Width and the Cross: U13-U15 (80 Min)
An eighty minute session for under-13s to under-15s on attacking from wide areas, now that heading is legal and the aerial cross is a real weapon again. Players learn to recognise a crowded middle as the cue to go wide, to deliver the two crosses that actually score, the cutback and the early ball to the back post, and to fill the box properly so that near post, far post, centre and the edge are all attacked by somebody arriving on time.
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Objective: Warm up on the wide combination itself
Coach note: Keep it flowing rather than perfect and get both flanks working, since a team with only one crossing side is half a team. The habit to start here is reaching the byline before looking up, which carries straight into the crossing blocks.
passing · 4 players
Both flanks. Reach the byline before looking up, that habit carries into the crosses.
Open full drillObjective: Deliver the cutback and the back-post ball, and attack them
Coach note: The early ball to the back post is the delivery most youth teams never try, because they are trained to get to the byline first, and it is precisely the one that beats a back line set up for a byline cross. Coach it as a genuine alternative, not a mistake. On the header, the fault at this age is passivity, waiting under the ball rather than attacking it, so coach the run that meets the ball in front of the defender. Heading is legal from under-13 and this is the band where it becomes a real finishing option, so it is worth the time. Water break between the two activities.
crossing · 3 players
Driven, early, to the back post. Frame it as the ball that beats a byline-set defence.
Open full drillheading · 3 players
Attack it in front of the marker. Passivity under the ball is the fault to fix.
Open full drillObjective: Beat the full-back to deliver, and occupy the box properly
Coach note: The overlap has to be committed or the defender ignores it, so insist the runner goes properly, which also gives the crosser a genuine choice of deliverer. On box occupation, the whole point is that every area is covered, near post, far post, central and the edge, because a defence can only pick up what arrives and a bunched attack marks itself. The runs are staggered rather than simultaneous: the near-post run drags a defender and the far-post run exploits the space behind him. A big box presence wins the rebound too, so nobody drifts out once the cross is in. Water break between the two activities.
crossing · 5 players
The overlap must be committed. It also gives the crosser a real choice of who delivers.
Open full drillcrossing · 7 players
Near, far, central, edge. Staggered runs, and nobody drifts out, the rebound is yours too.
Open full drillObjective: Use width in a real game, and fill the box every time
Coach note: Doubling a goal from a cross does the coaching for you, since it makes the width worth using without anyone being positioned on a touchline. Watch for the single most common fault, which is a good cross arriving to an empty or one-man box, and name it, because the delivery is wasted without the arrivals. Coach the recognition too: they should go wide when the middle is crowded, not at random. Remove the condition for the final few minutes and see whether they still use the width and still fill the box when nothing forces them to. Short games, rotate teams, no eliminations.
crossing · 6 players
Goal from a cross counts double. Name the wasted cross into an empty box every time it happens.
Open full drillObjective: End calmly and fix the box picture
Coach note: Keep this short and be honest about why it exists. Cool-down research in adults shows no effect on soreness or next-day performance and there is no children's evidence at all, so this block is here for ritual and reflection. Ask them to name the areas of the box that should be attacked on a cross. If they can list near, far, central and edge, they have a picture they can reproduce on Saturday without you calling it out.
conditioning · 4 players
Relaxed and brief. The conversation matters more than the movement.
Open full drillSession philosophy
The theme, the principles, and the outcomes you should see in players by the final whistle.
Session theme
Using width and attacking the cross
Session day type: training
Key principles
- Crowded middle is the signal to go wide
- Two crosses matter: the cutback and the ball to the back post
- Attack every area of the box, not just the near post
- Time the run, too early is as useless as too late
Learning outcomes
- Players recognise congestion in central areas as the cue to switch it wide
- Players deliver a cutback near the byline and an early ball to the back post
- Runners occupy different areas of the box rather than crowding one
- Players time runs to arrive with the cross rather than before it
Related session plans
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