Twin strikers can solve youth scoring problems

I was watching a match on TV this week and there was a wonderful example of twin strikers creating space to score a goal. One striker ran towards the near post dragging the defence with him and the other targeted the back post heading into the net unmarked.

Twin strikers create goals.

You can use twin strikers to create lots of movement in the final third ¬– they can go high and low or near and far post or even double up in one half of the penalty area. One player can receive the ball back to goal setting up his partner who will look for through passes or drag defenders away creating space for a turn and shot from the attacker on the ball.

The target strikers can also make runs from behind opponents to receive passes – we’ve all watched strikers moving in one direction then quickly checking back in another one. Tactics training is very important at all age groups and should include combinations with midfielders in the middle and on the wings.

So at different age groups you a looking at formations like 3-5-2 at 11-a-side, 3-3-2 at 9-a-side or 2-2-2 at 7-a-side. Try the sessions below to help you work with two strikers in your team.

My go to session for getting my team to play with twin strikers is Working with attacking pairs. This game where players work in twos is all about shooting and recognising when to move into different zones to support the attack. It is a great way to forge a partnership with your front two.

Forging a partnership is key to getting the best out of the two players. Two up front in tandem gets your players to combine well by teaching your forwards how to communicate and develop their attacking relationship.

One short, one long is a rule used by teams that use two forwards. To disrupt defenders, one forward makes a short run towards the ball, and the other forward makes a long run into the space left by the first forward. This type of movement will create space for one of the forwards to receive a pass.

And finally to get your strike partners firing on all cylinders use Parallel lines which is a simple unopposed shooting activity that coaches strikers to receive, look up, lay off and support, the way twin attackers should be behaving in the final third.

Working with attacking pairs
Single-minded striker
One Short, One Long
Parallel lines