Corner rebels

An end-to-end game that trains your players to successfully defend corners and to counterattack straight out of defence while your opponents are still upfield.

Why use it

Winning the ball when defending a corner is not only important defensively, it can also spark your team into a fast counterattacking move that catches opponents still upfield. To achieve this, your team must organise and capitalise on clever positioning of players.

Set up

Set up an area of 40×30 yards split in two with a goal at each end. We’re playing 4v4 plus goalkeepers using 10 players. You need cones, bibs, balls and goals.

How to do it

Every time the ball goes out of play it should be played back in with a corner. When the corner is taken, all players must be in the half the corner is taken in but can move out on the first touch of the ball from a player other than the corner taker.

Technique

Getting a player to stand forward of the near post is an excellent way of winning the ball at corners, giving them a clear run out of defence starting a counterattack. With four players on a team the key defensive areas can be covered – one on each post to make the goal smaller, one covering the front of the goal and one covering the direction from where the ball is coming.

1. A player should cover the area directly in front of the corner kick taker and one player should stand on the penalty spot

2. There should be a player on each post to make the goal as small as possible

3. If the forward player wins the ball he should dribble down the pitch and set up support players to attack the goal

4. Here the ball is turned away for a corner so all players must get into this half of the pitch

5. The defensive set-up should be the same for both teams. If the ball clears the first defender, the other players are in key positions to defend the goal