Ball possession with man-marking

High-intensity ball possession with man-marking and constant pressure

Goal:

Possession

Soccer Tactics

Equipment

Cones
5 vests
balls

Preparation

Playing area: 25x20 meters / 28x22 yds
Players: 10
Duration: 12 minutes
Number of sets: 8 sets of 1 minute with 30 seconds of recovery between sets

Secondary Objectives

Creating space, Support, Combination play, Mark, Press, Passing, Receiving, Tackling, Communication, Reaggression

Organization

Set up a 25x20 meter playing area using cones. Form two teams of five players each. Assign each player a specific direct opponent, creating fixed pairs for the duration of the drill. Keep a good supply of balls on the side of the playing area to ensure continuous ball possession.

Description

The main rule of the drill is that each player is assigned a single opponent from the other team to man-mark for the entire duration of the set
One team must build up ball possession while the other must prevent the opponents' play by working on man-marking, intercepting, and tackling
At the end of each set, the teams switch roles

Rules

The team in possession scores a point if they complete eight consecutive passes without an interception
Defenders can only mark their assigned player (work exclusively on their direct opponent)
Every time the ball goes out of bounds or is recovered by the defending team, the count resets and ball possession restarts

Variations

Limited number of touches for the team in possession (e.g., maximum three)
Ground passes only
Vary the number of passes needed to score a point (5, 10, 12 consecutive passes)
Add a neutral player (joker) who plays with the team in possession and cannot be pressured by opponents

Coaching Points

Encourage players to keep their heads up for better vision of the game
Urge players to communicate and talk to each other
Reactiveness by the marker in closing passing lanes, and in the timing and execution of the challenge
The tempo must remain high; players must constantly move to find space to receive the pass (providing multiple passing options for the ball carrier)
The speed and quality of passing and combination play become crucial for the team in possession to evade man-marking and opponent pressure

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