Create A Team of Ball Winners

Create a team of ball winners
by Dave Clarke
If you want your team to win more games, the best place to start is by keeping hold of the ball. But if
you find that even the brightest of your young stars is prone to losing possession when on a surging
forward run, always make sure that each member of your team understands how important it is to get
the ball back as quickly as possible.
You only have to look at N’Golo Kante at Chelsea to see how effective a midfield ball winner can be for a
team.
Top Tips For Midfield Interceptors
> Try and mark opponents ball side and goal side
> Be close enough to press opponents when they are receiving
> Recognise when to mark the player and when to cover space
> Be positioned to intercept
> Know when (and when not) to try and intercept
> Play quickly when regaining possession
> On winning the ball, try to counterattack with a pass or a run
If you want your players to always work hard in tireless pursuit of the ball like Chelsea’s Kante and gain
an excellent reading of the game like he has, the following two activities will help them get to the ball
first and teach them how to regain possession quickly.
Steal the ball is all about positioning in this lively intercepting game aimed at teaching your players how
to nick the ball back from the other team while it’s still in midfield.
If you want your players to understand the role of a midfield power house, try The enforcer. It’s a
challenging game to teach them how to win back possession.
The enforcer
in Midfield, Small Sided Games
If you want your players to understand the role of the midfield enforcer, try this challenging game to
teach them how to win back possession. MORE
Steal the ball
in Defending, Small Sided Games
It’s all about positioning in this lively intercepting game aimed at teaching your players how to nick the
ball back from the other team while it’s still in midfield MORE
The enforcer
If you want your players to understand the role of the midfield enforcer, try this challenging game to
teach them how to win back possession.
Why use it
This game helps the defending midfielder to know his role in the team and gets him to boss the midfield
in matches. When applying pressure, it gives the player opportunities to intercept passes or force
mistakes.
Set up
Mark out a 30×30-yard area and use eight players plus a goalkeeper. You need balls, bibs, cones anda
goal.
How to play
One team, comprising agoal keeper, three defenders and a midfield enforcer, defends the goal against
three attackers – the spare attacker becomes a targetman for the defending team to get the ball to. If
they do it scores a goal for them. Play six attacks then switch the teams around.
Technique
Having an extra defender allows the enforcer to put pressure on opponents at all times. The enforcer’s
role in the team is to stop opponent’s attacks by applying pressure and making tackles. He plays just in
front of the defence and is often the first resistance an opposition attack faces.
1. The Enforcer gives an overload to the defending team allowing him to close down and try to break up
attacks
2. Three players attack – one becomes a target player for the defending team to aim for. They try and
win the ball and play it to the target man to score a goal
3. The Enforcer has a license to go wherever the ball is and try to win it. This makes it a tough session for
the enforcer so make sure the teams are switched every six attacks
4. If the ball goes out of play or a shot misses the goal, play restarts with the attacking team and one go
is lost
5. It is important that when the defending team wins the ball, the enforcer takes part in the team’s
attack to help in the build-up process because this is part of his job
Steal the ball
It’s all about positioning in this lively intercepting game aimed at teaching your players how to nick the
ball back from the other team while it’s still in midfield.
Why use it
This is a great game to help defensive midfielders prevent penetrative passes by intercepting the ball.
Once they have it, they are encouraged to counterattack.
Set up
Mark out a 12×12-yard square with pop up goals (or cones two-feet apart) on each corner and placed
two-feet behind the line. Mark out a centre box 4x4ft. You need balls, bibs and cones.
How to do it
Play a 5v2 game with one player of the team of five locked in the centre box and one on each side of the
playing area. The team of five play with two touches and the two midfielders must try to steal the ball.
As counterattacking is vital, if they intercept the ball they can score in any of the four goals. The key to
success is the midfielder’s starting position in relation to where the ball is, where the centre square is
and where the opponent is.
Technique
In this small area the midfielders must press and support each other to steal the ball from the passing
team. They will learn where best to position themselves to make it hard for the passing team to
penetrate the box.
1. The passing team starts with the ball. They must play each pass through the grid and are restricted to
two touches, one to control and one to pass
2. To score a point the team of five can pass to their team-mate in the centre or make eight passes
3. Goals must be two-feet behind the line to give room for the passing players to cover it
4. If the midfielders win the ball they must quickly score in one of the four small goals around the pitch
5. If the passing team manage to cover all the goals before the defenders can score, play goes back to
the passing team

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Create a team of ball winners

Top Tips For Midfield Interceptors

Steal the ball

in Defending, Small Sided Games

Steal the ball

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