Attacking as a front three

This session works on three strikers like Liverpool, Real Madrid and Barcelona. It trains strikers to create and combine in overload situations, giving them help in recognising goalscoring opportunities, shooting early, or passing to team mates in better positions.

Why use it

Although every coach understands the need for isolated and individual finishing practices, this session works by placing players in realistic goalscoring positions as a team specifically a front three.

Set up

You need balls, bibs, cones and goals. Use an area 50 x 44 yards split into two outer zone of 18 yards and a centre zone of 14 yards. We used 15 players in the session plus goalies and servers. Players work in threes so work out your squad size and numbers you need.

How to do it

Players work in threes.

To kick off the move, the keeper feeds out to unopposed attackers - one moves forward with the ball and shoots. After his shot, he runs to the goal line then recovers as a defender. As he recovers the attackers become defenders and three new attackers from the other end come on. They can now attack the bottom goal, 3v2, until the other defender recovers back.

From here, all players attack, then defend, before rotating off the pitch on the coach’s call, but the player taking the shot always has to recover from the goal line for the defending phase.

If the keeper saves a shot, the same ball is used, otherwise the server introduces a new ball and the player retrieves his effort.

Technique

Tell your attackers is to be positive, ambitious, and to shoot on sight