What kind of shape does your team have on match day? Getting players to fit a formation can be a tricky business especially at the younger age groups, it’s all about getting the players to understand how the formation works and their role in it.
Most young players like to be striker but some players prefer to play with the ball in front of them. So you have to work on a strategy and how to get players involved – it all boils down to understanding.
Start by getting an understanding of the way teams build up as they progress through the age groups. How teams work up from 5v5 to 11v11 shows you in diagrams the way the two new outfield players are integrated into each formation.
For the Under 6, Under 7 and Under 8 age groups who will play 4v4 (without a goalkeeper) or 5v5 with a goalkeeper the 1-2-1 formation works on a diamond shape that gives support in defence and attack. It relies on the coach being able to get across to the two midfield players the importance of both getting back into defence and supporting the striker.
If you are a coach working with Under 9s and Under 10s the 7v7 formation begins to work on other factors. The 2-1-2-1 formation is ideal for advancing 7-a-side teams to a more tactical attacking game with the ability to go with three upfront, which makes it hard to defend against.
And for coaches of Under 11 and Under 12 teams playing 9v9, with the extra tactical difficulties involved, here are my two “go to” formations:
1-3-1-2-1 is a very strong formation with diamonds from back to front, it is solid in the middle and excellent on the counter attack. It also offers plenty of support from midfield to attack.
3-3-2 is similar to the traditional 4-4-2, and sets up a good, solid base from which to defend and attack.
This is the best formation for an all out attack. Check out the pros and cons of the 2-1-2-1 formation at 7-a-side for Under 9 and Under 10 teams. MORE
With more teams playing 9v9 at U11 and U12, we take a look at the formations your side could play for this team size. This is the 1-3-1-2-1 formation MORE
The diagrams in this post show how soccer formations progress from 5v5 through to 11v11 – you can see how each change in formation adds players into the mix. MORE
Possession is so important it is worth spending as much time as you can on getting players reacting to having the ball and making decisions to keep it. They must be switched on and you must get them to look for supporting runs and make the runs themselves. MORE
Keeping possession of the ball is key to winning games – if you have it your opponents haven't got it. There are tactical musts that go hand in hand with a possession game. Being aware of where the ball is and where your teammates are is essential so get your players to have a picture in their head of what they’re going to do with the ball before it comes to them. MORE
Over the next few weeks I plan to work on box-to-box passing moves – counter-attacking play that involves passing and receiving between the lines, well-timed movements and crossover runs, and the exploitation of space behind the opposition’s back line. MORE
One of the things I have done a lot of work on this season is getting my team to play right to the very end of matches. Not only that, whether we are losing or not in the last 10 minutes as a collective we up our game and try to score a goal. It helps us end on a positive note. MORE
Simple answer is “Yes”, particularly if your players regularly struggle to hang on to the attackers they are marking, or if they fail to organise themselves each time they face a corner or free kick. Given a set position, your players will grasp what they have to do and respond well to their part of the defensive responsibility. MORE
These are five of my go to sessions when I want to coach shooting or to give my players a good workout using both feet to put the ball in the net... it's also the thing they love to do at training better than anything. MORE
