Counter attack soccer drill

Counter attacks cause problems for the opposition defence but they also cause problems for the attacking team.

Can they make the most of having the ball in so much space?

Players need to practise this from both the attacking and the defending point of view so that they know how to react when this happens in matches.

I use this soccer drill, which I first saw being used by Manchester City under manager Roberto Mancini. It is a really good workout for your players and gives all the players involved a realistic idea of what they have to do when the opposition breaks away with the ball.

When you run the drill, your players can hit long balls or fast, one-touch soccer and combination play to get the ball up the pitch. Just make sure your attacker is ready. The player left up the pitch needs to be strong and fast to get to the ball first and hold it up.

Using the drill in the picture, you can replicate a counter attack by holding the forwards and defenders in two boxes before releasing them.

The attackers are racing away with the ball, while the defenders are forced to make recovery runs.