Breaking the lines – practice
in Midfield
Play through the thirds and create attacking overloads in this three-part session. By MATTHEW MOUNTFORD MORE
Midfield
Coaching a midfield is about making sure each of your midfielders understands their role and responsibilities. With good coaching and organisation your midfield should be able to support the defence and take the ball up the pitch, combining with the forwards to create and score goals. They need to have vision to see where to pass, and the skill and speed to execute their tactics.
These soccer drills and small-sided games look at a number of different midfield scenarios and suggest methods and coaching games to play to boost your midfield players’ skills.
Running from midfield
in Core Skills, Midfield, Practice plans
Help your attacking midfielders get into advanced positions to create and score goals with this drill. MORE
Ask your players “what makes a midfielder?”
in Email newsletters, Midfield
One of the things I find really useful is to engage my players on a Zoom call and get them to list the attributes they think players need in certain positions. So this week we are working on defensive midfield. What does a player in that position have to do? MORE
Midfielders feed attackers
Playing a pass from a deep lying midfielder into attacking players needs accuracy and speed but also it needs the midfielder to anticipate runs and movement MORE
The middle man
in Advanced Skills, Midfield, Practice plans
The playmaking midfielder is a player every team can benefit from. If you think of Andrea Pirlo, Andres Iniesta or Xavi Hernandez, you can see how influential their ability to play and receive passes is when it comes to launching attacks. MORE
Midfield into attack
In this fast, passing game midfielders must keep the ball and pass it through to the attackers quickly. Your players learn to make the right decisions and develop skills such as disguise using tight touch and quick release with limited space available. MORE
Triangle midfield drill
in Ball Control and Footwork, Midfield
This is all about keeping hold of the ball using an overload and a triangle midfield shape. Great for getting midfielders to think about their shape and where to move to receive the ball. MORE
Defence and midfield link
in Advanced Skills, Midfield, Practice plans
This session will improve your team’s ability to play the ball out of defence. It develops technique and understanding through unopposed, opposed and small-sided games. MORE
Midfield support in attack
When you attack the play should cover all areas of the attacking third. To do this attackers need support from midfield that is creative and moves quickly into the dangerous areas of the pitch to create goal scoring chances. MORE
Engine room passing
When midfielders win the ball they need to make good passes quickly in order to take advantage of any space on the pitch. In this session the quick pass sets up a scoring chance. MORE
Play off your forward
This session improves the relationship between midfielders and the centre forward. Midfielders learn how to create space for a forward to receive a pass and then get into scoring positions themselves. MORE
Return to play: Smart interplay
Check local rules about social distancing. The session is about quick and inventive play around the edge of the 18-yard box. It’s about being inventive, firstly in tight areas, then progressing into a large area. MORE
Return to play: Skills test
Great way to warm up before a match or training session. Similar to a Rondo but with more physical movement for days when it is cold or you have a practice based on fitness. MORE
The midfield screen
in Core Skills, Midfield, Practice plans
The midfield screen is a defensive line, shielding defenders from penetrating through balls and 1v1 situations. Use this session to get your midfield working as a unit to give the defenders behind them some protection. MORE
Attack from midfield
in Email newsletters, Midfield, Shooting
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
Closing Down Opponents
in Defending, Midfield, Tactics
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
Compact your team in midfield
This session places an emphasis on midfield units staying compact and being hard to penetrate when out of possession. It identifies specific defensive roles for midfield players making them more compact and difficult to penentrate MORE
Who pulls the strings?
in Email newsletters, Midfield
When you construct your team often the missing player is the midfielder orchestrator; the one player who pulls the strings, who has great vision, who works between the lines and who can unlock the most stubborn of defences. MORE
Control the game in midfield
One thing that will help you control the pace of games and give you a winning edge is to have an effective midfield. This useful session will help your players learn how to pass the ball through midfield on the move MORE
Stop your opponents in midfield
in Email newsletters, Midfield
It can be very frustrating when your midfield gets overrun by the opposition – winning the ball in these areas is key to making sure your team is not under siege from a strong opponent. MORE
The midfield runner
in Advanced Skills, Midfield, Practice plans
Help improve your players’ movement off the ball so they can support play and create goalscoring opportunities. MORE
Midfield dynamite
A session aimed at getting players to create and utilise space in midfield. With quick passing and movement, it should help open up the opposition and make goal scoring chances. MORE
Busquets in control
Use this training session to coach your midfielders how to win possession by quickly closing down the opposition and pressing the player with the ball. MORE
Quick thinking midfielders
in Midfield, Small Sided Games
This game develops quick thinking midfielders like Christian Eriksen. Players like this can set up attacks by reacting quickly to moments of transition in a game, principally moving from defence to attack. MORE
