CENTRAL

COMBINATION
PLAY 2
AG E P H AS E : U 1 7 +
SESSION PLAN
SESSION OVERVIEW CENTRAL COMBINATION PLAY

LEVEL • Again, there is significance placed on the positioning KEY

of players on the shoulder, in order to open forward
• U17-First team passing opportunities. Ball movement
• Some of the roles of the attacking players become more
defined during this practice. Player movement
SESSION OBJECTIVES • Approximate pitch size: 30m x 45m. without the ball

To develop a team’s ability to combine in central areas by: Player movement

• Developing players’ understanding of how their position
can create opportunities to combine centrally.
• Developing players’ understanding of different types
of passes to play in order to create opportunities to
combine centrally.
PART 1: 3v3(+2) TRANSFER RONDO
• This rondo will introduce some of the basic concepts
that will be visited throughout the session, including
movement and positioning.
• One team of three and two neutral players attempt to
combine to work the ball through a defending team of
three players.
• Approximate pitch size: 15m x 25m.
PART 3: 8v8(+GK) ATTACK v DEFENCE with the ball
• This is another position-specific practice, with a high
level of detail around player positioning and the
movement of attacking players in order to create more
Players
space for combinations to occur.
• This is also the most challenging practice, as spaces for
combinations are limited by the defending team having
an equal number of players to the attacking team. Cones
• The attacking team is set up in a 2-3-3 shape, against a
defending team set up in a 1-4-4 formation.
Flat marker
• The game is played on half of a full-sized pitch split into
five vertical lanes.
Cones with
flat marker

PART 2: 6v5(+GK) POSITION-SPECIFIC Goal

ZONED GAME
• This is a position-specific game, with the emphasis Mini-goal
on combining in central areas to create goalscoring
chances.
• An attacking team of six is set up in a 2-3-1 shape, and
attemptes to combine against a defending team set Mannequin Pole
up in a 1-1-3-1 shape. The defending team players are
restricted to their specific zones.
Football

AGE PHASE: U17+

3v3(+2) TRANSFER RONDO CENTRAL COMBINATION PLAY

FUNCTION N N

• This is a transfer rondo, working on combinations for 1 2

playing through the defenders.
• The pitch is 15m wide x 25m long: the end playing areas A
B
are 15m x 10m, the middle zone is 15m x 5m. B A
• The in-possession team – Team A in the diagrams –
has two players on the outside and one playing in the B
middle zone. The defending team – here, Team B – has
two defending the area where the ball is and one in the
opposite end zone. Two neutral players (N) are placed
on the end lines of the pitch. A A
• The ball starts with one of the neutral players.
Diagram 1 shows an example of how the ball can be
transferred to the opposite half. Whenever the ball splits
the two defenders, the transfer can take place.
B
• Once the ball is transferred, the two wide attackers
A B B A
support the ball in the opposite half. One Team B
defender also joins the defender in the opposite half.
• Diagram 2 shows the team in possession losing the ball.
The defending team must then quickly transfer it to the
neutral player at the opposite end of the pitch.
• If they do so, the teams reverse roles – Team B becomes N N
the possession team and their players move to the
outside and middle zone, while Team A takes up the
positions of the defensive team.

DEVELOPING THE PRACTICE

• The coach can limit the number of touches the players
can have in order to increase the tempo of the ball.
• Add goals behind the target neutral players, so when
the defenders win the ball they can score quickly. A new
ball is then served in to start the practice again.

AGE PHASE: U17+

3v3(+2) TRANSFER RONDO CENTRAL COMBINATION PLAY

COACHING DETAIL: TECHNICAL

BOUNCE PASSES TO OPEN UP SPLIT PASSES
• Players can start to identify when to use bounce passes
to other players in the end zone in order to entice the
opposition into pressing.
• Once the pass comes back to the player who originally
played the pass, they should be looking to split through
the two defenders, who should be out of position.

CHANGING THE TEMPO

• The players should be encouraged to change the tempo
of the practice.
• At times, they can slow the tempo to draw the
opponents in to press. Once this happens, the tempo
needs to quicken in order to take advantage of the
player who has been drawn in.

WEIGHT OF PASS
• Weight of pass will need to alter throughout the
practice. Slower passes can be used to encourage
defenders to press, with firm passes then used to split
defenders when the opportunity arises.

POSITIONING ON PLAYERS’ SHOULDERS

• The in-possession team should attempt to play on
the shoulder of the defenders.
• This will allow them to receive with their back foot and
then play forward, or it can create space between the
defenders for another player to perform a split pass.

AGE PHASE: U17+

6v5(+GK) POSITION-SPECIFIC ZONED GAME CENTRAL COMBINATION PLAY

FUNCTION
• This is a position-specific zoned game. The pitch is 30m 1 2
wide x 45m long, split into equal thirds. Two mini-goals
are placed at one end of the pitch, five metres in from
the touchlines, with a server positioned between them.
A full-sized goal is placed on the opposite end line.
• The in possession team – here, Team A – is made up of B B
two centre-backs, three midfielders and a striker. The
A A
defending team (Team B) is made up of a goalkeeper,
one defender, three midfielders and an attacker.
A B B B A A B B B A
• The ball starts with the in-possession team, who try to
advance through the thirds to score – an example of
this is shown in Diagram 1. This team’s players can move A A
freely between zones. The defending team’s players
are locked into their zones – one in the defending zone,
three in the middle zone and one in the attacking zone.
B A B A
• If the out-of-possession team manages to win A A
possession, they attempt to score quickly in one of the
mini-goals – as shown in Diagram 2.

DEVELOPING THE PRACTICE C C

• The coach can progress the practice by introducing

a rule that prevents the ball being played higher than
knee height, to encourage combinations on the floor.
• They can also allow defenders to move freely between
the zones to increase the difficulty for the possession
team.

AGE PHASE: U17+

6v5(+GK) POSITION-SPECIFIC ZONED GAME CENTRAL COMBINATION PLAY

COACHING DETAIL: COACHING DETAIL:

IN POSSESSION
BOUNCE PASSES TO OPEN UP SPLIT PASSES
• Players can start to identify when to use bounce passes
to other players in the end zone in order to entice the
opposition into pressing.
• Once the pass comes back to the player who originally
played the pass, they should be looking to split through
the two defenders, who should be out of position.
MANAGING THE OPPOSITION
• The defending team should be encouraged to defend
to protect the middle of the pitch.
• Players should be encouraged to close spaces between
each other. This will challenge the in-possession team to
find ways to break through central areas.

CHANGING THE TEMPO

• The players should be encouraged to change the tempo
of the practice.
• At times, they can slow the tempo to draw the
opponents in to press. Once this happens, the tempo
needs to quicken in order to take advantage of the
player who has been drawn in.

DISGUISED PASSING
• When attempting to combine, the attacking players
should be encouraged to play disguised passes to
outwit opposition defenders.
• This will mean the defenders are unable to anticipate
passes, which will allow the receiving player more time
on the ball.
• Shaping their body to play one way and playing a pass
in the opposite direction with a change of body shape
at the last moment will enable disguised passing.

POSITIONING ON PLAYERS’ SHOULDERS

• The in-possession team should attempt to play on
the shoulder of the defenders.
• This will allow them to receive with their back foot and
then play forward, or it can create space between the
defenders for another player to perform a split pass.

AGE PHASE: U17+

8v8(+GK) ATTACK v DEFENCE CENTRAL COMBINATION PLAY

FUNCTION
• This is a position-specific attack v defence practice that 1
A7
takes place on one half of a full-sized pitch. 1
• The pitch is split into five vertical lanes, marked using
the width of the 18-yard and 6-yard boxes.
• At one end of the pitch is a full-sized goal; at the other
end there are two mini-goals placed in marked ‘dead 2 B11
B3
A8
zones’ into which no attackers can go.
• The in-possession team – here, Team A – is set up in a A6
2-3-3 shape made up of two centre-backs, three central 3
midfielders and three attackers. The out-of-possession B6
team – Team B – is made up of a back four and midfield
four, plus a goalkeeper. A9
B8
C
• The ball starts with the coach who serves into either
A4
Team A centre-back. The attacking team’s aim it to
combine in central areas and score past the goalkeeper
B5
– an example of this is shown in Diagram 1. B4
• If the defending team manages to win possession, they A5
attempt to score quickly either by passing to the server
A10
or scoring in one of the target mini-goals – as shown in B7
Diagram 2, on the next page. 4
B2

DEVELOPING THE PRACTICE 5 A11

• If the attacking team can score from a one-touch finish,

the goal is worth three points.

AGE PHASE: U17+

8v8(+GK) ATTACK v DEFENCE CENTRAL COMBINATION PLAY

2
A9
1

2 B11
B3
A8

A6
3
B6

B8
A9 C
A4

B5
B4
A5

A10
B7
4
B2

5 A11

AGE PHASE: U17+

8v8(+GK) ATTACK v DEFENCE CENTRAL COMBINATION PLAY

COACHING DETAIL: IN POSSESSION COACHING DETAIL:

POSITIONING ON PLAYERS’ SHOULDERS
• The higher midfielders (A8 and A10) should attempt
to play on the shoulders of the opposition midfielders,
normally in lanes 2 and 4.
• Clever positioning on the shoulder should allow passes
to be played to their back foot, which will allow them to
play forward and combine with the striker.
MANAGING THE OPPOSITION
• The defending team should be encouraged to defend in
a variety of ways during this game.
• Coaches can set challenges to make this happen.
Examples could be: Can we lock play wide and win
possession? Or can we stop them getting behind us?

STRIKER MOVING BETWEEN THE LINES

• With the two Team A midfielders playing on their
shoulder, the Team B midfielders, may be forced to
defend slightly wider than they would ideally like.
• This should create opportunities for the central striker
(A9) to move between the lines, receive forward passes
and combine with either of the higher midfielders.

RUNS BEHIND THE BACK LINE

• The Team A attackers should be encouraged to run in
behind the back line, which will increase the spaces
between the lines for combinations.
• It also allows opportunities for the in-possession team
to play passes behind the back line once they have
broken the opponents’ midfield line.

PLAYING THROUGH OR AROUND

• The emphasis is on central combination play, but the
way the opposition defends will have an influence on
whether there is space in central or wide areas.
• The attacking team should be encouraged to find
opportunities to play around if the defending team
remains narrow. Playing around may result in the
defending team become more stretched horizontally
across the pitch, thus creating opportunities to
complete central combinations.

AGE PHASE: U17+