Penetrating the final third

This session is all about penetration and it is focused on movement off the ball and on passing to penetrate. It begins with a passing drill and this lays the foundations for our positional play and teaches players how we rotate to either create space or get the ball into advanced areas. We know that if our build up play is of good quality, with players in the correct positions, this will lead to better opportunities to penetrate from more dangerous areas of the pitch.

As the session progresses it becomes more about how we attack space behind the defensive line. This is mainly through passes from inside pockets for diagonal runs from forwards, to either attack the goal or put them into dangerous positions to cross from inside the box.

If opponents make the central areas congested, we create solutions to bypass that central block with direct passes to wingers that result in multiple runs from inside pockets, which again creates opportunities to either attack the goal or provide dangerous crossing options.

The players know this is an important part of our game model. Within each exercise, they will recognise many of the situations that we see within the game itself and in our video analysis sessions. The session is designed to allow the players to get a feel for these situations on the pitch and it allows them to refine their positioning, type and weight of pass, and the timing of their runs.

The penetration aspect of our game isn’t just about the passer or the player receiving the first pass, it’s also about the players who aren’t involved in the first part of the move but who end up arriving in the box from the far side for scoring opportunities. There is a need for the players to concentrate and recognise the moments we penetrate, as they have to be thinking ahead of the opposition defenders.

Rather than include too much detail around what the opposition will do, our training is based around our own game model and the penetration aspect of this is very important to how we attack and create our chances.

 

TECHNICAL PASSING

After a 15-minute warm-up [not shown], we set up a playing area of 26x20 yards. Six mannequins are positioned in two lines of three with the middle mannequin slightly deeper than the outside ones. We are using ten outfield players – one starting on each of the mannequins and two a few yards back from each of the two deeper middle mannequins at the top and the bottom, as shown. There is 26 yards between the two end players.

Player 1 at the top starts with the ball and plays a bounce pass to player 2, who lays it off at an angle for player 1 to run onto. Player 4 makes a run inside and player 1 passes them the ball. Player 4 plays the ball outside for player 3 to run onto, as shown [1a].

[1a]

1. Top player 1 starts and plays a bounce pass to player 2, who lays it off for player 1 to run onto. After making their pass, each player moves to the next station ready for the ball to come around again
2. Player 4 makes a run inside and receives from player 1, in turn passing for player 3 to run onto
3. Player 3 plays the ball to the opposite player 1 at the bottom, who prepares to start the same passing pattern going up the other side

Player 3 then plays the ball to the bottom player 1, who starts the same pattern on the other side going from the bottom to the top this time, as shown [1b].

[1b]

1. Bottom player 1 receives and starts the same pattern on the other side going up

Each player moves on to the next numerical station after they have made their pass, so they’re in place and ready for the ball to come around again.

The same set up is used for the next part of the drill, this time with a different passing pattern. Player 1 starts with the ball and plays a bounce pass to player 2, who lays it off at an angle for player 1 to run onto.

At the same time, player 3 moves inside to create a passing line to player 4. Player 4 receives the ball from player 1, and plays it inside for player 3 to run onto, as shown [1c].

[1c]

1. The same set up is used for a different passing pattern. Top player 1 starts and plays a bounce pass to player 2, who lays it off at an angle for player 1 to run onto. After making their pass, each player moves to the next station
2. Player 4 receives the ball from player 1 and plays it inside for player 3 to run onto
3. Player 3 passes to bottom player 1, who receives and starts the same pattern on the other side going up towards the top

Player 3 passes the ball to the opposite player 1, who then starts the same pattern on the other side going from bottom to top.

Again, each player moves on to the next numerical station after they have made their pass.
Players work first in one direction and then in the other. Players then must work together and decide what pattern to use next.

In this technical drill, we want to see players using good quality one-touch passing and demonstrating an understanding of their positioning and the angles they should use.
Play for 10 minutes in blocks of one and a half minutes.

PENETRATION GAME

We set up a playing area of 80x60 yards with four small target goals and an end zone at each end. The end zones are split into three – a central area (the red zone) that is 20 yards wide, and two outside areas (the yellow zones) that are 12 yards wide. Five mannequins are positioned at each end across the entry line into the end zone, as shown in the set-up diagram [2a].

[2a]

1. Five mannequins are positioned across the entry line into each of the end zones
2. A normal 10v10 is played and teams must penetrate the end zones and score in the mini goals – a goal scored in either of the yellow zones is worth one point
3. A goal scored in one of the goals in the central red zone is worth two points

We’re using 20 outfield players split into two teams of 10, both set up in a 4-3-3 formation. Teams must penetrate the end zones and try to score in the mini goals – a goal scored in one of the goals in the yellow zones is worth one point, while a goal scored in one of the goals in the red zone is worth two points. There are no restrictions on player movement.

The main focus of this practice is on penetration and what types of movements and passes to make. We want to see players opening up spaces centrally or wide to then penetrate and attack the opposition’s defensive line. Decision making on where the space is and how to attack it is important. For instance, if the opposition is playing with a high defensive line then we can play more directly in behind.

In the first example, as shown [2b], the blue team’s right centre back is in possession.

[2b]

1. Here the blue right back moves inside to create a direct passing line to the winger
2. The winger receives and plays a pass in behind to the blue attacking midfielder, who earns one point by scoring in the yellow zone

The right back moves inside to create a direct passing line to the winger. The winger receives the ball, and the attacking midfielder runs through the gap that has opened up between the red left back and left centre back. The winger plays the pass in behind and the blue attacking midfielder gains one point for scoring in the goal in the yellow zone.

In the second example, as shown [2c], the blue team’s right centre back is in possession again.

[2c]

1. In this example, the blues rotate in midfield to create a passing opportunity
2. The winger runs onto the pass in the yellow zone and crosses into the central red zone for an arriving attacker to finish on goal. This scores two points

The right back and the right centre midfielder rotate. The centre back plays the ball to the centre midfielder, who is now on the wing. The centre midfielder receives and passes inside for the right back to run onto.

The right back plays the ball into the yellow zone where the winger has made a run. The winger crosses the ball into the central red zone for one of the arriving attackers to finish and gain two points for scoring.

11v11 WITH END ZONES

We set up a playing area of 76 yards in length using the full width of the pitch. We position a full size goal and a goalkeeper at each end and mark out 18-yard end zones in front of each goal. The start of the end zones represents the offside line.

We’re using 20 outfield players split into two teams of 11 including keepers and we play an 11v11 game. However, only attackers are allowed to enter the end zone and they must finish their attack in a maximum of two touches once in the end zone.

Play starts and restarts with the goalkeepers. In the first example, as shown [3a], the blue left centre back receives the ball from the keeper and passes to the central midfielder, who plays it on to the attacking midfielder.

[3a]

1. Play starts and restarts with a pass out from the keeper
2. The team in possession must build an attack from the back and try to play a through ball into the end zone
3. Only attackers are allowed to enter the end zone and they must finish their attack in a maximum of two touches once in the end zone

The red centre back steps up to defend and the blue striker makes a run through the gap. The blue attacking midfielder plays a through ball for the striker, who finishes first time. We play two blocks of four minutes. To progress the practice, we allow one centre back on each team to make a recovery run and enter the end zone to defend when the attack is in there, as shown [3b].

[3b]

1. To progress the practice, we allow one centre back to make a recovery run into the end zone to defend once the attackers have entered the zone

We play the progression for four minutes.

11v11 GAME

We end the session by playing a normal 11v11 game with no restrictions and the players look for solutions and opportunities within the game itself.

We use the same basic set-up as before, however we remove the offside lines and add a halfway line. We’re using 20 outfield players split into two teams of 11 including keepers and we play a normal game with offsides and throw-ins.

Both teams set up in a 4-3-3 formation and they are instructed to use what they’ve learnt in the previous exercises to help them penetrate the opposition’s defence, as shown [4].

[4]

1. Play a normal 11v11 game, with both teams set up in a 4-3-3 formation
2. Teams are encouraged to use what they have learnt in the previous exercises to help them penetrate the defence. Here the reds try to work a through ball to the winger who has made a penetrating run

We keep encouraging players to be ready to penetrate and to be aggressive with their penetrating runs and passes. We also continue to provide positive feedback even if outcome isn’t successful. This encourages players to keep trying to be positive with their play.
We play two blocks of four minutes.

COACHING POINTS

What are the key things to look for?

Technically, the players have to be able to play in tight areas and the technical aspect of playing the pass, or crossing to a player who is moving at high speed, is crucial. The direction of the pass is particularly important as it has to be into space but also into the path of the player running towards goal. Also important is the weight of pass to maximise the speed of attack and minimise the defender’s recovery time.

Tactically, I always look for all of our key principles to come through in a session. Even in attacking themed sessions, how we defend and counter-press is very important to how we control games or launch the next attack.

What are the typical mistakes players might make and how do I avoid them?

The biggest issue that can happen is that our positional play isn’t right. If the positioning of the forwards isn’t aggressive and on the last line, then this is already giving the opposition a slight advantage, so the forwards have to stay aggressive in their positioning.

We also need to make sure that we occupy central areas of the pitch with numbers, as this allows us to build up more fluently using overloads and occupy dangerous areas in front of the opposition defensive line and behind their midfield. With this we can launch our penetration using passes or runs, as we have multiple options in both inside and outside spaces.