PRESSING

IN A 3-4-3
AG E P H AS E : U 1 7 +
SESSION PLAN
SESSION OVERVIEW PRESSING IN A 3-4-3

LEVEL PART 2: 8v7 POSITION-SPECIFIC KEY

ATTACK v DEFENCE
• U17-First team Ball movement
• This is a position-specific attack v defence that focuses
on the pressing team – specifically, how the attacking Player movement
SESSION OBJECTIVES midfielders in a box midfield and wing-backs can help without the ball
to join a press.
• Develop players’ understanding of how to apply • The practice should develop players’ understanding of Player movement
pressure to opposition players in high areas of the pitch how to direct play one way. with the ball
• Increase players’ understanding of how to deal with • Coaches can start to provide the players with specific
direct play and regaining second balls roles and responsibilities in order to win the ball as
high as possible.

PART 1: 5v5 +4 POSITIONAL RONDO Players

PART 3: 11v11 GAME

• This practice is set up as a 5v5, with one team looking
to keep possession and the other trying to win it. • This is an 11v11 game that rewards the out-of-possession Cones
• The possession team must try to progress the ball from team for winning the ball high and scoring.
two neutral players at one end of the playing area to • There will also be an added pressure to defend direct
Flat marker
two at the opposite end. play and balls over the top.
• The pressing team is challenged to recognise how to • The out-of-possession team should also have a focus on
stay compact and force play wide. dealing with second balls.
• The practice also introduces individual detail around Cones with
pressing and covering, which should help teams gain flat marker
success when they press.

Goal

Mini-goal

Mannequin Pole

Football

AGE PHASE: U17+

5v5 +4 POSITIONAL RONDO PRESSING IN A 3-4-3

FUNCTION 1 B B

• This is a principle-based positional rondo played on a A

pitch that is 30m x 15m. Cones are placed halfway along
the touchlines to split it into half. N A N
• The game features two teams of five, together with

15 metres
four neutral players – two on each end line, as shown in A B
Diagram 1.
• The in-possession team – here, Team B – starts with A
N A N
four players on the edge of the playing area, and one
positioned centrally. All five players on the pressing
team (Team A) start in the central area, as shown.
• The in-possession team should attempt to move the B B
ball from one pair of neutral players to the other by
maintaining possession.
• Diagram 1 shows an example of the pressing team 30 metres

staying narrow and compact to force play outside.

Diagram 2 gives an example of how the defending team
2
can quickly recover from the ball being played over B B
them.
• If the out-of-possession team wins the ball, they A
become the possession team and should move to take
up the positions previously held by the team with the N N
ball. The in-possession team enters the central playing A
area to become the pressing team. A
B

A
DEVELOPING THE PRACTICE N
A
N

• Progress the practice by awarding points for every time

the ball can be worked from one end to the other, and
keeping score. B B
• Award a point every time the attacking team is able to
win possession back within three passes of losing the
ball. This will increase the urgency in transition.

AGE PHASE: U17+

5v5 +4 POSITIONAL RONDO PRESSING IN A 3-4-3

COACHING DETAIL:
OUT OF POSSESSION
PROTECTING THE MIDDLE
• The out-of-possession team should work as a unit to
force play wide. Staying narrow and compact, as shown
in Diagram 1, will allow this to happen.
• The distances between the players should be tight, but
not too tight. This might make it easy for the opposition
to play around and progress the ball forward.

ANGLE OF APPROACH
• The angle of approach for the player pressing the ball
is vital to ensuring the ball is forced wide and inside
passes are not allowed.
• If the angle of approach is too far one way, the attacker
can progress forward easily or cut inside and open the
pitch up.

COVER
• When a player is pressing, it is important that they
have a covering player nearby to provide pressure if the
ball-carrier manages to beat them.
• Covering also allows the pressing player to be
aggressive with their press. If they are beaten, they
know they have a teammate ready to win possession.

ANTICIPATION
• Players should be encouraged to try and anticipate
where the ball will be going next.
• Anticipating where the ball is going will allow the
defender to start moving in that direction. This will
allow them to intercept or put immediate pressure on
the receiving player.

AGE PHASE: U17+

8v7 POSITION-SPECIFIC ATTACK v DEFENCE PRESSING IN A 3-4-3

FUNCTION 1 1
3

• This is a position-specific pressing practice set up in

2
one half of a pitch. The playing area is split into five 7 2
vertical lanes, and marked in line with the 18-yard box
6
and six-yard box. 3
4 8
• The wider areas are zoned off from around 10m in
the half to the centre circle, and a target mini-goal is 9 10
placed before each zoned-off area as shown. This would
represent a winger in a game. 8 4
• Three more target mini-goals are placed on the halfway 5
line as shown. This would represent the opposition
10
striker. 4 3
• The in-possession team, here attacking left to right,
2
is made up of a goalkeeper, a back four and three 5
midfielders. The pressing team is made up of two
wing-backs, four midfielders and one striker.
• The ball starts with the goalkeepeer for the possession
2
team, as shown in Diagram 1. They should attempt to 1 3
play out from the back and score in any of the five 2
7
target mini-goals.
• Diagram 1 shows how the pressing team should look 2

to force play wide and press the ball when it enters the
8
wide area. Diagram 2 shows the adjusted positioning of 3
6 9
4
the pressing team once they have successfully forced
play wide.
10 4
• If the pressing team manages to win possession, they
attempt to score quickly. 8 10
• If a goal is scored or the ball goes out play, the practice 5
should restart with the goalkeeper. 3

• Progress so the pressing team is awarded three 4

points if they can score within six seconds of winning
possession. This will encourage winning the ball as 5
2
high as possible.

AGE PHASE: U17+

8v7 POSITION-SPECIFIC ATTACK v DEFENCE PRESSING IN A 3-4-3

COACHING DETAIL: WING-BACK PRESS & SUPPORTING MIDFIELD

OUT OF POSSESSION • The ball-side wing-back (#2) should join in with the
press, to protect the goal that represents a straight
CREATING A FRONT THREE pass into a winger. This will encourage the defenders
• The two advanced midfielders (#7 and #10) should to get tight to wingers when the ball is played in
look to move forward to support the striker to press. a straight line forward.
• When they do this, their starting positions should be • The opposite wing-back (#3) should be encouraged
narrow so they can protect the middle of the pitch first, to play more centrally, in order to restrict space in the
before joining the press in wide areas. middle of the pitch. This will make it difficult for the
opposition to switch play and break the press.
DIRECTING PLAY ONE WAY
• The striker’s job in the press is to ensure the ball is
directed one way, and that it then stays that side. COACHING DETAIL:
• When the ball is played to a centre-back, the striker MANAGING THE OPPOSITION
should angle their run to force play wide.
• When the ball is played wide, the striker should position THROUGH, ROUND OR OVER
themselves to prevent a switch of play by cutting off • The in-possession team should be encouraged to play
passing lines to the centre-back or goalkeeper. out in a variety of ways. This can be by playing through,
around or over the pressing team.
MIDFIELDERS JOINING THE PRESS • Playing in this way will challenge the defensive team’s
• Diagram 2 shows how the midfielders can start to be decision-making on when to press and how to restrict
player-oriented when the ball has been worked wide. the space.
• One of the deep midfielders can move higher, to press
the opposition defensive midfielder. The second deep
midfielder can move across to mark the opposition’s
attacking midfielder.
• The second advanced midfielder can narrow up and
deal with the opposition’s second defensive midfielder.

AGE PHASE: U17+

11v11 GAME PRESSING IN A 3-4-3

FUNCTION 3 2

• This is an 11v11 game played on a full-sized pitch. 11 5

• One team, here attacking left to right, is set up in
6 10
a 4-2-3-1 formation. The other team, which is the focus, 8
is set up as a 3-4-3 with a box midfield. 8

• Restrict players in their own half to four touches.

This will encourage a fast ball tempo, and challenge the 10 9 6
9
out-of-possession team to restrict space quickly.
• If the out-of-possession team is able to win possession
in the opposition half and score, it’s worth three points. 4
4
• If a goal is scored or the ball goes out of play, the 5
7
game should resume with the goalkeeper of the team
3
attacking left to right. 11
• Progress the practice by altering the formation of the 7
2
team attacking left to right. This will give the coached
team different challenges when pressing.

AGE PHASE: U17+

11v11 GAME PRESSING IN A 3-4-3

COACHING DETAIL: COACHING DETAIL:

OUT OF POSSESSION MANAGING THE OPPOSITION
SET TO PRESS THROUGH, ROUND OR OVER
• The pressing team should have players behind the ball • The in-possession team should be encouraged to play
that allow them to be in positions to press. out in a variety of ways. This can be by playing through,
• This set-up should be zonal when there is no pressure around or over the pressing team.
on the ball. This will result in small distances between • Playing in this way will challenge the defensive team’s
players, which will make it hard for the opposition to decision-making on when to press and how to restrict
play through. The ball should then go into the wide the space.
areas, allowing the team to press.

LOCK PLAY WIDE

• Once the ball has been forced wide, the pressing team
should be encouraged to lock play wide. This is to
prevent switches of play and ensure that the ball is
forced into predictable areas of the pitch.
• This will allow deeper players to intercept the ball, or
force the in-possession team into playing over the press
and being more direct.

CENTRE-BACKS
• The centre-backs should have a side-on body shape.
This will allow them to deal with balls over the top as
they are ready to run.
• Defenders should start reading the body shape of the
striker and start moving to defend the space behind.
They can also move forward to press if the ball is going
into the striker.

REGAINING SECOND BALLS

• The defensive midfielders for the pressing team need to
be aware to pick up second balls.
• As the ball is being played direct, they need to sprint to
reduce the space between them and the centre-backs,
who would have dropped early to protect space behind.

AGE PHASE: U17+