EXPERT SESSIONS AND ADVICE FROM QUALIFIED AND EXPERIENCED GRASSROOTS SOCCER COACHES
A floating or false 9 is a centre forward who leaves his position in the centre of attack and moves deeper to link with the midfield.
When the false 9 moves deep (towards his own goal), the defenders are unsure whether to go and mark him. This creates confusion in defence.
Spain used a false 9 in Euro 2012 with coach Vincente Del Bosque using Cesc Fabregas in this position and therefore playing without a recognised centre forward.
The floating or false 9 causes confusion among defenders by dropping back into midfield from the traditional centre forward position
The long ball over the top of the defence can be difficult to defend against in youth soccer, so I’ve put together five drills and activities to help you coach defending against teams that play long ball tactics… One of the best ways to stop long balls is to get strikers to press high up... MORE
This drill helps players move to create passing angles to receive the ball. Players in possession try to make good decisions on whether to pass forward to the target player or keep possession by passing backwards/sideways to build the play again. MORE
Young central defenders are often slow in coming forward, but once they have played this game you won’t be able to stop them joining the attack. MORE
The best teams can pass and move at speed up the pitch in passing patterns that will reflect the style of play your team is using. Possession games like this are great for getting teams to pass and move up the pitch. MORE
in Tactics
The best way to play out from the back is to get your defence to spread wide, to get your full-backs to push on and play in advance of your centre backs who should receive the ball into feet and play their way out. MORE
Working on a narrow pitch helps players to be more direct in their attacks – defenders also get a grasp of how important the central areas of the pitch are MORE
