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Home/Training Drills/Rondo Drills/5v2 With a Man in the Middle
RondoIntermediate

5v2 With a Man in the Middle

Train receiving and playing under pressure from inside the defensive block, and train the outside players to recognise when the pivot is on and when to circulate around instead.

Create your own drill
Live animationRON
Duration
12 min
Total drill time
Players
7
Recommended
Pitch
Full Pitch
Setup space
Level
Intermediate
Skill required
Intensity
Medium
Physical demand
Age band
U13-U14
Any format

Setup & instructions

Mark a 12x12m square. Four players on the edges, two defenders inside, one attacker in the middle with them. The edges keep the ball and look to play into the pivot whenever he can be found; he plays it back out first time, ideally to a different side from the one it came from. If the pivot is covered, switch round the outside instead. Two touch on the edges, one touch for the pivot. Rotate the pivot and the defenders every two minutes.

Setup time: 1 min

Tactical breakdown

The ordinary 5v2 is a comfortable exercise. Five players sit around a square, two chase, and the attackers can always see everything in front of them because the ball never has to travel through the defenders. It builds passing rhythm and very little else.

Moving one attacker inside changes what is being trained. That player now receives in the same space the defenders occupy, which means facing his own goal, feeling contact he cannot see, and making a decision before the ball arrives because he will not get time afterwards. That is the situation a central midfielder lives in and it is almost impossible to recreate without deliberately putting somebody there.

The outside players get a harder job too, though it looks easier. They now have two options rather than one: round the edge, or through the middle. Feeding a covered pivot is worse than not trying, so they have to read whether he has actually found a gap between the two defenders or is simply standing in the square. Most players default to one habit or the other, either never looking inside or forcing it every time, and correcting that is most of the coaching here.

The rule that the pivot returns the ball to a different side is what stops the exercise going stale. A bounce straight back where it came from has moved the defenders nowhere and gained nothing. Playing it out to the opposite edge means the two defenders have been genuinely bypassed, which is the entire reason a team plays through a pivot rather than around him.

How to run this drill

  1. Show across the defender, not behind him. A pivot hidden directly behind a defender can never be passed to. Half a metre across his shoulder is the difference between being an option and being a spectator.
  2. Pass into the back foot. The pivot has pressure he cannot see. Playing into his far foot lets him turn away from it; playing into the near foot turns him straight into the defender.
  3. Return it to a different side. Bouncing the ball back where it came from moves the defenders nowhere. Playing out to the opposite edge is what actually bypasses them.
  4. Read whether the pivot is genuinely free. Forcing the ball into a marked pivot gives possession away and teaches him to stop showing. If he is covered, the switch round the outside is the right answer.
  5. Slide along your line. Edge players who stand still offer one angle all session. Moving a few metres as the ball travels creates the passing line that was not there a second ago.
  6. Press as a pair. One defender goes to the ball and the other cuts the pass inside. Two defenders chasing the same ball leaves the pivot free every time.

Coaching focus

FROM SESSION PLAN

Coaching points

  • Pivot shows across a defender, not behind him
  • Play into the pivot's back foot so he can turn away from pressure
  • Pivot returns it to a different side than it came from
  • Edges move along their line to open a passing angle
  • If the pivot is covered, switch it quickly rather than forcing the pass
  • Defenders press as a pair: one to the ball, one cutting the pivot

Common mistakes

  • Pivot standing still behind a defender where he can never be found
  • Feeding the pivot when he is marked, which just gifts possession
  • Returning the ball to the side it came from, so nothing has been gained
  • Edges rooted to a spot instead of sliding to create the angle

Progressions & regressions

VARIATIONS

Progressions

  • Pivot must turn and play forward rather than bounce it back
  • Count a pass in and out through the pivot as two
  • One touch on the edges as well

Regressions

  • Remove one defender and play 5v1 while the roles are learned
  • Unlimited touches for the pivot
  • Grow the square to 15x15m so the pivot has more room to show
Equipment
Cones×4
Tactical principles
5v2 rondorondo with a pivotrondo drill footballplaying through the lines drillreceiving under pressure drillhalf turn receiving drillpossession drill footballu13 rondocentral midfielder drillbounce pass rondo
Audience
U13-U14

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All Rondo drillsAll drill collectionsRondo for U13-U14

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