Off the Shoulder Movement and How to Combat It

The following is an excerpt from Soccer Awareness eBook 18: Identifying and Solving Common Game Situation Problems in the Training Environment.

This 38 page eBook shows a different way to look at the game, rather than highlighting what we need to do well, it shows what often goes wrong and how to fix it. 

These are many very simple situations I have found that happen in many games. 

How many of these problems do YOU experience with your team?

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Off the Shoulder Movement and How to Combat It

1. (3) Watches the ball and allows the wide player (B) to get beyond him. A ball in behind always beats him.

2. Centrally the centre back (4) does the same, he watches the ball and the striker comes off his shoulder and he gets caught with the ball in behind him.

3. This will cost us in unless we work on it with the team.

1. Here striker (A) comes off the shoulder of (4) who stays central and the ball in played into the space beyond and behind him.

2. Likewise wide player (B) makes the same movement with the same end result.

1. This is the end product where we can get caught.

2. To counter this center back (4) or fullback (3) should drop off inside the space the ball is going to be played into.

3. Alternatively the whole back four can press up and leave them offside but this is risky if there is no pressure on the ball being delivered.

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Get more like this in Soccer Awareness eBook 18: Identifying and Solving Common Game Situation Problems in the Training Environment.

This 38 page eBook shows a different way to look at the game, rather than highlighting what we need to do well, it shows what often goes wrong and how to fix it. 

Positioning At The Back When Losing The Ball

The following presentation is from the New Problems to Fix Section in the Soccer Awareness Training Center. This is a different way to look at the game, rather than highlighting what we need to do well, these presentations show what often goes wrong and how to fix it. These are many situations I have found happen in top level games. How many of these problems do YOU experience with your team? Get 14 more Problems to Fix presentations like this and more than 500 drills, training sessions, videos and more in the Soccer Awareness Training Center. Find Out More

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Positioning At The Back When Losing The Ball

Both wing backs attacking. We lose the ball, the most vulnerable place for us is now the wide area as shown. We mark “goal-side” and leave the wide area open.

We Are Exposed With a 1 v 1 Wide

If (J) is fast we are in big trouble now as he attacks defender (4) in a 1 v 1. He could run inside to goal or into a crossing position. Next we show how we can prevent this before it happens.

What Should Happen

This is what should happen; (4) moves channel side of (J) and with depth to fill the space and prevent the pass. (6) drops in to cover or (5) if closer can do it. This may delay the forward momentum of (A) and allow recovery runs.

Here (5) adds cover to (4) if needed, and (6) drops back to cover (K)s run. If (A) passes to (J)’s feet then (4) has time to close (J) down and control the situation with (J) with their back to goal. Other players will try to recover back.

Get 14 more Problems to Fix presentations like this and more than 500 drills, training sessions, videos and more in the Soccer Awareness Training Center. Whether you’re a beginning coach who needs help getting started or someone who wants to add some variety to their training sessions, the Soccer Awareness Training Center offers a wide variety of drills to choose from.  Find Out More

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Game Situation Problem: Getting Tight To A Striker Dropping Deep To Receive To Feet

The following game is an excerpt from Soccer Awareness eBook 18: Identifying and Solving Common Game Situation Problems in the Training Environment. This eBook shows a different way to look at the game. Instead of highlighting what we need to do well, it shows what often goes wrong and how to fix it.

We will also be posting more like this in the Soccer Awareness Training Center over the next month. Join Our Team!

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Getting Tight To A Striker Dropping Deep To Receive To Feet

This is what not to do.

Striker comes short, center back lets the striker go, and the striker receives and turns and runs at the back four who now are in a vulnerable position. Being able to immediately run at the back four means the striker and teammates have not been delayed which would help other players on our team recover back.

Resulting situation is that they get a break on us and can attack with numbers and we are then at a big disadvantage because they have several players running AT us with and without the ball and the player on the ball is facing forwards and not backwards; which would be to our advantage if we got tight initially to them and prevented them from turning.

All can be corrected JUST by the center back getting tight (or a fullback depending on the part of the field).

You can stop this simply by getting tight and making the striker receive to feet with their back to goal, this slows down the forward momentum and allows our players to recover back and get into good defensive positions.

It also allows the other center back and the fullbacks time to position correctly behind the pressing center back by condensing the spaces behind them.