Tactics to play with two strikers

Great news this week that the lockdown in England will end at the beginning of December... out comes my training schedule and my tactical changes for my Under 10s – they were promoted to the division above just before the lockdown began. Exciting times!

What I am looking for in the next few weeks of training is to work with two strikers in attack and to encourage them to press high up the pitch when they have lost the ball. What I want to do is to work on box-to-box passing moves – counter-attacking play that involves passing and receiving between the lines, well-timed movements and crossover runs, and the exploitation of space behind the opposition’s back line.

In possession, a team is at its most dangerous when a player can make a forward pass to a team mate running in a forward direction. And one of the main attributes of two strikers is the awareness of knowing where to run to beat an opponents defensive block.

So at different age groups you a looking at formations like 3-5-2 at 11-a-side, 3-3-2 at 9-a-side or 2-2-2 at 7-a-side. Try the sessions below to help you work with two strikers in your team.

My go to session for getting my team to play with twin strikers is Working with attacking pairs. This game where players work in twos is all about shooting and recognising when to move into different zones to support the attack. It is a great way to forge a partnership with your front two.

Forging a partnership is key to getting the best out of the two players. Two up front in tandem gets your players to combine well by teaching your forwards how to communicate and develop their attacking relationship.

One short, one long is a rule used by teams that use two forwards. To disrupt defenders, one forward makes a short run towards the ball, and the other forward makes a long run into the space left by the first forward. This type of movement will create space for one of the forwards to receive a pass.

And finally to get your strike partners firing on all cylinders use Parallel lines which is a simple unopposed shooting activity that coaches strikers to receive, look up, lay off and support, the way twin attackers should be behaving in the final third.

Working with attacking pairs
Single-minded striker
One Short, One Long
Parallel lines