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Forum Newbie
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Last Login: 07/10/2008 15:02:50
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| I'm an assistant coach for a GU9 A team - 8v8. This is our first year together so we are still trying to get most of the players learning ball control and positioning. I have one initial question as to how most teams are playing field positions. We have been playing a 1-2-1-2-1 - which is more defensive. Defensive diamond with one sweeper, 2 fullbacks and one stopper. Offense is 2 mids and one striker. This is obviously showing in our games as most of the time we are playing defensively - with offensive breaks. What are some other options to add a bit more offensive to our layout without hurting defense? Thanks, Michael
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Forum Newbie
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Last Login: 26/11/2008 21:07:12
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| Seems very thinned out, especially for U9. Have you considered a more basic 2-3-2? or Perhaps 2-1-2-2 if you prefer to have a pure stopper ? Your offensive challenge is really to find a way to stretch more play towards the sidelines, but that must be difficult in your current formation. Without knowing the mix of players you have, playing 3 midfielders and 2 strikers allows you a bit more flexibility to attacking either right or left (or middle, I suppose). Defensively, you still have 2 solid defenders back there and can have your center midfielder play more like a stopper (hence the 2-1-2-2) I have seen some folks move to a 2-1-3-1 -- again, in order to have some width in the midfield, but still with just that single striker.
Ed Longo
Westborough Youth Soccer
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Forum Newbie
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Last Login: 28/10/2008 14:59:25
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| If you want more offense and scoring chances, I'd recommend the 2-2-3 'attack & press' scheme if your players have speed. You need two speedy reliable players on defense, two speedy and smart players at midfield, and outside speed on offense. Don't fall into the trap of playing your weaker players on defense, play weaker players on a second and third offense line. Remember, playing weak players on offense in a second and third line won't cost you the game, but weak players on defense can cost you a game. You need to practice the 2-2-3 and each player needs to know the specific responsibilities of each position and understands how defense, mids and offense work together as 3 moving parts. The 2 defensive players need to split the field, while the mid-fielders collaspe toward the middle on defense. Mid-fielders also need to learn a rotation where one mid-fielder engages the ball on defense at mid-field or as far from the goal as possible , while the other mid-fielder rotates behind and towards the middle to cover the middle of the field in front of the net. On attack the defense players need to move to mid-field, setting up and cutting the field in half. Your goal should be to set up and play the half field game over 60% of the time. In the half field game, Mid-fielders set up half way between the mid-field line and the goal and guard the sidelines, but also take runs at the goal, and then returning to position. You want to create a 4 on 3 mis-match by having each mid-fielder alternating on attack. As one mid-fielder returns to position the other mid-fielder attacks with the offense. The half field game, with the 2-2-3 'press and attack' scheme takes practice, speed and understanding to work, but it provides the most scoring opportunities and involves the most players in those opportunities. Try it for 5 or 6 minute shifts to begin with until everyone feels comfortable with the scheme.
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Forum Newbie
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Last Login: 31/10/2008 15:09:05
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| Hello. I'am a U10 girls soccer coach. It is our first year, I have 14 girls in the team, and their ages are from 7 to 10 years old. The strategy you have seems to be complicated for 8 and 9 year old girls. I would encourage you to change the strategy trying with a 2-3-2 or a 3-3-1. With a 3-3-1 you are being defensive but at the same time you are allowing the two side midfielders attack. So you will have the best players as side midfielders running up and down the field making passes to the striker. You sould allow your players and encourage them to attack. What's the purpose of telling them to being deffensive? Waht do you want for their future? Players like Messi, C. Ronaldo, Rooney, Aguero, Eto'o, Ronaldinho, Kaka, or you want players like Zanetti, Lucio or Mascherano? Of course, you want the creative players, the ones who would dribble, score goals, run up and down the field, make amazing passes, and have magic on every second of the game. You don't want passive players who are waiting for their opponents. I understand this is your first year; therefore you should encourage in your practices ball control skills as well as passing instead of deffensive skills. You need to find an equilibrium and encourge your girld to attack ang go forward. Good Luck!
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Forum Newbie
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Last Login: 28/10/2008 17:10:28
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| The system I play in a 8v8 game is 2-1-2-2. The 1 person is called the floater. That means, the position is to defend first when the other team attacks and attack last when my team attacks. The position requires the best skilled and fit player. The floater always move in such directions to complete triangles; but the most important idea is that when the other team attacks the floater is the first to collapse into the defense and the first to expand into the attacking zone. The 2 midfielders are used as spare attackers rather than defenders - although they could be asked to defend more depending on the opposition. With this system most attacks are generated from the sides. If you need more info on this system please let me know as I have used it for a number of years; my team hardly lost a game.
Leonardo
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Forum Newbie
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Last Login: 28/10/2008 19:31:21
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I coach U12 and am very blessed to have an athletic team of girls. 90% of my girls are what you might call speedy, the others are strong and can cover space but lack that breakaway speed. I used a 1-2-1-3 setup in lower travel leagues and found it somewhat successful with my sweeper getting a ton of work and doing well, but once we moved up to the Premier League of travel soccer in Virginia, this was a lot of work on her and my two backs were not covering the middle when she pushed over to help. We moved to a 2-3-2 and have found a huge difference in the amount of work on each girl. My two outside mids play from 18 to 18, the two forwards are "thieves from behind" only playing back just past the center line,and my two backs play their post and push up to the center line on the attack.
The key for our team in the center midfielder. She happens to be the smallest girl on the pitch, but has the most fight in her. She pushes up only when there is a crowd on the attack and she looks for a roller out of the pack to slam back on target, but she mostly plays center line to retrieve punts, long goal kicks, and keeps people frustrated in the middle. When the balls gets pushed up to her from the backs, her first target if she cannot dribble up is the outer wings, with the outside mids or the forwards on runs. Your outside mids will run the most, and will be subbed out the most often.
But the two forwards are just that, speedy forwards, they must have ball control skills, be able to outrun the last line of defense and be able to hit the back of the net, consistently. All the girls want to play up and score, but they must be advanced in all three of those skills to play it in a game, so they hone it in practice.
2-3-2 has worked the best for us, good luck! And get your footwork/speedy stars up front!
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Forum Newbie
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Last Login: 30/10/2008 02:10:53
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| My team set up in a 2 - 4 -1 formation with a GK 2 defenders who set up more centrally ( teams rarely set up with more than 2 strikers) 4 across midfield, this controlled the whole central area of the park, often outnumbering opposition. with the 2 wide midfielders responsible for back tracking the outside channels to support the defenders, and when attacking, working in tandem with Central lone striker in the wide forward channel 1 up front, who was quick and had responsibility for running the front wide channels as well as middle ALL midfielders had licence to attack but either 1 of the central midfielders tended to sit in holding role to offer support to the attack from behind and the defence against a quick break from the opposition.
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Junior Member
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To my surprise, we've been very successful with a 2-3-2 configuration a U10. Most coaches in our area use a 3-2-2, but we really like to play with a more offensive mind. My biggest fear was the how the higher game speed might affect our players. Our 2-3-2 worked extremely well at U8, but the other teams weren't of the same quality at the level. We ask quite a bit of our defenders and midfielders, but, for the most part, they are up to the task. Our keepers are now becoming more aware of their role as well and are better prepared to take any through balls coming their way. I highly recommend giving the 2-3-2 a shot.
Jim Noll
Coach - Dover Lightning (U12 Boys)
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Forum Newbie
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Last Login: 06/06/2010 02:01:23
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| I coach U10 boys team. We play 2-3-2 with great success. With some work on defensive team shape 2-3-2 can be very flexible. If defending one side of the field you need to work on the two defenders shifting over and the opposite wide midfielder covering the blind side. When defending this then moves into a 3-2-2. We encourage to attack down the sides trying to create 2v1 situations using the outside midfielder and one of the attackers. Fir your information many of the teams we play against play 3-2-2. We have our extra man in midfield which works great.
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Forum Newbie
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Last Login: 26/07/2010 07:29:02
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| We use a 1-3-2-3 formation for our U10's, we encourage the two wide defender & forwards to play on the touch line in attack. Then in defence our defender will compact into a tight three and encourage our forwards and midfield to apply defence pressure high up the field. It seems to be working for us at the moment and it will allow our junior's to move to a 1-4-3-3 formation when they reach U12's.
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