I’d frame going longer as part of the same style, not a failure of it.
If five opponents commit to locking your short build-up, they have left fewer players behind the press. The goalkeeper’s job is to recognise whether the advantage now exists beyond them.
That longer option still needs structure. Who can receive or compete? Who gets underneath for the second ball? Can the keeper find a wide player rather than simply clearing centrally?
Train against aggressive senior-style pressing and reward the team for playing through it in any intelligent way. Sometimes that is three short passes. Sometimes it is one clipped pass beyond the first line.
I would still challenge poor long distribution if it is just panic.
At U18, tactical maturity means understanding that principles are not rigid methods.
If the purpose is to progress the ball and exploit space, a longer pass can express the same principle as playing through the centre-back.
