Playing out vs high press

This session focuses on pressure, cover and balance. During the session, players will get plenty of opportunity to play under high pressure against an aggressive press, as well as pressing as a unit, emergency defending, working as an attacking and defending unit, and quick combinations. It taps into the technical, tactical, social and psychological aspects of the games, and is a real physical blast for the players.

It can be used as an attacking and defending session depending on your sessions or the team’s needs. The progressions allow for plenty of opportunities to work the in-possession principles (quick support, breaking lines, dropping in and receiving in pockets, up, back and through). Defensively, the session allows for you to work on the high press and refine the defensive principles, pressure, cover and balance.

The session allows for multiple outcomes, and can be used to embed the principles. I like to use this session on a working day when you want to stretch the players physically or psychologically.

We set up on roughly half a pitch with two 20x20yd spaces marked, and a 4yd channel in between. The players are split into three groups of five (or three groups of four, or three groups of six). The red team is in the middle for a specific period of time (in this example two minutes). Three of the red players try to press the blue team, and two cover the channel and stop any through balls. If they win the ball against them, they try to score against their goal. If the blue team plays through them to the yellow team on the other side [1a], then the two players in the channel move across to press the yellow team plus one more, and two fill the channel.

The blue and yellow teams try to keep possession for the duration of time, and can break lines to go across at any time. The only condition they have is that they must retain the first pass when the ball comes across.

Throughout the practice the ball cannot be played in the air. It can only be played on the ground.

The coach serves the ball to the teams keeping possession (blue and yellow), but if the ball is won and the team pressing (red) score, then they are rewarded with another ball to attack again.

You can then introduce a scenario where teams can break lines at any time provided the ball is on the ground, and when it gets transferred they retain the first pass.

[1a]

1. Coach serves ball

2. Three reds press blues, two reds in channel

3. Blue team play through to yellow team on other side

In the next scenario, the blue team can only switch the ball across when a yellow player opposite drops between the lines into the channel to receive [1b]. Players receiving the ball cannot stay in the channel. They must only drop in there when they see an opportunity to receive.

[1b]

1. Coach serves ball

2. Yellow player drops into channel to receive

3. Blue team switches ball across

In the next scenario, teams can only switch the ball across through an “up, back and through” principle. An opposite (yellow) player drops in to the channel to set back to any of the blue players who then try to play across [1c].

[1c]

1. Coach serves ball

2. Yellow player drops into channel to receive

3. Blue player finds yellow player in channel

4. Yellow player in channel sets back to any blue player

5. Blue player with ball looks to play across

If the numbers in the session allow it, you can move on to allowing a striker in each side always staying in the channel to be the first one to press any loose passes across.

This practice can lead well to a small-sided game with a halfway line rule where teams are encouraged to press high and stop the opposition playing out.

We run this for three rounds of two or three minutes depending on the physical outcomes necessary for the session.

COACHING POINTS

What are the key things to look out for technically and tactically?

In attacking: quick support positions; quick foot and ball speed; sharp adjustment behind the press; awareness; line-breaking passes.

In defending: pressure; covering; balance.

In triggers of pressing: travel as the ball travels; bad first touch; hesitation or head down; bad passing; players facing their own goal; the ball in the air.

What are the typical mistakes that players might make, and how do you avoid them?

Ensure you stick to the rules: if a player wins the ball against the blues, then they can only score against the blues; the ball must not be played in the air; players must keep the first pass on transfer.