Why choose this 5v5 formation? Review the pros and cons, in-possession and out-of-possession principles, and each position
Progresses to: 1-3-2, 2-1-2-1, 2-3-1 (7-a-side)
PROS OF THIS FORMATION |
CONS OF THIS FORMATION |
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IN-POSSESSION PROS |
IN-POSSESSION CONS |
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Goalkeeper
This formation ensures the goalkeeper has plenty of options in possession, with the two midfielders providing support in the wide areas and the defender offering a close central option.
This can help goalkeepers who are low on confidence with the ball.
Be mindful that the two wide options are likely to be quite a distance from the goalkeeper, and a young player would need to play the pass with quite a lot of power.
But if a pass to the wide area isn’t successful, and the opposition gains possession, it will not be in a particularly dangerous part of the pitch. This means the keeper can work on their distribution to wide areas without too much pressure on them.
The defender, however, is positioned straight ahead of the goalkeeper, in an area where it could be dangerous to lose the ball. So, while this may seem to be the easier option, the need for the pass to be accurate is much greater.
We may need to ask the goalkeeper, at this early stage of their development, to put the ball to the side of their team-mate, rather than aiming directly to them. This is to allow the defender to be in a better position to protect the ball.
Before the goalkeeper passes, they should assess if there is an opponent in close proximity to their team-mate. If there is, challenge them to pass to the opposite side from where the opponent is approaching.
This will give the defender a better chance to protect the ball, should they come under pressure.
Defender
Many 9v9 and 11v11 formations use a defensive midfielder to link play between the defenders, and the midfield and forward(s).
Once the ball has gone into these latter units, they defensive midfielder is also used as an option to play back to.
In a 1-2-1, the defender essentially plays this role when their team has the ball.
Because they are likely to be feeding the ball into the midfielders and forward often, it is a good position for a player who needs to work on their passing, or who may need some encouragement to pass more often.
The defender is also likely to come under pressure from an opponent, either as they receive the ball, or shortly afterwards.
As the only defender, they are an easier target for an opposition striker, who will find a single defender much easier to identify and press than two defenders.
When playing as the defender in this formation, a player will get used to being put under pressure while attempting to execute a range of techniques, such as controlling the ball, passing the ball and dribbling.
Midfielders
Midfielders, in this formation, will get plenty of opportunities to drive with the ball, as there is likely to be a lot of space in the wide areas when they first receive the pass.
This gives the coach an opportunity to help these players develop key elements of running with the ball, including their first touch and the required technique.
Players can develop their understanding of the type of touch they can take, and the direction in which they should try to take it.
The midfielders will be encouraged to be quite high up the pitch and close to the touchline, so it’s likely they will be closed down from different areas of the pitch – from behind, directly in front, or from the side.
Therefore, we must encourage the player on the ball to identify where the pressing opponent is coming from, so they can try to take a touch away from them and into space.
This touch does not need to be perfect; it just needs to be a heavy touch, out of the player’s feet and into the space.
When running with the ball, the midfielder should use the top of their foot, or their laces, when they take a touch, so that they do not need to adjust their stride pattern.
This allows the player to run with the ball at speed, and also enables them to change direction quickly by taking a slight touch with either the inside or outside of their foot.
Players at this stage will usually love to run with the ball – often, the challenge for the coach is getting them to release it at some point!
We want to strike a balance between them having the confidence and the ability to drive with the ball at speed, while understanding that, at some point, they will no longer have the ball – and it is better for them to give it to a team-mate, than to lose it to an opponent.
Playing in this position in this formation will give a player an opportunity to practise running with the ball with their head up, which will help them make the right decisions.
Forward
In this formation, it is likely that the forward will be quite isolated when receiving the ball, with their two closest team-mates (the midfielders) probably in wide positions.
It can therefore be expected that when the ball is passed to them, the forward will try to run to goal and, if successful, look to score.
While it is tempting to ask the forward to try and wait for, or find, a team-mate in these circumstances, we should encourage them to continue driving with the ball so that they become confident, direct and positive in possession.
It is likely that, in a lot of instances when they receive the ball, the striker will be in a 1v1 situation. It is, therefore, a great opportunity for them to develop their 1v1 skills, a key area of development for players at this age.
If successful in beating the defender in a 1v1 close to the opposition’s goal, the forward will then have the opportunity to shoot.
These opportunities will come in a range of situations, and at a number of different angles, depending on where on the pitch they receive the ball and beat their opponent.
For example, the forward could find themselves close to the corner of the box where they can shoot; or, further away from the goal, but in a more central position, allowing them to run towards the goal and attempt to score in a 1v1 against the keeper.
The forward, therefore, has lots of opportunities to develop all types of finishing.
OUT-OF-POSSESSION PROS |
OUT-OF-POSSESSION CONS |
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Goalkeeper
In this formation, the solitary defender can expect to find themselves in a lot of 1v1 situations, and may well get beaten in a number of them.
This means the goalkeeper will face two types of scenario: a strike from distance, or a 1v1 match up.
If the attacker gets past the defender, but feels they can still be caught, they may well shoot early, before they get tackled.
In these instances, the goalkeeper will need to deal with shots from straight in front of them, that will likely rely on power more than accuracy. This will provide them with lots of opportunities to work on their general shot-stopping.
In other instances, the opponent will decide to keep running with the ball and get as close to goal as they can before shooting. This is a great opportunity for the keeper to learn about angles when closing down and making the goal look ’smaller’ to the advancing forward.
The keeper should understand that, if they see an opponent running at the goal, and there is no defender in the way, they need to come off their line and move towards them.
Getting them to move away from their line in some of these moments will play a really important part in their developmental journey.
Defender
The defender will have lots to do when their team does not have the ball.
They should expect to find themselves as the last player that can stop an opponent from having a shot on goal.
At this stage, we can talk to them about trying to intercept the pass, so that it does not even get to the opposition forward.
It is likely that, if the pass is played directly to the forward, this player will wait for the ball to reach them, rather than move towards it. In these instances, we can challenge the defender to move towards the ball and try to get it, before it reaches their opponent.
It is important to remember that there will be times when they get this wrong. When they do, it will put the opponent in a really strong position.
Therefore, we need to be patient as they begin to work out when they can safely intercept the ball, and when they should not risk it.
When the ball does reach the opposition’s striker, the defender can then concentrate on the basic techniques of 1v1 defending.
In these instances, we can support them in one or two of the basic requirements of defending as an individual.
The first is patience: rather than just running at the ball, in an attempt to tackle their opponent, it is a good time for the defender to understand that, if they get in the right position – not too close and not too far away from their opponent – then they can afford to wait and be patient.
At this stage, it is likely that the player on the ball will make a mistake; when they do, this presents the defender with an opportunity to win back possession.
Midfielders
The main aspect of defending that the midfielders will develop in this formation is understanding the need to recover, and help the defender, both to protect the goal and to win the ball back.
At this stage, we do not need to worry about where exactly the midfielders recover to, or what they do once they get there. The focus should be on increasing the number of players that are helping to protect the goal.
It might be that we just ask them to chase after the ball if it goes past them. Or, if we feel they can handle more detailed instructions, we may ask them to run back towards their own goal until they think they are in a position to help the team defend.
We can also ask the midfielders to counter-press, or to win back possession as quickly as possible after it is lost.
When that happens, it is more than likely that at least one of the midfielders will be in close proximity; therefore, they can prevent the need for them to recover by winning the ball back before the opposition even gets a chance to attack.
One way to approach this is to ask them to try to win the ball back within so many seconds, or before they make a pass.
The key bit is getting them to recognise quickly that there has been a transition in possession, and they should react to this by trying to win the ball back as quickly as possible.
Depending on what formation the other team uses, there may also be opportunities for the midfielders to work on defending in 1v1 situations, particularly if the opposition also plays with two wide players.
Forward
Playing upfront on their own, the forward could easily find themselves chasing the ball while the opposition try to keep it away from them by passing it.
This presents an opportunity for us to ask the forward to be the team’s ‘first defender’.
Quite often, players at this stage will not see their role as being someone who has to win the ball.
By asking them to be the team’s ‘first defender’, we can challenge them to try to tackle an opponent only when they think they definitely have a chance of winning it.
There will be many times when they still get it wrong, but these are the early stages of helping them to understand when to press and when to be patient.
If we do provide the striker with this challenge, we will also need to help them understand how to press effectively, and the importance of slowing down as they get closer to their opponent.
This is because, when they come to the conclusion that there is a chance they could win the ball, it is likely they will run as quickly as they can to get to the opponent. Doing so will make it quite easy for the opponent with the ball to get past the striker as they rush towards them.
We must therefore help them to understand that they should only press the ball when they think they have a chance of winning it; and, when they do, they need to remember to slow down as they get closer to their opponent.
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