• Are we going to press the ball or are we going to drop off ?
• Are we dropping off for a reason?
• If we drop what is the set up?
• If they have unpressurised possession, they have a numerical overload and a big space to play in. Sometimes you have to accept that they have it and allow them to have the ball.
• So now we drop off, what do we now?
  Front man or however many we have. They just slide across, sometimes they will take gambles, if they have an extra touch we can nick it. Sometimes he'll just be able to get across and force play in a certain direction. Slide all other players across so we are nice and tight and compact. The unit is nice and tight so there is no room to play.
• People are set up in places to defend. Get the set up right, we work on inside pressuring from midfield, send them into bodies try to break up the attack.
  - We must be very difficult to play behind
  - Very diffecult to get around the sides. They have to come back out to come back in.
  - Very diffecult to play through the gaps because they are small.
• How do you do that? Answer you intercept or you spoil etc.
• What do you need to do next ? You need to think about playing forward, get players into forward positions where you can break. The positions they take up have got to be behind the defenders, inbetween defenders and sometimes the most advanced players showing in front of defenders.
• You split up the players you then say to the player in front of the ball can you play to the furthest forward etc.
  So you get into the principles of getting movement between defenders, getting behind defenders and playing the ball as far forward as possible. You need to maintain momentum.
• Having played the ball up can you push up? Push up to support behind, support in advance of the ball, push up and compact space behind the ball, make sure if the ball changes hands again that they can't counter. Thats your insurance, this screen in front of the defence.
• Dont let players back onto the back four, tell them when to stop.
• You want distances, the centre midfield three you dont want them flat, more of a pyramid shape.
• They play the ball around the back and get frustrated at the lack of passing oportunities so they force it.
  You cant always counter attack you must recognise when it is on and when its not.
• As soon as the ball passes in to the keeper, full backs sprints wide and beyond in safe possesion.
• For corners get all eleven back, one hardly ever picks up, football in front of him, can we have midfield players on the edge of the box, who are ready to break out. Slide them in.
• Look for quality of passes, final cross, final shot.
• If the keeper gets it with one up he can throw it from the edge of the area delivery depend on the forward, whilst its travelling the midfield men have a chance to support. When the ball arrives someone should be running central & someone should be running wide.
• Front players don't have to work their bollocks off. He only has to apply token pressure. As the ball has gone beyond him he is a player to be hit

Organisation

Blues play 4-4-2 with two sitting midfield players (team I'm coaching), reds play 4-4-2. Ask the reds to be direct as possible, get them to play through us. Both teams if the counter is on go for it. The art of counter attacking as a team is to try and exploit the opposition as quickly as possible when you gain possession of the ball. This is because the opposition will be on the back foot, less comanised and therefore more vulnerable.

Starting Position 1

The blue centre midield player passes over the top into the corner of the pitch. If we have numbers then we can go and press, we can stop them coming out. What does the picture tell you, has the defender turned if not, step them in and squeeze the life out of them. Squeeze as a unit. If it goes into the keeper or they get comfortable possession, then we can drop off. The critical thing is patience, drop right off to the centre line, compact play, give them no where to go so they have to force play. We are looking for depth, so the starting position for the defenders is the edge of the semi circle.

Player Responsibilities Player 1. Only applies token pressure. Don't make him run doggies. Get him to stand between defenders so he is always free and available if we win the ball back. Don't drop a gut ! Try to find space between defenders. Only press if you have a chance of winning the ball. Player 3. The forward on the opposite side to the ball or the chosen forward drops back into midfield so we have more compactness. Player 2. The pressure comes when they get in our half ! But everybody has a job to do. The wide midfield player has to get himself in line. Don't worry if he is 20 yards away. Make it difficult if he is going to play one over the top. He starts to press when the full back comes over the halfway line. Then he blocks him off and shows him inside. Now the full back can think, I can get the ball behind or I can intercept it square. Send him into the pack.

Centre Midfielders. When the ball comes inside they work together in a triangle. It may be this shape

You are hunting as a pack. One player presses the other two support, or maybe you like two pressing? The midfield players should sit 5-10 yards in front of the defenders/backline. As the ball moves across the pitch everyone must slide across to keep our shape. Don't let the midfield players drop too deep. The midfield must screen the central area in front of the centre backs. Stop runs and be alert for interceptions.
Defenders. Drop deep, look for interceptions , if you nick it is there a forward pass on ?
Goalkeeper. Your starting position is critical. You must be in a position not to be beaten by a shot and if a throw ball comes you are first to it.

Once we have won the ball