DEFENSIVE GROUP RECOVERY INTO MARKING AND COVER POSITION TO DEFEND ENDLINE ATTACK
PLAYERS
9+ PLAYERS (INCLUDING 2 GK)
SPACE
HALF FIELD
EQUIPMENT
10+ BALLS
EXPLANATION:
Coach initiates play by passing the ball down to Attacker X on the left wing, just outside the circle.
Once the initial pass is made, ball-side defender is active, as well as 3 additional defenders and 2 additional attackers on the off-ball side of the field. The situation becomes a 3 vs 4 starting on the attacking left wing.
X’s are attacking the goal. If O’s win the ball, they counter to a goal 10m inside the halfway line.
Mirror the drill on the opposite side of the field.
VARIATIONS:
We have created a 3 vs 4 situation here to simulate delaying in order to defend with a recovering cover player. If you want to simulate defending with even numbers or even numbers down, change the number of attackers/defenders (and their starting position).
COACHING POINTS:
O1’s initial focus should be to prevent X1 carrying the ball directly into a goalscoring position. O1 should then delay X1 until recovering defenders arrive to help.
Recovering defenders run back as fast as possible to protect the Goalscoring Box, while maintaining defensive positions in between the ball and attackers X1 and X2.
Once O2, O3 and O4 have recovered successfully into the circle, their primary focus is to continue to mark X2 and X3, to prevent a pass from X1 to X2 or X3 in a dangerous shooting position. This will only occupy 2 of the 3 recovering defenders - the free (cover) defender can then look to join O1 to double team X1 and win the ball.
EVALUATION:
Although O4 is initially the free defender without a marking responsibility, defenders should look to switch off marking responsibilities to get help to O1 as quickly as possible. In this starting situation, it would mean that O4 can recover and pick up X2, releasing O2 to help O1 with a double team.
Communication between 4 defenders and GK should be constant while recovery is happening, to let O1 know what the situation is behind him.
Marking positions: while recovering outside the circle, the defender can be a few steps in front of the attacker he is marking - once inside the circle, defender should be in physical contact with the attacker (in line to the ball), preventing a pass to the attacker and also physically blocking a direct path for the attacker to move to the ball.
Forwards X1 and X2 should look to interchange and vary position to challenge defenders to keep adjusting.
