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Defending

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José Mourinho

Defensive organisation

This exclusive session from José Mourinho is about defensive organisation, and speciﬁcally two points: depth control and double marking.

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Mauricio Pochettino

Pressing initiation

This session coaches players on understanding defensive pressing. It’s important to practise the key elements to identify how, when and w...

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Derek Egan

Emergency defending with a back three

This training session is focused on making the three centre backs understand the four D’s – that they should delay, deny, dictate and def...

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Antonio Conte

Back three tactics

Give players the opportunity to defend the box as a three, and move the ball forward, either by playing through the midfielders, passing ...

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Dean Austin

Transition from attack to defence

Create game situations at training that will help your team in trying to regain the ball as quickly as possible after losing possession w...

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Jesse Marsch

Pressing principles

When we press, we need to think not just about winning the ball but about how to turn it into chances and ultimately into goals.

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Manuel Pellegrini

Deadly transitions

This session examines how we condition a player technically, tactically, physiologically and psychologically when attacking and defending...

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Roberto Martinez

Compact team movement

This session is about movement of the team in attack and defence to ensure we remain compact with good distances between players. It also...

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Matt Clement

Creating and exploiting overloads

This session is focused on creating and exploiting overloads and specifically 2v1s, both in defence and attack. The drills within the ...

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Mark Mayambela

Front-foot defending

This is a high pressing session which is a crucial component of our game, creating a competitive edge, developing individual pressing ...

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Oliver Glasner

The small field

The session is about our habits in and out of possession, because of the holistic approach of our sessions. Because of the numeric under- ...

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Nathan Rooney

Tactical Rondo

This session is a tactical rondo, a possession-based directional rondo in a 4-2-2-2 formation, and used to understand our opponent within a ...

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Gemma Grainger

Defending wide attacks

This session focuses on defending in wide areas – lanes 1 and 5 – and, should the ball get out of wide areas, defending the box.

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Johnathan McKinstry

Pressing triggers and compactness in a 3-4-3 shape

This session develops team pressing principles from a 3-4-3 formation, focusing on disrupting opponent build-up and regaining possession ...

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Nir Levin

Centrally defending

This session focuses on defending in the first third to protect the goal by preventing central attacks. It emphasises the press-cover-...

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Chris Ramsey

Controlling the switch

This session is about controlling the opposition’s switch. It’s designed to support players to face a team who are very good in possession, ...

Featured Coaches

Arsène Wenger

Arsène Wenger is one of the most successful managers in the game and has twice been a winner of the LMA manager of the Year award. In a 22-...

José Mourinho

Here is a man who ascended from a coaching role in schools football to the status of arguably the world’s most recognisable football ...

Jürgen Klopp

Klopp arrived at Liverpool with a track record of managerial success and a reputation as one of the most forward-thinking coaches in the ...

Mikel Arteta

After beginning his playing career with Barcelona, Arteta went onto represent PSG before arriving in British football in 2002 when he ...

Pep Guardiola

In his debut season as manager, he guided Barcelona to the treble of La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the UEFA Champions League, becoming the ...

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Kevin Nicholson

Grid possession game

This is a session that can be used to coach in-possession or out-of-possession principles. It can be used as an extension of a passing-and-...

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Armand Kavaja

Desire to defend at all costs

This session focuses on defending the box through repetitive attacking waves. During the session, players will get plenty of opportunity to ...

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Tony Caig

Shot-stopping

This is a major part of the goalkeeper’s on-pitch diet. There are elements of technicality within the practice but it quickly grows into ...

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Chris Butler

Defending the goal and goal area

This session is designed around the decision-making of when, how and why to use the spread technique in 1v1 situations.

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Lee Johnson

Problem v problem

This session is all about solving problems as a defending team.

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Kolo Toure

Counter-pressing

When you counter-press, you allow yourself to win the ball back and play as quick as possible forward to create a goal opportunity, or you ...

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Paul Harsley

High press

I will be looking at the high press working with the front two units of the team in a 1-4-3-3 formation against an opposition back two ...

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Jim O'Connor

Banks of four compact

The session is based around being compact and difficult to play through in both our defensive and midfield units.

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Carlos Carvalhal

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Jürgen Klopp

"My session in Elite Soccer will help show you how our way is applied in simple training activities to give you a first idea to develop counter pressing"

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Defending

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Featured Coaches

Coaches' Testimonials

Alan Pardew

Arsène Wenger

Brendan Rodgers

Carlos Carvalhal

José Mourinho

Jürgen Klopp

Pep Guardiola

Roy Hodgson

Sir Alex Ferguson

Steven Gerrard

Join the world's leading coaches and managers and discover for yourself one of the best kept secrets in coaching. No other training tool on the planet is written or read by the calibre of names you’ll find in Elite Soccer.

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