High press to score goals

Area	Up to two thirds of pitch
Equipment	Balls, bibs, cones, 6 mini goals, 2 small goals, 2 full size goals
No. of Players	Up to 22 players + 2 goalkeepers
Session Time	Pressing zones: 11mins Win the ball and score: 15mins 11v11 game: 20mins

This session is all about attacking without the ball by using a high press to score goals. It focuses on good intensity in the press, keeping play compact and, importantly, looking to score quickly after winning possession of the ball.

Jurgen Klopp said “pressing is our number 10” and the importance of this session is the emphasis it places on the reason we press, which is to regain the ball high enough up the pitch to enable us to score goals. I like to describe our defending as “attacking without the ball” and even using the word “attacking” aids the buy in of the players.

Due to the high intensity nature of the session, it works well as a Tuesday session on a normal Saturday to Saturday game week. It also works well as a prep session when coming up against a team that likes to build from the back. And finally, if high pressing and attacking without the ball is your identity, then this session should be repeated often.

“If high pressing and attacking without the ball is your identity, then this session should be repeated often”

PRESSING ZONES

We set up a playing area of 30x12 yards made up of two 12x12-yard end zones and a 6x12 yard middle zone. Six mini goals are positioned around the playing area – one at each end and one on each side of the two end zones, as shown.

We’re using 15 outfield players split into three teams of five. The red team starts in one end zone and the blue team starts in the other, while three of the yellows start in the middle zone and the remaining pair begin in the end zone with the reds.

The red team starts in possession and they pass in a 5v2 against the yellow pair, who press to win the ball. The red team must string five consecutive passes together before they are allowed to play the ball across the middle zone to the blue team in the opposite end zone, as shown [1a].

[1a]

1. The red team starts in possession and they pass in a 5v2 against the yellow pair
2. The yellow pair press to win the ball
3. The reds must string five consecutive passes together before they can play the ball across the middle zone to the blues in the opposite end zone
4. The three yellow players in the middle zone must screen and slide as a unit to try to intercept the through ball

The three yellow players in the middle zone must screen and slide across as a unit to try to intercept the pass. However, if the reds successfully pass the ball through the middle zone to the blue team, the two yellows in the red end zone must quickly move into the middle zone, and two other yellow players from the middle zone follow the ball to press the blue team in the blue end zone.

The blue team must then make five consecutive passes under intense pressure from the two yellows before attempting to pass the ball back to the red team at the other end, as shown [1b].

[1b]

1. If the reds successfully pass the ball through the middle zone, the two yellows in the red end zone must quickly move into the middle zone
2. Two other yellow players from the middle zone follow the ball into the blue end zone to press and try to win possession
3. The blues must make five passes under pressure from the two yellows before attempting to pass the ball back to the red team at the other end

If the yellow team’s pressing pays off and they win the ball in the end zone, they must try to score in one of the three mini goals around that zone, as shown [1c].

[1c]

1. If the yellow team’s pressing pays off and they win the ball in the end zone, they can try to score in one of the three mini goals around that zone

Similarly, if the three yellows screening the pass in the middle succeed in intercepting the ball, they can feed it back to their two team mates in the end zone, who can try to score in any of the three goals

If the yellow team scores, they swap roles with the team they scored against and play continues with the yellows in possession in the end zone. The exercise runs for three blocks of three minutes, with each team starting as the pressing team once.

WIN THE BALL AND SCORE

We set up a playing area of 40x22 yards with a small goal at each end. The area is split into three zones – two end zones of 8 yards in length, and a middle zone of 24 yards.

We are using 11 outfield players split into three teams – four blues, four reds and three yellows. The blue and red teams both start in the middle zone, while one yellow player starts in each of the three zones. The yellows play for the team in possession but they are locked in their zones, while the reds and the blues can move freely.

The blue team starts in possession and passes to keep hold of the ball with the support of the yellow players, as shown [2a].

[2a]

1. The blue team starts in possession and passes to keep hold of the ball. The blues score one point for making eight consecutive passes. They can also score points by playing from one end to the other and back
2. One yellow player is in each zone but they remain locked in their zones. They play for the team in possession

The blues score one point for making eight consecutive passes but they can score three points if they manage to play the ball from one end zone to the other and back again, as shown [2b].

[2b]

1. The blues can score three points if they manage to play the ball from one end zone to the other and back again
2. To score points the blues use the support of the overload the yellow floaters give them

“The red players press and try to win the ball and if they succeed they can attack either goal”

The red players press and try to win the ball and if they succeed they can attack either goal, as shown [2c].

[2c]

1. The red players press and try to win the ball and if they succeed they can attack either goal
2. If the reds win the ball and score in the goal, they take three points off the blue team

If they win the ball and score, they take three points off the blue team. We want to see the pressers keeping the opposition’s possession play wide and they should lock on around the ball, leaving the furthest blue opponent free from pressure so all the closer passing options are ruled out.

We run the game for four blocks of three minutes each, with the coach rotating the roles so everyone experiences pressing and keeping possession.

11v11 GAME

We set up a playing area of two thirds of a pitch with a full size goal and a goalkeeper at each end. Coaches are positioned around the reds’ defensive area with balls, so they can feed a ball in to restart play quickly as needed.

We’re using 20 outfield players split into two teams of 11 including keepers. The red team’s goalkeeper starts with the ball and they are encouraged to play out from the back, with the aim of scoring a goal at the other end, as shown [3a].

[3a]

1. The red team’s goalkeeper starts with the ball and they are encouraged to play out from the back
2. The reds build play with the aim of scoring a goal at the other end
3. The blues press high and try to win the ball

The blue team presses with intensity and if they win possession, they must shoot within eight passes of regaining the ball, as shown [3b].

[3b]

1. The blue team presses with intensity and if they win possession, they must shoot within eight passes of regaining the ball

“Throughout the session continually reinforce that the idea of pressing high is to regain the ball in order to attack and score goals”

This increases the amount of time the ball will be with the red team’s back line, ensuring there are plenty of opportunities for the blue team to press high.

We run the game for three rounds of six minutes. In the first game the goalkeeper must play the ball out within their own defensive third, while in the second game the goalkeeper can kick longer if desired – up to the edge of the opposition’s defensive third. In the third game, the keeper can play it out any way they choose.

COACHING POINTS

What are the key things to look out for?

We want to see players showing high energy and a good mentality to press, making sure they demonstrate effective 1v1 defending so the first player to press isn’t beaten. Players should show play outside and either look to secure possession or score quickly on regaining the ball. As coaches, throughout the session we should continually reinforce that the idea of pressing high is to regain the ball in order to attack and score goals.

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

In the first activity, the players in the middle zone often switch off. To remedy this, we would award the opposition three points instead of one for a successful through ball – this would make the defenders more aware.