, never having the opportunity to develop the confidence that will help them keep possession and play a pass?  Improvement in football comes through making mistakes and learning from them.

The FA has proposed the introduction of 5 a-side games for under 7’s & 8‘s. The current 7 a side format will continue until U11 when players switch to a 9 a side matches.

Playing small sided games is a welcome, if overdue, initiative but there is much more that could and should be done to improve grassroots youth football.

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In the 1920’s and 30s’ Herbert Chapman won 5 league titles in 8 years using a W – M formation. A Scot, Jimmy Hogan, laid the tactical foundations that led to the great Hungarian side of the 1950’s. Brazilian Vincente Feola introduced the 4-2-4 formation that inspired the wonderful 1970 World Cup winning team. Dutchman Rinus Michels gave us “total football”. And our own, under-rated, Graham Taylor introduced a pressing style to the English game that delivered incredible results for Lincoln City and Watford. These visionary men had the self-belief to try something different and as a result changed the way the game was played and coached.

So has Pep Guardiola, Barcelona manager for 4 glorious years. With a brand of dynamic passing football Senõr Guardiola persuaded coaches at all levels that the game is more beautiful than any of us could have imagined. Instead of a sport dominated by giant, muscular athletes we have been thrilled and inspired by small, intelligent players with grace, balance and quick feet.

Many football fans lament the passing of footballs’ hard men like “Chopper” Harris, Tommy Smith and Vinnie Jones but these are players from a bygone era. In a sport dominated by television, entertainment is no longer a by product of the game, it’s a pre-requisite.

From grassroots up coaches, players and spectators have new expectations. Viva Pep!

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COACH POSITION

• It is important that the coach adopts a coaching position off the pitch that enables them to see all the players.
• By being able to observe all the players and the action, the coach can see what is going well and where mistakes happen.
• This skill of observation and analysis is crucial for the coach to be able to effectively coach the topic.

ORGANISATION AND START

• Play 8 v 8 on a 70 x 50 yard pitch.
• Organise the teams to play a 3 – 2 – 2 formation.
• As an initial starting point, the team you are coaching give the ball possession to the opposition team in their defensive 3^rd. A good start point is for one of the midfield players to pass the ball into the opposition GK.

TEAM SHAPE

COMPACTNESS OF DEFENSIVE SHAPE

• Here you can see the way the team have got behind the ball and have a compact, central defensive team shape.
• From this position the team can defend the central area. They can defend their goal and they can put appropriate pressure on the opposition wherever they play the ball.

DEFENDING FROM THE FRONT

SHIELDING THE FORWARD CENTRAL PASS

• To reiterate, if the forwards think they can win the ball, because of a poor pass or poor touch, then they should do so.
• But if they can’t their job is to communicate together and to make it difficult for the opposition to pass accurately forward centrally.
• They need to work together and make sure they aren’t too close together, too far apart, too close to the ball or too far away from the ball.

DEFLECTING THE PLAY ACROSS THE PITCH

• If the opposition find it hard to pass forward, centrally and accurately, they will generally pass the ball long and direct. Which we will deal with later, when we look at coaching the defensive unit.
• Or they will pass the ball across the pitch and try and get a player in space to be able to run with the ball or pass forward, centrally and accurately.
• The forwards should look to try and deflect the play and encourage the opposition to pass the ball across the pitch.
• As they pass the ball, the forwards should adjust their position so that they make it difficult for the opposition to pass accurately forward centrally.
• Again, if they can win the ball, they should do so.

FORWARDS MOVING TOGETHER AS THE BALL MOVES

• As the ball is passed, the forwards should move as the ball travels.
• They are looking to make it difficult for the ball to be passed forward accurately and centrally.
• If there is an opportunity to win the ball, they should do so. But if not, they should be patient and disciplined.

TRIGGERS TO PRESS OR WIN THE BALL

• The forwards should recognise and react to triggers that might allow them to pressure or win the ball.
• The triggers are a slow or inaccurate pass.
• Passes that go behind players.
• Poor control of the ball.
• Poor support for the player on the ball.
• If one forward decides to pressure the ball, the second forward should back them up and provide cover.
• Communication and timing of the pressure is very important.

COACHING THE MIDFIELD UNIT

• Once the coach is satisfied that the forward players know their jobs, then they can move onto coach the midfield unit.
• The midfield unit should adopt positions that allow them to shield or intercept forward, central passes: To be able to pressure and cover passes to the opposition midfield and to be able to track midfield forward runs off them.
• The midfield players should communicate with the forwards and with each other.

MIDFIELD AND FORWARDS WORKING TOGETHER

• As the ball is passed, the midfield and forwards should all work together and move like they are linked by elastic.
• If the opposition pass the ball quickly and accurately, there will be times when the forwards will not be able to move quickly enough to shield the forward pass or stop the run with the ball.
• In this situation, the nearest midfield player to the ball now reacts and shuffles over to effect and shield the ball.
• The next midfield player shuffles over with them, providing cover and shielding the forward ball.
• The forward furthest from the ball drops into midfield.
• The forward closest to the ball drops and makes it difficult for the player on the ball to pass forward centrally, particularly into the midfield area.

MIDFIELD AND FORWARDS REACTION AND ADJUSTMENT

• In this graphic, you can see how the midfield and forwards have adjusted and reacted to a situation where the opposition have broken the forward defensive line.
• The opposition have progressed, but are faced with a situation where it is difficult for them to progress down the pitch effectively.

MIDFIELD PRESSURE AND COVER, FORWARD REACTIONS

• If the ball is passed centrally into an opposition midfield player, then the nearest midfield player applies pressure, to intercept the ball or to prevent the midfield player turning with the ball.
• The second midfield player provides cover in case the pressure player gets turned or beaten.
• The forwards react to pressure the ball from the front and try and win it from poor control resulting from the pressure.

COACHING THE DEFENSIVE UNIT

• Once the coach is happy that the forward and midfield units know their jobs and individual and unit roles and responsibilities, they move onto to coach the defensive unit and GK.
• The GK and defensive unit should always adopt a shape where they are in a good position in relation to wherever the ball and opposition forwards are.
• They should be goal side of the attacking players and should be in a position where they can comfortably deal with any long balls over the top.
• They should be compact and central, to be able to defend the goal and should look to have at least one more defender than the attacking team have forwards.

THE DEFENSIVE UNIT MOVING AS THE BALL MOVES

• The defensive unit should all move together, keeping compact, as the ball is passed.
• The forwards and midfield should also move with the defensive unit, so the whole team adjust their shape as the ball is passed.
• The coach should check that there isn’t big spaces between players in the defensive unit and that the players aren’t too compact and too close together.
• They should also observe that they aren’t too deep, allowing balls to be dropped over the midfield players into forwards feet or pushed too high, where the ball over the top for a forward running behind them causes problems and makes it a race for the ball.

THE DEFENSIVE UNIT DEALING WITH LONG BALLS OVER THE TOP

• The defensive unit should always be in a comfortable position to deal with any long balls over the top.
• The nearest defensive player to the ball should be ball side of the attacker with the other two defenders in positions where they can deal with long balls centrally or diagonally.
• It is far better that a forward receives the ball with their back to goal so that defenders can apply pressure, than be too tight and vulnerable to a long pass over the top into space where the forward can run off them and be in on goal.

THE DEFENSIVE UNIT DEALING WITH LONG, HIGH BALLS

• There will be times when the opposition will go long and early to their forwards.
• If the defensive unit are in good positions prior to the long ball, then they will be able to deal with it much more effectively.
• The nearest players to the ball should communicate and attack the ball.
• The other two defenders should quickly drop and provide cover for flick ons or if the ball is missed by the attacking player.
• They will need to provide cover centrally and adopt positions that have a good angle and distance of cover.

THE MIDFIELD AND FORWARDS ROLES ON LONG HIGH BALLS

• The midfield should look to track any opposition midfield players that make runs to support the long ball and to make sure they recover and are first to any drop downs or loose balls that result from the challenge on the ball.
• The forwards should make sure that if the ball is cleared forward they are in a position to try and get to the clearance first.

TEAM COMPACTING

• Whenever the ball travels backwards or square, the team should appropriately compact play by squeezing to the ball as a team.
• It is important that they do this together as a team, while retaining their team shape.
• They should not look to squeeze and compact play if the opposition have possession, as the danger is the team will be moving forward and their balance will be  the ball can be passed over them resulting.

COACH POSITION, OBSERVATION AND ANALYSIS OF PERFORMANCE

• It is important that the coach adopts a position where they can observe all the players.
• A position off the pitch and to the side of the gaol is a good position.
• Try and observe not just where the ball is, but where the ball is going to be. By doing this, the coach can also see if the players in the team being coached are reacting defensively in the correct way.
• Observe that the team have a good defensive shape in relation to where the ball is as this provides the defensive foundation for effective defending as a team.

The practice has been designed using Coaches Chalkboard. Coaches Chalkboard is FREE, is easy to use and enables a coach to design, print, save and share training practices, tactics and formations for games with other coaches and players.

To get the FREE Coaches Chalkboard, click here.

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“What is the difference between Coaching a team to defend to counter attack compared to coaching a team to defend deep to counter attack?”

In this article, we look at how to Coach a team to defend to counter attack.

Overview

The first thing to think of is that your team are defending and the opposition are attacking. So you want the opposition to commit players forward, so if the defending team gain possession and break forward quickly they have the opportunity of an equal number or numerical advantage and the opposition have players’ briefly on the wrong side of the ball.

The defending team for this topic will look to be organised defensively, with the team behind the ball. They will be higher up the pitch, with the GK sweeping behind for any balls that are player over the top. This will enable them to put pressure on higher up the pitch, so if they win the ball there is less distance for them to attack the goal. Imagine a game like situation where the opposition are playing out from the back. The defensive team are organised and behind the ball. They have squeezed up and compacted play, but are in defensive positions to deal with a long ball over the top. They are encouraging the opposition to pass the ball in their own half. They are giving the opposition enough rope to hang themselves. Typically, this might be a home team who are 0-0 or winning 1 –0.

The team will need to be patient with their pressure and if the opposition have good possession, not to chase the ball and become disorganised, allowing the opposition to play through them.

TRIGGERS

The defending team are waiting for TRIGGERS that they react to as a team to go and pressure and hunt the ball, trying to win it and counter attack.

The triggers might be: A poor back pass to the GK that could be pressured and force the GK to hurry: A loose throw or kick from the GK: A poor cross field pass that forces the receiver backwards to control it or might result in a poor touch: Square passes into tight areas, for example a full back passing square into a midfield player: A straight pass from a defender into a midfield player who has a closed body position: Any poor control or loose control.

The defending team will be looking to identify these triggers early. The nearest player will look to try and intercept or pressure the ball aggressively. The rest of the team then work together to hunt as a pack and put pressure on and around the ball, looking to win the ball and counter attack. They will have to be careful that as they pressure the ball, they don’t push to high up the pitch and leave themselves vulnerable for one ball over the top that beats them all.

The key is discipline, organisation, communication, and patience. Once they have quickly identified the trigger, they react quickly and as a team to flood the area around the ball.

If they win the ball, they are in a position to counter attack quickly. This might take the form of a player quickly running with the ball into space or directly at an opponent to commit them to the ball: A player dribbling past an opponent and taking them out of the game: A quick through pass or cross behind the opposition for timed forward runs: A direct shot on goal. They will also need to commit players forward quickly to counter attack, but be careful they don’t all commit forward and leave themselves vulnerable for a counter attack.

This video might help you understand the principle of defending as a team in an 8 v 8 game. If the team win the ball, then they look to counter attack.

UEFA B Coaching – Small Sided Game – Defend as a Team

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When on football coaching courses I’ve had the pleasure of talking to some excellent professional coaches and have always been intrigued as to what pro-clubs look for in young players when assessing potential. Is it a reading of the game, ball control, imagination, creativity, quickness of feet?

Despite the coaches’ best efforts I’m told that many pro-clubs prime interest is how big the player will be at adulthood. Judgements are made not on the basis of technique but potential physical stature. Football today is a sport for athletes, but in England it has become a game for the big & strong. In youth football from grassroots up, the biggest, fastest players tend to get noticed. So here’s an interesting list of British players who have won the Ballon D’Or (world football’s “Best Player” award) since 1966.

• 1967 George Best – 5ft 7”
• 1977 Kevin Keegan – 5ft 7”
• 1978 Kevin Keegan – 5ft 7”
• 2001 Michael Owen – 5ft 6”

The two players voted “best ever” in a recent FIFA poll? Pele (5ft 7”) and Diego Maradona (5ft 5”). Who is the current Ballon D’Or winner? Lionel Messi (5ft 6”).The current Spanish squad, the World and European Champions, includes the talents of Iniesta (5ft 7”),Xavi (5ft 7in), Silva (5ft 7”) and Villa (5ft 9”). Diminutive match winners each and every one.

Fitness, stamina, strength and speed all help to make a player. But the essential ingredient in the making of a footballer is technique. Mastery of the ball must come first. In English youth football, bigger, stronger, and faster players won’t focus as much on technique if strength and speed will carry them through. Smaller players, who rely on craft and creativity, are often muscled out of the game. The current Barcelona side is the perfect example of what can be achieved when the focus of youth development is on technique.

The odds of any grassroots player becoming a professional are shorter than winning the lottery. But every professional is introduced to the game at grassroots level. How many Michael Owen’s, Kevin Keegan’s or George Best’s have been lost to English football because clubs search only for the next giant of the game?

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Unlike the previous topic, where the defensive unit pushed higher up the pitch, therefore pushing their midfield higher enabling them to be close to their forwards and being able to pile on the pressure. The defensive unit have dropped back making sure there is no space behind them to exploit, pulling the fullbacks tighter to the central defenders. This will pull the midfield unit deeper and closer to the defensive unit. The midfield unit will also be tighter together centrally and will be looking to shield central passes into the central attacking team. The forward unit might well drop one of the forwards into the midfield area to boost the numbers and will try and let the central defenders of the opposition have the ball whenever they can, rather than the full backs.

The defensive team are defending deep, with players behind the ball. They will be compact centrally, making it difficult for the opposition to pass forward centrally, either into the central forwards’ feet or behind them into space. They will be trying to force the opposition to go backwards or square. They will be trying to keep the ball in front of them as much as they can.

Sooner or later the opposition will try and force a pass or a cross into the central danger area, where the defensive team have numbers. Sometimes, this will be a good pass or cross and the defensive team have to defend it. But, there might be times when it is a poor pass, poor cross, or poor control by the opposition. Because the defence have large numbers, they will also be able to apply pressure and cover around the ball. The midfield players who are shielding their defensive unit might even intercept the central forward pass. The defensive team are waiting for the opportunity to win the ball through interception, pressure from behind, or pressure from the front.

The Response

Once they win the ball, they now have to look to counter attack. But they are a long way from the opposition goal, so they have to look to progress the ball forward quickly and further up the pitch and to get players breaking forward quickly to support the ball and even run beyond it.

They can counter attack quickly by passing the ball forward. Ideally, one pass over the top to a forward running player into the space behind the opposition defence is the best way. If not, it can be done in two passes, for example a forward pass, where a set back and a third man run into the space behind the defence. Or even a long forward pass, a flick on and a runner behind. It might be they counter attack with more than two passes, but the passing will have to be quick, direct and accurate, with at some point a forward pass for a forward runner behind the opposition defence into open space.

Another way to quickly counter attack from deep is for a player to run quickly and directly with the ball. By running quickly with the ball, they will run away from any recovering players, will progress the ball forward up the pitch quickly and under control and force the opposition players behind the ball to either come to the ball or back off and concede space. The player running with the ball will need other counter attacking players to make runs that create space for the player running with the ball and to make runs off of them for a pass or a cross behind the retreating defenders.

Again, when counter attacking, they will need to be careful that they have a defensive balance to the counter attack, so if the ball is lost, they aren’t counter attacked against!

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