Defending as a team at 11 a side

[stevethefootycoach]

Hi Bill,

I am after a little bit of advice, currently coach an U11’s team in there first year at 11 a-side. We seem to be having problems defending as a unit from midfield to defence.

My back 4 are constantly being left exposed by the midfield causing the to panic and make careless mistakes to the extent that my GK has now been man of match 3 out of 5 games and if not for him we would be conceding a lot more than the usual 4 – 5 at present. (Example from the last game the opposition scored when I looked back towards the halfway line they watching was one of my central midfielders with both wingers.)

Can you suggest anyway of making my midfield more defensive minded without them loosing the attaching aspects of the game. Chris

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[stevethefootycoach]

Bill's answer:

Getting your midfield four to work together is a major challenge, especially when it comes to defensive duties. Midfielders sometimes don't view themselves as defenders; it's a challenge to help them realise that when we lose the ball we have 11 defenders on the pitch. I reckon young players in particular tend to want to be the one who gets the counter-attack and the glory. Of course it's easy to assume it's about laziness but it may be that some players genuinely don't yet understand how they are supposed to react.

It's an issue I am currently working on with my ladies squad, when I took over the team this season there was no evidence of cohesion in the midfield it was like four individuals dong their own thing. I have addressed it by by getting them to think about being "a team within a team" I think they are getting sick of hearing this phrase but it's starting to pay off. Help them to take a sense of pride in the performance of their own unit within the bigger team. The same principle can be applied to other units in the team. Every time we lose the ball I expect the four of them to react quickly and get back together with their three other team-mates behind the ball; nearest player presses the ball and holds up the attack while the other 3 drop off and provide cover and stay compact. I make it a "match goal" for the one or two midfielders who still lack concentration. Obviously fitness may be part of the problem but mainly it's about teaching them to anticipate changes of possession better and learn to read the game.

I would use specific examples of players they admire and encourage them to watch them carefully next time they see a match live or on TV. Encourage them to think about the positions or units they usually play in and take note of what they are doing in different phases of play. Ask them to pay attention to how they react when their team loses the ball. Observe how they get compact as a midfield unit. Notice how they track runners and how they get back and help the fullbacks so the central defenders can stay in the danger area in front of goal, and so on. Of course it doesn't help that none of my ladies tam actually watch any football! One of the ways I have tried to communicate this is by recording matches on my PC and printing a few selected images of typical scenarios.
In training, Drill number 43 "Open Goal" and 63 "Man Marking" is the kind of thing that may help improve their alertness and ability to anticipate changes of possession.

No doubt about it, 11 a side is a challenge for youngsters, it will take a while to learn but breaking it down into "teams within a team" and talking about their role in attack and defence is a method I find helpful.

[mattycoach]

Hi guys,

Just read the post and it's a great question (and reply)!!.

I was watching a very experienced coach not long ago who has premier league experience and one way he explained it was this; "if you imagine your playing in a 4-4-2, the 4 in midfield all imagine that they are working as puppets on a string. If the Right Winger moves, then they should all follow keeping the same gap every time".

I think this is a great way of explaining defending in a unit with adults or children as it's very visual and easy to understand. It can also be coaches whether your working with the strikers (2) or the defensive backline (4).

Hope this helps.

Matty