Finishing
Open Up and Shoot, then One-Two and Finish (Man Utd)
Finish from the two services a striker gets most: a ball played back at an angle on the edge of the box, and a return pass after a one-two. Know where you are in relation to the goal and the keeper, pick the technique, and hit the target area the coach calls.
Live animation
Duration
15 min
Total drill time
Players
4
Recommended
Pitch
32 × 56 m
Setup space
Level
Intermediate
Skill required
Intensity
Medium
Physical demand
Age band
U11-U12
Any format
Setup & instructions
Use the penalty area and 10 m outside it, a full goal with a keeper, and two mannequins in a line on the edge of the box, facing out like a back line: one left of centre, one just right of it. Hang four different coloured bibs in the corners of the goal. Coach 1 stands wide on the left, just inside the line of the box, with a pile of balls; coach 2 stands wide on the right, a little deeper. A starts tight to the left mannequin, the forward stands between the two mannequins, level with them so he is onside and B starts about 6 m outside the box. A drops back and out from his mannequin and curves round; coach 1 plays the ball back at an angle and A runs forward onto it, opens up and shoots first time. Then coach 2 plays it back at an angle to B, who plays it first time into the forward, runs beyond him into the box and finishes the return with one touch. Before each shot a coach calls a bib colour: that is the corner to hit. Rotate after every rep: A becomes B, B becomes the forward and the forward becomes A.
Setup time: 5 min
Tactical breakdown
This practice comes from René Meulensteen's book on his years at Manchester United, where it is sourced to his sessions at Carrington between 2007 and 2013. It is one of a set of finishing practices he used to make players more aware of where they are, and it packs two of a striker's most common chances into one rep.
The first is a ball played back at an angle to a player on the edge of the box. A starts tight to a mannequin, as if marked, and has to come off it to make the space to shoot: he drops back and out, curves round, and runs forward onto the ball. The work is done before the ball arrives: open the body to the goal, so the first touch can be the shot, and set yourself for a one or two touch finish.
The second is a combination. B takes the angled ball from the second coach, plays it into the forward and goes straight past him into the box. The forward returns it first time into the run, and B finishes with one touch, using the laces or the instep. The run is what makes it work: a player who stops to watch his pass arrives late and has to take a touch.
Before each shot, a coach can call one of the bib colours hung in the corners of the goal, and that corner is the target. It turns a shooting drill into a finishing drill, because the player has to pick a spot rather than hit it hard. Meulensteen divides the area in front of goal into shooting zones (the centre, wide of centre and wide) and wants his players to know which one they are in and where the keeper is, because the goal stays where it is and the keeper moves.
Rotate after every rep, so everyone shoots from both services and takes a turn as the forward.
How to run this drill
- Set up the box. A full goal and keeper, two mannequins, four coloured bibs hung in the corners of the goal, and a coach with balls wide of the box on each side.
- Open up and shoot. Coach 1 plays the ball back at an angle. A comes off the mannequin on the edge of the box, opens up and shoots first time.
- Play the one-two. Coach 2 plays the ball back at an angle to B outside the box. B plays into the forward and runs beyond him into the box.
- Finish with one touch. The forward returns it first time into B's run, and B finishes with one touch using the laces or the instep.
- Call the corner. Before each shot a coach calls a bib colour, and the shooter aims for that corner of the goal.
- Rotate. After every rep A becomes B, B becomes the forward and the forward becomes A. Run it for about 15 minutes.
Coaching focus
FROM SESSION PLANCoaching points
- A: come off the mannequin and set yourself for a one or two touch finish
- A: curve your run so you arrive moving forward onto the ball, not standing still
- A: open your body to the goal as the ball arrives, so the first touch can be the shot
- B: strike with the laces or the instep, one touch
- B: pass into the forward and go straight away, beyond him and into the box
- Forward: return it first time, into B's run, not to his feet
- Know which shooting zone you are in (centre, wide of centre, wide) and where the keeper is
- Pick the target before the ball arrives: the called corner, low and across the keeper by default
Common mistakes
- A waiting beside the mannequin instead of coming off it to make space
- A shut off from the goal as the ball arrives, so the first touch has to turn
- B admiring the pass into the forward instead of running beyond him
- The forward's return played to B's feet, which stops the run
- Leaning back and blasting it over instead of hitting the called corner
Progressions & regressions
VARIATIONSProgressions
- The coach calls the colour late, as the ball is played
- A passive blocker who steps across the shot
- Both coaches serve almost together, so the keeper has to reset quickly
- Swap sides so both feet finish
Regressions
- A takes two touches: set, then shoot
- No colour call: just hit the target
- The forward plays the return with two touches
- Closer to goal, with B starting on the edge of the box
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