Coaching Formation Adjustment

[chelsea33 0]

It was cold and wet in Oregon all weekend. My daughter is on a U12 team and they played both days. The girls were miserable but they played through it. Both were great matches for spring soccer. I saw a great adjustment by the coach of my daughter's team. They usually play a 4-3-3 with the four being a flat four trying to catch players offsides. This particular game they were getting beat with long balls and great speed. At the end of the first half they were down 1-0. Keep in mind these girls really have not played any other formation. The coach was able to communicate to them what was happening on the field and switched the formation to a 4-1-3-2 which filled in a gap that was occurring at midfield and allowing the long ball to take place. The defensive midfielder was able to slow down any counter attacks. It worked pretty good. They tied the game in what otherwise would have surely been a loss due to speed in on the defense. I notice as the girls and boys get older there really is a strategic part of the game. Skill and speed still rule on the field but a coach can make a difference to help the players out. Anyways...it was a fun weekend despite the weather. I also curious on recommended formations when the back line isn't as fast and the attacking forwards.

[coachdave 1]

This is an extract from a soccer coaching session to get your players creating a strong defending and attacking diamond formation. This is a good one to get players passing into space.

Use this soccer coaching session to teach a diamond formation, which is ideal in making a strong system for defending and attacking. It helps your players cover all areas of the pitch, allowing them to focus quickly when possession is lost, or spread out in all directions for fast counter-attacks when possession is won.

Importantly, the diamond also provides lots of options for passing into space.

I have found that using the 2-1-2-1 diamond formation is the best for advancing 7-a-side teams from more simple formations, such as 2-2-2.

With this strong diamond stretching from the attacker to defensive midfielder, it is a shape that is hard to get past and requires a skilful opposition to find a weakness.

Click the link to read the rest of the article. http://www.bettersoccercoaching.com/Article-1648--1--Soccer-coaching-session-focusing-on-diamond-formations

[coachdave 1]

Hi, sorry to add another link to same thread but I've used this formation with my U10s, so it might be helpful to other youth coaches. It involves having a 2-2-1 formation with one floating player. This is an extract taken from the article at http://www.bettersoccercoaching.com

Soccer coaching tips for a formation plus one rover

A lot of soccer coaches have problems finding a formation to suit their team. It's never easy getting young players to accept formations and harder still getting them to stick to them. Use these soccer coaching tips to approach the issue from a different angle.

One formation you won't find written down in the text books, but one I know a lot of soccer academies use is where you have one player who is free to move wherever the team needs them. That player could be needed in defence, midfield or attack.

Often coaches find there is one player in their team who is just that bit better than everyone else in all areas of the pitch. It's the equivalent of the all-rounder, and it isn't easy to pinpoint their best attribute. In this case, let them be a "rover", going where the game tells him or her to go.

If the game is balanced, the rover plays in midfield. If the team is struggling, they may find themselves at the back of the team. Wherever the game needs a player, that's where they go.

At the moment I am playing this formation with my U10s team. We are playing seven-a-side and the best way to keep the field balanced is to use a 2-2-1 formation with one floating player.