Play around the box

This session looks at attacking play around the box, movement within the box and delivery into it. It’s not unique but it is important for attacking play around the box, both in terms of movement and combination play. The quality of delivery is also important; no rockets into the box!

We’d run this twice a week for six weeks before changing. We’d then return to it during the season.

What do I get the players to do?

The idea is to have 12 players (2 x 6), so you can easily change around. If you have more than 12 players, you can rotate the outside players but only have 3x3 in the box.

Player 1 starts the move by playing to a red or blue player. The player receiving the ball can play to his two team mates or back to an ‘outside player’.

If a defender wins the ball, they play to an outside player and their team becomes the attackers.

The coach can place outside players where he thinks is best - I particularly like players 2 (as shown in the diagram) to allow for soft, chipped balls in (no rockets).

The coach can also decide whether to play offside or not. When I coach 12 to 14-year-olds, I don’t watch for offside.

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What are the key things to look out for?

Whilst the session practises technique, it is intended to improve decision-making.

Those in the box should work with each other - they shouldn’t be in the same space. Attackers shouldn’t run towards outside players in straight lines - instead they should come off at an angle to try to receive on the turn or half-turn.

Attackers should avoid playing back to the same outside player who passed to them.

The technical aim of the attackers should be to receive the ball under pressure and create a goalscoring opportunity for themselves or a team mate.

For outside players, the most important coaching point is for them to know what they are going to do with the ball before they receive it. They should look to make a pass which creates a goalscoring opportunity, avoiding an easy pass to a player coming towards them, especially if the pass doesn’t go beyond any defenders. They should also be aiming to play first time where possible.

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