Quick play and finishing
by Gary Owers in Attacking
This session is about quick combination play in and around the box with the emphasis on a positive end product, be that a cross, a shot or a goal. MORE
Attacking and defending
by Kevin Bond in Attacking, Defending
This is a general session that is made up of various practices that I like to run with teams at training on a regular basis in order to form good habits. MORE
Penetration in behind
by Brendan Rodgers in Attacking
It’s an engaging session for the players because it’s about creating and scoring goals and that’s what players love to do. It’s an attacking theme, based on expression and creativity with combination play, so players really enjoy it. MORE
Attacking & defending
by Nigel Clough in Attacking, Defending
This session focuses on the techniques of attacking and defending in and around the penalty area, giving players the opportunity to rehearse not only counter-attacking situations, but to attack and defend crosses from deep and from the by-line. It is a high intensity session that involves plenty of running and lots of accelerations and decelerations. MORE
Creating overloads in tight spaces
by Chris Beech in Attacking
This training session is all about creating overloads in tight spaces when in possession. Three is the magic number here and this session encourages players to use the three-player support system to create overloads. MORE
Breaking lines
by Michael Duff in Attacking
This session is all about breaking lines in possession. Due to the way we play, our players need to be able to understand when to switch the play and when to split the opposition, all with the aim of penetrating opponents and allowing us to play forwards. MORE
Attacking in central areas
by Joe Montemurro in Attacking
This session is about identifying opportunities to play forwards in central areas. It shows players how to create central overloads and encourages them to face forward to play forward effectively. The session is designed to help players recognise certain cues, such as when to invite pressure in order to create space further up the pitch and this helps to set up goal scoring opportunities. MORE
Crossing and finishing
by Dave Jones in Attacking
This is an all-round session for all players – strikers, midfielders, wide players, full-backs, defenders and goalkeepers – and uses the basis of attackers having three separate attempts on goal. I like this session because it can be adapted for any formation, and has the important feature of an end product – namely goals being... MORE
Transition, rotating and attacking
by Steve McClaren in Attacking
This session is about counter-attacking, transitioning, and players rotating in their positions. It relies on good link-up play and positive attacking, combining fast-paced and measured attacks on goal. Defenders benefit from dealing with overloads in this session, which we always find important to practise, given that there are 200 turnovers per team in each game.... MORE
Building from the back
by Josh Brehaut in Attacking
This session is focused on starting attacks from inside the defensive third of the pitch, specifically when playing against a front three that presses high with wide forwards once the centre backs have split. It’s a session that helps the players to see pictures that replicate situations in the 11v11 game. MORE
Blind side runs
by Alan Irvine in Attacking
This session is about developing blind side runs in the final third in order to break the last line of defence. It’s important to practise this because goals are scored at the highest level as a result of blind side runs. In this session, the first practice was designed to recreate the goal scored by... MORE
Attacking overloads and positional play
by Chris Davies in Attacking
This session takes the form of a number of progressive exercises, each designed to develop players’ ability to progress the ball through the pitch. The idea is to create overloads because without them the game can become dependent on 1v1s, and that can mean it’s difficult to progress the ball unless you are far superior... MORE
Switching play when counter-attacking
by Manuel Pellegrini in Attacking
This session is all about changing the point of attack and switching play in counter-attacking situations. It will help the team get out of trouble when they’re being pressed, allowing them to turn pressured situations into quick counter-attacks. To make this tactic effective, teams must be well organised when attacking. By repeating these practices, the... MORE
Possession and finishing
by Jimmy Bell in Attacking
This is a possession session that develops into a finishing challenge. It requires high tempo throughout and lots of legwork from players. At every club I’ve worked at there has always been real attention paid to the core principles of possession and work rate. There is nothing more satisfying than seeing the principles learned from... MORE
Diamond shooting game
by Nigel Worthington in Attacking
This is a game that practises shooting by restricting the playing area that players operate in. It requires pure attacking intent from players who must shoot on sight and be positive in everything they do. By narrowing the area players’ minds are subconsciously focused in on the goal, and we look for them to apply... MORE
Clinical Finishing
by Martin Allen in Attacking
I always instill in my strikers the difference between shooting and finishing. We see shooting in every game – a chance comes along and the forward puts his laces through the ball. But finishing is very different and much more valuable, particularly in the modern game where the number of clear-cut chances that develop in... MORE
Keeping the ball to move forwards
by Steve Foley in Attacking
This session is based around a series of possession-based practices that are aimed at breaking the lines to move forwards when possible. It involves lots of varied passing techniques and good decision making. It also begins with a warm-up that is relevant to the topic, one that will prepare the players for the activities that... MORE
Supporting from deep
by Dougie Freedman in Attacking
This session is about forward runs and the ability of players to work at pace, supporting from deep or getting beyond a front striker to attack danger areas. For teams looking to build attacking play, intelligent forward running is essential, as is the timing and execution of those breaks. Players must also work to vary... MORE
Attack and counter-attack
by Jose Gomes in Attacking
This exercise is about attacking and counter-attacking. On one hand it’s about the patience of a steady attacking build-up versus good defensive organization, while on the other hand it deals with quick defensive positioning when faced with a counter-attack. The idea is that the players are able to use both ways of attacking, depending on... MORE
Overload attacking
by Terry Skiverton in Attacking
This session is based on a small-sided game with overloads producing overlapping attacking play. It’s a great session for attackers and defenders and is played at high intensity, because this promotes a competitive edge in training. The tight playing area is good for concentration levels, with strikers encouraged to work for angles and develop proficient... MORE
Crossing and finishing
by Paul Lambert in Attacking
At Norwich City, we believe that you have to train the way you play, and this is a positive crossing and finishing routine that is direct and makes players adopt good habits. Crossing and finishing are fundamental elements for scoring goals and winning games. This rehearsed set-up of crossing with pace and timing, combined with... MORE
Quick play in the penalty box
by Steve Foley in Attacking
In the modern game, penalty boxes are tight, congested areas to work in and around. This session helps players practise elements of quick approach play, strong and dedicated support, along with the ability to dispatch immediate shots on goal. Individual skills are important, so we’ll encourage player traits such as subtle flicks or quick directional... MORE
Cutting out counter-attacks
by Keith Hill in Attacking
Analysis at the end of our 2008/09 League Two campaign showed we needed to develop a new collective responsibility to defend against the counter-attack. We knew this would increase our potential to keep clean sheets whilst also ensuring that we had players in good areas of the pitch in order to regain and maintain possession.... MORE
Attacking wing play
by Stephen Constantine in Attacking
With this session we can get everyone in the team involved in thinking about how can we get the ball forwards as quickly and as efficiently as possible. We want quality and speed in all areas and an end product – ideally a goal. In order for this to happen everyone needs to understand their... MORE