Possession
5v3 into 5v4: Building Centrally from the Keeper
Play out centrally from the keeper under pressure: centre-backs stretch the pitch and step in with the ball, midfielders stay staggered and find space between the pressers, and the team reads the type of press and reacts, switching play when the pressers go player-to-player.
Duration
20 min
Total drill time
Players
10
Recommended
Pitch
Full Pitch
Setup space
Level
Intermediate
Skill required
Intensity
High
Physical demand
Age band
U13-U14
5v5
Setup & instructions
Use the penalty area and mark a box of the same size in front of it, so the area is about 40 m wide and 33 m deep. Put two small goals on the far corners, angled to face into the area. The builders are a keeper, two centre-backs and two central midfielders, playing out from the full goal. Three pressers start outside the penalty area and may not come in until the keeper passes to a centre-back. The builders score in either small goal; if a presser wins the ball, the pressers can score in the full goal. A server beside the goal with a supply of balls feeds the keeper to restart every attack, and the coach can now and then give the ball to the pressers to start. After a few minutes add a fourth presser to make it 5v4. Have the pressers go player-to-player first, then switch to a half-press that uses cover shadows to force the ball into an area with fewer options.
Setup time: 5 min
Tactical breakdown
This game is the last step in a session on playing out centrally. The earlier steps drill the pieces on their own: a centre-back stepping past a striker, and a centre-back finding a midfielder either side of a screening striker. Here they come together in a small game in front of goal.
The builders are a keeper, two centre-backs and two central midfielders. It starts as 5v3 so they can get the ball through and build confidence, and the pressers may not enter the box until the keeper has passed to a centre-back. The first rep in the animation is the textbook sequence. The right centre-back drops off wide to take the keeper's pass, carries at the near presser to draw them, and plays vertical into a midfielder coming short between the pressers. That midfielder is closed from behind, so plays wide first time to the other midfielder, who dribbles on and scores in the small goal on that side.
Then a fourth presser joins, and the game becomes 5v4. With the pressers player-to-player, every outfield builder has a marker and the keeper is the free player. The second rep uses that: the left centre-back plays back to the keeper, the right centre-back has stretched wide, and the keeper switches it across to the free side. The right midfielder checks inside to pull the marker, spins out wide, takes the pass up the line on the run and scores.
The third rep shows the half-press and the most common mistake against it. The pressers curve their runs to cut the way back to the keeper and steer the ball wide. The left midfielder drops level with the centre-backs, receives square with nowhere to go, and is tackled on the turn. The pressers score in the full goal before the builders can recover. Staggered midfielders, centre-backs who stretch the pitch, and a team that reads which press it is facing are what make the build-up work.
How to run this drill
- Mark the area. Use the penalty area and mark a box of the same size in front of it, about 40 x 33 m. Put two small goals on the far corners, angled in.
- Set the teams. Builders: keeper, two centre-backs, two central midfielders. Three pressers start outside the penalty area. A server with balls stands beside the goal.
- Start from the keeper. The server feeds the keeper. The pressers can only enter the box once the keeper has passed to a centre-back.
- Score and counter. Builders score in either small goal. If a presser wins it, the pressers attack the full goal.
- Make it 5v4. Add a fourth presser. Have the pressers go player-to-player, then switch to a half-press using cover shadows.
Coaching focus
FROM SESSION PLANCoaching points
- First touch, and the weight and angle of every pass, set up the next action
- Move off the ball to make space to receive: check one way, spin the other
- Centre-backs: stretch the pitch wide to open up the gaps
- Centre-backs: when a presser holds off, carry into the space to draw them
- Midfielders: never level with the centre-backs, stay staggered between the pressers
- Receive on the half-turn so you can play forward
- Read the press: against player-to-player, the keeper is the free player, stretch and switch
Common mistakes
- A midfielder dropping level with the centre-backs, making a flat line that is easy to press
- Centre-backs staying narrow, so one presser can cover both
- Passing straight away when a presser has held off and there is space to carry
- Receiving square-on with the back to play, then getting tackled on the turn
- Against player-to-player, keeping it on one side instead of using the keeper to switch
Progressions & regressions
VARIATIONSProgressions
- Add a fourth presser to make it 5v4
- Pressers go player-to-player, so the builders must stretch the pitch and switch
- Pressers switch to a half-press, using cover shadows to force the ball wide
- Two-touch limit for the centre-backs
Regressions
- Keep it 5v3 until the build-up flows
- Pressers press without tackling until the first pass into a midfielder
- Widen the far box by 5 m each side to buy time on the ball
- Let the builders score by dribbling over the far line as well as in the small goals
Explore more drills
LIBRARYReady to run this drill?
Save it to your private drills, then change the animation, adjust positions, swap equipment, or drop it into a session block. Or start from a blank pitch and build your own.