
Pressed into action – practice
in Defending
Apply pressure, regain possession and then use the ball in this three-part session. By MICHAEL PHILP MORE
When a defender is applying pressure to an attacker with the ball it’s important that they have back-up in the form of a second or ‘covering’ defender. That’s to ensure that if the attacker beats the first defender, any progress is stifled by the second one.
Warm up | Session | Developments | Game Situation | Warm Down |
---|---|---|---|---|
10 minutes | 15 minutes | 15 minutes | 15 minutes | 5 minutes |
One defender challenges, the other covers - get them to organise themselves!
After playing the first pass, attacker 1 joins in the attack to make a 2v2 situation. The defenders will now have to constantly switch roles depending on who is nearest the ball, with the covering defender becoming the main defender and vice versa.
Now it's 2v2 so the defenders have to constantly adapt.
Play a 4×4 match with goalkeepers in an area 30×20 metres. Encourage both sides to shoot at every opportunity as this will force players to close down their opponents and provide cover.
In the 4v4 the defending team have to make many decisions and communicate effectively