Take 2

The beauty of small sided games.

The players were split up into three teams of six. It was a winners-stays-on format with a one goal and off policy.

Prior to this the players worked on a series of 1v1, 2v2 and 3v3 drills, with the emphasis on dribbling, shooting, movement and last-man defending. Football remains a battle of zones, thus ensuring the players can win their individual battles is crucial to their development as they step up in age and seniority. With 4-3-3 currently being the favored formation for most top clubs, defenders must be able to confidently deal with one on one situations, especially against opposition whose forwards are told to ‘cheat’ and not track back in defense.

For attackers, in 1v1 situations the task is simple: either beat your man and score, assist/create a chance for a teammate, or keep the ball. Of course in game situations there will be times where keeping the ball is the  primary option, especially late in q game when holding onto a slender lead, however for the purpose of this drill the focus was to create something- to do something. 2v2s and 3v3s emphasize the importance of partnership and combination play across the pitch. The player off the ball plays a pivotal role in either linking up with their partner via a one-two or overlapping run, or creating space for their teammate by drawing the supporting defender away from the ball. This is similar to ‘isolation plays’ in basketball where the offensive team stretch the court in order to create space for the player on the ball to go 1v1 against his opponent. Proficiency in these scenarios is evermore important for both attackers and defenders, particularly as the pace of football continues to increase. Defenders at the top level must be able to defend ‘on an island’ and play a high defensive line. The most progressive teams demand this from their defenders, so there is a great emphasis on mobility.

Back to the small sided games. The first iteration saw the blue team dominating proceedings. Goal after goal went in as they overwhelmed the other teams, largely due to one player. Nobody could get near him, and every time he touched the ball it was clear he would score, albeit through physical dominance as opposed to skill. I realized that the play was disjointed and players were failing to string passes together, so I tweaked the drill to three touches maximum per player. It seemed counterintuitive to limit the amount of touches when passes were not being made, however I suspected that this would force the players to make quicker decisions on the ball, look for the extra pass when necessary, make more deliberate runs off the ball to support their teammates, and shoot more frequently when in scoring range. The problem seemed to revolve around attacks fizzling out with every extra touch, so I thought this could be the solution.

Almost instantly, the quality of play improved  markedly as the players were much clearer in thought. No longer dilly-dallying on the ball as they assessed their options, the passing became crisper, the movement more dynamic, and better chances were created. With limited touches, they played more instinctively and their speed of thought increased; they took what the defense offered them and worked around it. It was beautiful football to watch and they knew it. They enjoyed it better. There was more purpose to their play; the ball moved, they moved, more goals were scored. I was pleasantly surprised as they caught the concept very quickly. The drill is by no means easy as it tests your awareness and the quality of your first touch. Initially they were apprehensive of taking fewer touches, until they started scoring and realised attacking became much easier.

Simple football is often effective football- the basics performed excellently is unstoppable.

When the ball is moved quickly it is much more difficult for defenders to track offensive runs and slow the game down. They are unable to get into a set shape as the constant movement takes them out of position, creating gaps for players to turn and exploit. The one piece of feedback they gave was that players were straying offside. Part of that was because naturally as the teams pushed up there was more space in behind to play the through ball, but this could be amended for future games to keep the pitch tighter.

The best part about it all was the kids enjoyment of the game. It is why we do this, not just to see potential actualised and progress made, but to also see kids enjoying their football, having fun, and playing with confidence. We must remember that once anything becomes a chore the joy can be sucked out of it. At such a young age it is our responsibility to ensure that they look forward to playing football and working hard as opposed to dreading it. As we’ve seen with even the most elite players in the world, confidence is everything irrespective of one’s age.

On that note, we go again next week.

To a simpler life;