We’ve all seen a lot of great defenders during this truncated season especially Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk in the Premier League and the Champions League.
There are few defenders who can cope better under pressure, particularly when outnumbered in a 2v1 situation. He uses his positional nous, speed of thought and pace to split the two players in front of him and closes down the one with the ball. This in turn narrows the options for the opposition – and having covered the ground quickly, Van Dijk uses his timing to perfection to put in a block on the ball or make it difficult to shoot.
Try these two sessions to get your defenders winning battles when they are outnumbered:
Get defenders to play like Van Dijk, whose clever positioning in seemingly irretrievable situations often leads to attacks breaking down.Stop the attack help players to read situations when they are outnumbered in defence and have to try to hold up play or make a decision to win the ball.
I use this small-sided game to get my defenders reacting to situations where he is exposed to two attackers. In the game the third man must react quickly and switch from attack to defence to stop the two attackers scoring 2v1.
Get defenders to play like Liverpool centre-back Virgil van Dijk, whose clever positioning in seemingly irretrievable situations often leads to attacks breaking down. MORE
“Two attackers combine to create a shooting opportunity for the third man. Can the third man react quickly and switch from attack to defence to stop the two attackers scoring 2v1?” MORE
Please check out the latest sport and social distancing guidelines in your area, and follow the recommendations when planning training sessions. Use this 4+4 v 4 box to give your back four a good work out in blocking passing lanes MORE
Over the next few weeks I hope to make it easy for you to plan your route back to full training with sessions that you can use within the constraints of the numbers you can use at training. MORE
This is all about teamwork and teammates using the ball or stopping opponents from winning it. Press hard and the defenders will win the three balls in the fastest time – the clock starts ticking the second the first ball is kicked so players must move quickly. MORE
With youth soccer tentatively heading back to the playing fields now is the time to think about how and where your goals are going to come from next season. MORE
Central defenders and supporting players have a vital role in stopping the opposition’s build up play. Players will work on the defending angle of approach to try and force the attacker away MORE
A fun game that will encourage your defenders to be calm on the ball and confident in their passing. Having a defender cool enough to keep calm under pressure is an asset. This activity will help stop your defenders from panicking. MORE
“I took a free trial and I was blown away by the drills; it made my training sessions so much easier. ”
