The Coaches' Room
11v11U18In Possession

Man-to-man press at goal kicks is completely stopping us playing short

Asked by LC94
323 views 3 replies
Teams are matching up our centre-backs, full-backs and 6 from goal kicks. The keeper still tries the same short pass because we have told the players we want to build. I do not want the answer to become 'kick it long every time', but surely the players need another way out. What build-up solutions would you introduce first when every obvious short option is marked?

VERIFIED COACH ANSWER

Verified Coach avatar
VERIFIED COACH RESPONSE

UEFA A Coach

11v11 tactical • team structure

Why don't we show coach names?
If every short option is genuinely matched, I want the players to recognise that the press has given them something somewhere else. The first solution is movement. Can the 6 move away and drag a marker, allowing a centre-back to carry? Can a full-back start higher and create space underneath? Can a midfielder rotate into a different line rather than standing marked? The second solution is the goalkeeper. Can they use a clipped pass beyond the first press into a winger, 8 or striker who can compete for the next action? Going longer is not abandoning build-up. It can be the correct build-up decision if the opposition have committed five players to stop your first line. I’d train against a genuine man-to-man press, not passive mannequins. Then ask: where is our free player, and if there isn’t one short, what space has their press left behind? Playing out should mean solving pressure, not completing a predetermined short pass.

COMMUNITY DISCUSSION

Join the football discussion. 3 replies

L

LowBattery

Parent who also coaches

I think some youth teams become more scared of the long pass than the mistake. If five players are standing on every short option, the space has to be somewhere else.
E

EllieT

Coach

The best thing we did was allow the keeper to clip beyond the press. Suddenly the opposition stopped sending five players onto our first line every goal kick.
L

LeeC

Coach

Also worth moving the 6 away rather than always trying to free them. Ours dragged their marker out, then the centre-back could carry 15 yards with nobody pressing.