Playing a 5-4-1 and Counter Attacking with Opponents Defending High

This strategy can be used when your team is winning but under immense pressure. Your focus is on defending then counter attacking. You can also experiment playing this way for an educational experience.

Playing a 1-5-4-1 (1-3-4-3) defending deeper and Counter Attacking

We play a solid defense shape. We do not press them in the attacking third unless we are sure we can collectively win the ball. WE DEFEND DEEP AND PRESS CLOSE TO THE HALF WAY LINE..

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Let them play in their own third or half: We shadow them

Often opponents are used to being pressed and like to play through teams. They will find it difficult to play without pressure as there is no space to play forward into with the other team being very compact.

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As the ball travels we travel too

The ball is moved right to left by them. We also move right to left and shadow the ball.

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They are attacking and are high up the field

They give the ball away and they are high at the back. We immediately counter behind them in numbers. We time the runs so as not to be offside. The player on the ball must be able to IMMEDIATELY see the opportunity and the 4 up front must EXPECT the ball in behind so no coming short to receive.

TIMING OF THE RUNS AND THE PASS ARE ESSENTIAL HERE.

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Poor Timing of runs to be offside when opponents defend HIGH

Game Situation: We win possession but the front three run straight forward often before the delivery is even made so we are always OFFSIDE.

Here is a typical example of how we DON'T beat the offside trap, timing of runs and timing of pass is out of sync and we miss great opportunities. Watch (10)’s head and see if it is up or down; and hence seeing the pass or not.

The passer (10) may need another touch to control then play the through pass. This means the attackers must wait and time their run due to this.

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Pressing high if we are close enough otherwise we drop off

Game Situation: Even though our method in this situation is to defend deep players must be able to identify when the opportunity arises where they can change the method to pressing, such as this. All good education.

If we lose it but are STILL Close to the ball; we can press quickly.

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If not close enough and they are very good at playing out of the back we drop off and get compact

We can’t get close so we DROP and get VERY TIGHT as a team.

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If we press and are not close enough collectively THEY WILL PLAY THROUGH US

Being caught doing both pressing and dropping at the same time. This happens a lot in teams where there is no planning or communication A big gap between attack and defensive and too much space in between.

We press but not quickly enough and they pick us off and play through us. (7) and (11) Must help us defensively. Now we have 5 players the wrong side of the ball.

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Getting wide players (7) and (11) in ACROSS the line of the back four

Game Situation: Quick counter attacking

They give the ball away they are high at the back. We immediately counter behind them in numbers. We time the runs so as not to be offside. The player on the ball must be able to IMMEDIATELY see the opportunity and the 4 up front must EXPECT the ball in behind so no coming short to receive.

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Playing Diagonal balls to get in behind opponents

Diagonal balls are less predictable to anticipate for defenders plus the ball goes “away” from the keeper. If over hit a straight pass will go through to the keeper and we lose possession.

They give the ball away they are high at the back. We immediately counter behind them in numbers. We time the runs so as not to be offside. The player on the ball must be able to IMMEDIATELY see the opportunity and the 4 up front must EXPECT the ball in behind so no coming short to receive.

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Playing Diagonal balls from “center backs” to get in behind opponents

We time the runs so as not to be offside. The player on the ball must be able to IMMEDIATELY see the opportunity and the 3 or 4 up front must EXPECT the ball in behind so no coming short to receive.

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Beat the Offside Trap with a 3rd man run from deep

Game Situation: Opponents press up VERY fast from the back, our front three come out with them To stay onside. Our midfielder (10) makes a forward run from deep to beat the offside trap.

This is a GREAT way to beat the opponents pressing up offside trap and unless the opponent player (G) marking (10) tracks them its very difficult to stop this from working.

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Playing with PATIENCE to play Diagonal balls to get in behind opponents

Game Situation: We have possession we pass at the back and keep the ball and DRAW out the opponents to press us. Short, short, short; then long.

Opponents are “drawn out” to leave space behind them in their own half.. We are patient waiting for the right moment to play the long quality ball in behind them.

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Getting striker (9) in with a “Channel run”

Striker (9) runs across the center back from one to the other without going offside then cuts across the 2nd center back to receive in behind. (7) stays wide to keep (B) wide and open up the inside space.

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Getting striker (9) in with an OFF the Shoulder Run

Striker (9) runs across the center back without going offside then cuts across the center back to receive in behind. (11) stays wide to keep (C) wide and open up the inside space between the center back and fullback.

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Wide player (7) cuts inside to open up space for wing back (2)

We time the runs so as not to be offside. The player on the ball must be able to IMMEDIATELY see the opportunity and the 3 or 4 up front must EXPECT the ball in behind so no coming short to receive. Watch (4)’s head and see if it is up or down and hence seeing the pass or not.

Defending With 10 Men When Winning 2-0 And Counter Attacking

Wayne Harrison was the Technical Director for Youth for the Al Ain Football and Cultural club in the United Arab Emirates in the Middle East. In his time in Charge the youth teams won SEVEN National Champions at Youth Professional Level in the United Arab Emirates in 2 years. The most successful professional academy in the country. 6 Finishing Championship Runners up. The academy was Voted the Top Professional Academy in the UAE by Marco Monte of Inter Milan the Consultant for the Abu Dhabi Sports Council in 2011. Also beating teams such as Inter Milan, Valencia, Atletico Madrid and Raja of Morocco in tournaments at U15 and U16. 

Here is the second example of some Coaching Clinics he taught to the 40 plus full time coaches he oversaw; all entirely relevant to what is being taught today.

Part 1: Back Four Defending and Attacking Team Shapes

Part 2: Attacking Team Shape And Off The Ball Movement For 9 v 9

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Phase Of Play

1-4-2- against 4-3-2. Six outfield players (plus a keeper) are playing against nine outfield players. The six defending players are 2-0 up and need to maintain the lead. This is going to build up into a 10 v 11 game situation eventually. We are set up like a 1-4-4-1 without a number (10) position filled. We have three goals to attack for the six defending players. These represent in an actual game our (7), (9) and (11), so our attacking teams shape of 4-2-3 with 10 players.  

Once the defending six win the ball they can counter attack quickly by passing the ball into either of the goals, as if they were the three attacking players in the game.

When they do this successfully they get a goal for it. Depending where the ball is won you can play from the back through midfield from the back and then to the strikers this is to vary the build up, so it is not route one every time which becomes predictable. Having said that it is best if we can counter quickly when we win the ball to catch the opponents out who are in an attacking phase at that moment and have an overload of players.  

Start with a tight field only; goal area wide. This is to make it a tighter area to play in with smaller spaces between players and will help the overloaded defending team of six have some initial success and give them confidence.

Coaching Points:

1. Patience as individuals and as a team, no need to chase the ball as we are winning with numbers down  
2. Keeping a compact team shape, short and tight  
3. When having to commit as an individual; pressing skills but often delaying rather than winning initially and then winning 1 v 1 when you know the support is there should you be beaten  
4. Support, your immediate teammates positioning  
5. Cover, teammates around and beyond these two;
6. Recover; when the ball goes past a player of ours try to get goal side to counter this
7. Track, when an opponent makes a forward run we cannot leave him free  
8. Regaining possession
9. Getting compact from the back and squeezing up when we counter
10. Quick counter attack where and when it is on; otherwise maintain possession as long as possible till the counter opportunity opens up  
11. High or low pressure on the field when we lose the ball, but depending on where we lose it and where the players are positioned (likely low pressure mostly  being numbers down and winning because we are not chasing the game; to conserve energy)

After initial success, let’s say the defending six who started at 2-0 up won the game 4-0 with two successful counter attacks, and not allowing any goals against, now open the field up and use the full width.

It is now a much bigger challenge for the defending team with bigger spaces between them and much more space for the overloaded attacking team to play in. 

An example of a counter attack. (E) Has run forward hoping to receive a pass from (D) in behind (2). The pass is under hit and (E) is out of defensive position and (2) intercepts the pass.

(2) is free and has time on the ball and could also play a quick direct pass to one of the goals but instead 2) plays a quick pass to (8) who is free and (8) plays a long pass to the center goal (simulating striker (9) in a game) and this counts as a goal for the defending six. The overload team can try to intercept the pass to the goal.

Now 6 against 10 players, a much bigger challenge for the defending team. You can bring in the width of the field again if you wish to make it easier for the defending team.    

 If that is successful then widen it to the full width again, you can experiment with field sizes and player numbers to lead up to the 10 v 11 actual game SITUATION.

Now bring in the wide players (7) and (11) and take out two of the goals and leave only the central goal that represents our striker (9). Now it is 8 outfield players against 10 players.

Now the defending team counter attack and score by scoring in the single goal still but also if they can play it forward into the path of (7) or (11) who have attacked quickly once we won the ball.

Same set up on the big field.

Here (C) passes to midfielder (G) who tries to pass to a striker and makes a bad pass.  We have won possession now and with this (4) has time and space to look up. This is the CUE for (7) and (11) to make forward runs to receive the forward pass.

Here there are three options shown that (4) can do. All three passes are into the three furthest forward players in the team and this is the best counter attack if it is on to do so, direct and fast.  

If the opponents are in a full attacking mode, being two nil down they need to chase the game and take chances. In this situation their fullbacks have pushed on and have been caught wrong side.  

Alternatively if (7) and (11) are not free and the pass directly to the goal representing striker (9) is blocked then we may need to perform a slower build up and keep possession of the ball longer until a counter attacking moment appears.

A 10 v 11 Full Game Situation

We have built the session up with several progressions and now we are at the full game situation.

The following are various start positions you can use to create situations that will happen in the game.

Soccer Awareness Session: Quick Break Counter Attack

Key Points we worked on:

1. Possession play
2. Patience in building; changing tempos of the game
3. Opening up as a team in possession
4. Condensing play out of possession
5. Recovery runs when losing the ball
6. Fast break when the time is right so fast tempo
7. Different ways to counter attack
8. High pressing when on to do so
9. Developing transition and rotations of players from the back to the middle to the front third.
10. Filling in and covering for each other to allow this
11. Ultimately awareness of all situations but rapid observation AWAY from the ball at ALL times possible.

Constant Transitions From Attack To Defense

Directional Session

The team in possession has to make three passes then they can pass into the lone striker. Two
midfield players break quickly to support (making a 4 v 2 overloads in favor of the attacking team) and / or one defensive midfielder can recover. Start with a big overload then introduce the recovering midfielder later when the session is working well to offer a bigger challenge. This leaves a 4 v 1 situation in the middle zone in favor of the other team who are currently defending, if no recovering midfielder is used to begin. If the defenders win the ball or the keeper receives it, the ball is played quickly into the middle zone (to a 4 v 1 overload again) where they make three passes then get the ball into the striker to attack in the other direction.

Players in the previous attack from the other team must recover as quickly as possible to try to win the ball back before they get it into the striker.