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LOGINDefend the corner
Teach your players how to organise themselves to defend a corner, which areas to defend and how to quickly execute counter attacks when clearing the ball. This session can be adapted for mini soccer, intermediate or 11v11 adult football.
What this session is about
1. Defending a corner kick. 2. Taking up good defensive positions. 3. Applying quick counter attacks.
What to think about
In the English Premier League, almost one in three goals comes as a result of a corner or free kick. This statistic is a great insight into the small margins between winning, drawing and losing a match. Any team can be effective and score goals from set plays, regardless of their level, compared to the opponent they face. This means set plays are a big leveller in games and a situation where anything is possible. Having a simple, set organisation that all players understand will make your team effective at defending set plays and reduce the chances of your team conceding goals.
Set-up
Organise your team in various defensive sets to defend corners. If the team clears the ball upfield, it must quickly react and counter attack to try and score in the opposite goal. This initial practice is unopposed. Set 1 – Zonal defending (as shown in the top picture) The team lines up with a full back on each post. One player stands in front of the near post. Four players line up across the six-yard box. Three players line up level with the penalty spot. Set 2 – Man to man The team lines up with a full back on each post. One player stands in front of the near post. Five players mark opposition players individually. One player stands on the edge of the 18-yard box and another stays upfield – ready to counter attack. Set 3 – Your choice You and your team decide on which set-up is best for particular situations. It can be a mixture of both or a new set-up of your own.| Warm up | Session | Development | Game Situation | Warm Down |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 minutes | 15 minutes | 15 minutes | 15 minutes | 5 minutes |
What you get your players to do
Set 1 – Zonal defending (as shown in the top picture) The team lines up with a full back on each post. One player stands in front of the near post. Four players line up across the six-yard box. Three players line up level with the penalty spot.Set 2 – Man to man The team lines up with a full back on each post. One player stands in front of the near post. Five players mark opposition players individually. One player stands on the edge of the 18-yard box and another stays upfield – ready to counter attack.
Set 3 – Your choice You and your team decide on which set-up is best for particular situations. It can be a mixture of both or a new set-up of your own.
Use pre-set formations to take up defensive positions for corners.
Development
To progress, add an attacking team that starts by taking a corner.Once the corner is taken, the game continues until the ball has left play. Then the teams return to the starting position to defend/attack a new corner kick from the opposite flank.
The attacking team must use different types of corner (short, long, near post, far post, etc.)
Make sure offside rules are used and swap positions and team roles regularly.
Related Files
Advanced-212-defend-the-corner.pdfPDF, 281 KB
The defending team thwarts a corner and counter attacks immediately.
Game situation
The two teams must play a small-sided game. The following rules apply:- If a goal is scored, the team scoring the goal is also awarded a corner kick.
- If a defending team manages to clear a corner and then counter attack to score, then they are awarded two goals.
- Place a ball in each corner just off the pitch and award a corner rather than a throw-in if the ball leaves play in the opponent’s half of the field.
In a small-sided game, corners are awarded rather than throw-ins.
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