Possession
Ten Passes, Run in Behind, Finish: 7v7 Possession Game
Keep the ball with purpose under pressure, then change tempo the moment the tenth pass lands: a well-timed run in behind, a weighted pass into space and a composed 1v1 finish.
Duration
20 min
Total drill time
Players
16
Recommended
Pitch
60 × 34 m
Setup space
Level
Intermediate
Skill required
Intensity
High
Physical demand
Age band
U11-U12
7v7
Setup & instructions
Mark a 60 x 34 m area: a 36 m central zone with a 12 m end zone at each end. Put two mini goals on each end line, 20 m apart, and a keeper in each end zone. Two teams of seven play in the central zone; each keeper is a spare man for their own team and defends the two mini goals behind them. The keeper starts with a ball. Both teams try to keep it in the central zone. Ten passes in a row, the keeper's included, earn the right to attack. Then one player runs in behind and a team-mate plays the ball into their path in the end zone. The zone line is an offside line: the runner may only cross it after the pass is played. Defenders may not follow the runner in, so it is 1v1 against the keeper, who has two goals to cover. Score in either mini goal. After the finish, the keeper takes the ball out of the net and restarts, and both teams count from zero. If the other team wins the ball, the count is gone and they start their own. If the keeper gets to the ball in behind first, the keeper plays straight out to their team.
Setup time: 6 min
Tactical breakdown
This game links two things teams often train apart: keeping the ball and breaking a line. Seven against seven play in a central zone, with a keeper and two mini goals in an end zone at each end. Ten passes in a row earn the right to attack, so possession has a purpose: it is how a team earns its chance.
The keepers make the shape work. In possession each keeper is a spare man behind their team, so a pressed player always has a pass back, and the keeper's pass counts. Out of possession the keeper defends two goals 20 m apart, can never cover both, and has to read the attacker.
The tenth pass is the trigger. One player runs in behind and a team-mate plays the ball into their path in the end zone. The zone line is an offside line, so the runner has to time the run off the last defender and cross only as the ball is played. Defenders may not follow, which turns every break into a clean 1v1: scan the keeper, then finish in the goal left open.
The progression adds the passer, who follows the pass into the end zone and makes it 2v1, so the attackers have a real decision: finish, square it, or draw the keeper and slip it into the free goal. If the defending team wins the ball, the count is gone and they start their own, so concentration matters as much as quality.
How to run this drill
- Mark the zones. A 36 x 34 m central zone with a 12 m end zone at each end, two mini goals 20 m apart on each end line, and a keeper in each end zone.
- Play 7v7 in the middle. Two teams of seven keep the ball in the central zone. Each keeper plays for their own team as a spare man.
- Ten passes to attack. Ten passes in a row, the keeper's included, earn the right to attack. Losing the ball resets the count.
- Run in behind. One player times a run off the last defender and a team-mate plays the ball into their path in the end zone. Defenders may not follow.
- Finish 1v1. The attacker reads the keeper and scores in either mini goal. The keeper restarts and both teams count from zero.
- Progress to 2v1. The passer follows the pass in, and the two attackers choose to finish, square it, or draw the keeper first.
Coaching focus
FROM SESSION PLANCoaching points
- In possession, keep moving to open passing angles: circulate with purpose, not just to count
- Use the keeper as the spare man when pressed: a pass back to the keeper still counts
- On the tenth pass, change tempo straight away: the runner goes and the ball goes
- Runner: stay level with the last defender until the pass is played, then attack the space
- Passer: weight the ball into space so the runner can take it in stride, not to feet
- Attacker: scan the keeper before the finish and go for the goal the keeper has left
- Keeper: come off your line to narrow the angle, and get to a heavy ball first
Common mistakes
- Circulating the ball slowly after ten passes, so the defence is set before the run
- The runner standing beyond the last defender, then waiting for the ball
- Playing the ball to the runner's feet instead of into space ahead
- The attacker shooting straight at the keeper instead of the goal left open
- Possession players bunching around the ball instead of staying wide
- Defenders following the runner into the end zone
Progressions & regressions
VARIATIONSProgressions
- 2v1: the passer follows the ball in, and the two attackers choose to finish, square it, or draw the keeper and slip it to the free goal
- Two touches maximum in the central zone
- One defender may chase back into the end zone, and the attacker has six seconds to score
- Only eight passes needed, but the run must start from the runner's own half of the central zone
Regressions
- Six passes in a row instead of ten
- Make the central zone wider for more time on the ball
- Add a neutral player who plays for the team in possession
- Unlimited touches
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.