Week 22

Outcomes

• ✓Players can implement the 4-3-3 high press structure with clearly defined roles for all 11 positions
• ✓Players can time the press trigger so the front three arrive simultaneously on the opponent's first touch
• ✓Players can force the opposition into a back pass or long ball through coordinated angle-pressing
• ✓Players can counter when the press wins possession in the high third

Equipment

• 20 cones
• 8 bibs (2 colours)
• 4 balls
• 2 full-size goals
• 1 whiteboard

Run of show

1. 1. Activation & 11+ Warm-Up

   15m

   Set up: Full team in a 25×20 yd area. Groups of 3, one ball per group.

   How to run it: 4-3-3 awareness game: label players striker, left-winger, right-winger, central-mid, left-mid, right-mid in each trio. When coach calls a line name ('front three!'), those players sprint to touch a cone 5 yds away and return. Rotate labels every 2 minutes. Add 11+ hip abduction, lateral hops, and two 20-yd reactive acceleration runs.

   • ›Reaction to the call must be immediate – first step is explosive
   • ›Lateral hops: land on the ball of the foot with knee slightly bent

2. 2. Technical/Functional Practice – 4-3-3 Press Patterns

   15m

   Set up: Full pitch. 11 attacking players in their 4-3-3. Coach circulates a ball among 4 mannequins placed in the defending team's back line positions.

   How to run it: Coach moves the ball between the 4 mannequin back-four positions. The front three of the 4-3-3 press the ball with correct angles: striker channels to one side, the nearest winger closes the central back on that side, the far winger tucks to block the switch. The midfield three shift to press the midfield if the ball escapes the front three. Walk through 3 times, then run at full pace 5 times.

   • ›Striker must approach at a curved run to block the back pass to the GK and channel to one side
   • ›Wingers must arrive within 1 second of the striker's press – not trailing behind
   • ›Midfield pivot holds position until the ball escapes – premature stepping leaves a gap
   • ›Back four step up 5–8 yds to maintain compactness and apply offside risk

3. 3. Skill/Phase Game – 4-3-3 Press v. Build-Up 6v8

   15m

   Set up: Half-pitch. 6 front-line players (front three + mid three of the pressing team) vs. 8 possession players (back four + two CMs + GK in a box + midfielder). Two small goals on the halfway line for the pressing team to counter-attack into.

   How to run it: Possession team builds from GK. Pressing team of 6 attempts to win the ball high using the 4-3-3 press patterns from the previous activity. If they win it, they counter-attack to the two small goals. Possession team earns a point for playing out of the press 5 times in a row. Pressing team earns a point for each counter-goal. Run for 5 minutes, then swap.

   • ›The press is a collective action – if one player is out of position, the whole press fails
   • ›When the possession team plays a long ball over the press, the back four step forward to win the header
   • ›High press without ball recovery is still a win if it forces a long ball into touch

4. 4. Conditioned Tactical Game – 11v11 High Press Match

   20m

   Set up: Full pitch 11v11 with goalkeepers.

   How to run it: Full 11v11 match. Pressing team plays in 4-3-3 and must press from the high zone (attacking 35 yds) whenever the opposition GK has the ball or plays to a centre-back. Pressing team earns triple points for goals scored within 8 seconds of a high-press win. One tactical pause per half.

   • ›Do not press the opposition's GK directly – first block the easy pass options, then close
   • ›If the opposition GK plays long, the press has still succeeded if it forces a contested aerial
   • ›Compact transition: when the press fails, the entire team drops 10 yds together – not individually

5. 5. Scrimmage

   15m

   Set up: Full pitch 11v11, free play.

   How to run it: Free scrimmage. Coach watches whether the front three initiate the press independently. Note the average number of high presses per 5-minute period and whether each one had a discernible trigger.

   • ›Are wingers pressing or waiting to be called? They must initiate proactively
   • ›Track whether the midfield three are shifting in response to front three movements

6. 6. Cool-Down & Debrief

   5m

   Set up: Players in a line in their 4-3-3 formation positions.

   How to run it: Stand in formation for 1 minute reviewing roles verbally, then light jog to the centre circle for static stretches. Debrief: front three explain their press angles, midfield three explain their lane coverage. Coach highlights the best coordinated press from the session.

   • ›Reinforce: one player pressing alone is not a press – it is a chase
   • ›Preview: next session applies the 4-3-3 press against a structured build-up system

Outcomes

• ✓Players can adjust their high press angles when the opposition uses a back three instead of a back four
• ✓Players can sustain a high press for at least two consecutive phases of play
• ✓Players can counter through wide channels after winning a high press
• ✓Players can drop into the mid-block when the high press is not triggered, without losing shape

Equipment

• 20 cones
• 8 bibs (2 colours)
• 4 balls
• 2 full-size goals
• 1 whiteboard

Run of show

1. 1. Activation & 11+ Warm-Up

   15m

   Set up: Full team in two lines at the edge of the penalty area. Pairs, one ball per pair.

   How to run it: Pressing approach runs: player A passes to a cone 15 yds away (representing an opponent). Player B sprints to press the cone at a curved approach angle, decelerates correctly, and recovers. Swap after 3 reps each. Add 11+ hip flexor activation, bounding drills, and 3 reactive sprint starts from different body positions (seated, lying, standing).

   • ›Approach run must curve to block the back pass – approach straight and you eliminate no passing options
   • ›Deceleration: shorten stride and drop hips over the last 3 steps

2. 2. Technical/Functional Practice – Pressing v. Back Three Adaptation

   15m

   Set up: Attacking half of full pitch. 11 defenders in 4-3-3 pressing shape. 8 attackers set up in a back-three build-up (3 CBs + GK + 2 CMs). Coach walks through the press adaptation.

   How to run it: When the opposition uses a back three, the pressing team must shift: striker marks the central CB, left winger marks the left CB, right winger marks the right CB. The midfield trio now has full responsibility for the two CMs. Run 6 pressing sequences from GK restarts, alternating between back-four and back-three opposition setups called by coach.

   • ›Striker press on the central CB must be aggressive – that player typically has less technique
   • ›Wingers cannot drop into midfield when pressing a back three – they must commit to the CBs
   • ›If the opposition has a free player (extra midfielder), the holding mid must pick them up
   • ›Drop to mid-block the moment the ball escapes the high zone

3. 3. Skill/Phase Game – Press Adaptation 7v7

   15m

   Set up: 55×35 yd pitch. 7v7 with GKs. Possession team rotates between using 2 and 3 players at the back on coach's call.

   How to run it: Possession team switches formation structure every 3 minutes on coach's instruction. Pressing team must adapt their press shape each time. Coach does not tell the pressing team what the opposition is doing – they must recognise it themselves. Pressing team earns 2 points per high-press win, 1 point per correct shape adaptation identified by the coach.

   • ›Read the opponent's structure before pressing – 1 second of recognition saves 10 seconds of confusion
   • ›The striker is the first to identify back three vs. back four and call it to teammates
   • ›Midfield three must listen to the striker's call and adjust their position immediately

4. 4. Conditioned Tactical Game – 11v11 Adaptive High Press

   20m

   Set up: Full pitch 11v11. The opposition team switches between 4-3-3 and 3-5-2 build-up systems every 5 minutes on coach's call.

   How to run it: Full match. Pressing team must identify and adapt their press to whichever system the opposition uses. Coach calls out the structure change with a flag signal visible only to the opposition team. Pressing team must read the shape without being told. Two coaching pauses maximum: one to confirm recognition, one to correct a specific error.

   • ›A slow recognition is understandable – a failure to communicate it to teammates is not
   • ›The GK's starting position and the number of defenders in the first pass give the clearest indication of the system
   • ›When in doubt, drop to the mid-block rather than press blindly

5. 5. Scrimmage

   15m

   Set up: Full pitch 11v11, free play. Both teams can use any formation they choose.

   How to run it: Free scrimmage with formation freedom. Coach watches for adaptive pressing or pressing that ignores the opposition structure. Note one example of excellent adaptation and one example of a press that failed due to misreading the formation.

   • ›Celebrating the reading of an opponent structure is as important as celebrating the winning tackle
   • ›Watch for the striker – they are the reconnaissance player for the press

6. 6. Cool-Down & Debrief

   5m

   Set up: Players in a horizontal line across the pitch.

   How to run it: Walk slowly across the pitch and back while coach debriefs from the side. Then static stretches in pairs. Debrief: 'How did you know when the opposition was using a back three?' Two players explain their cues. Coach adds: 'The goalkeeper's first pass tells you everything – watch it.'

   • ›Tactical intelligence is developed by asking players to explain their decisions, not just execute drills
   • ›Preview week 23: building out from the back under pressure – the attacking side of press resistance