Compact Back Line: Defending Space and Depth as a Unit
Develop a collective understanding of back four defensive movement, emphasising vertical and horizontal compactness to protect central spaces, defend the box, and reduce gaps between units.
Pitch Setup
Setup
- ✓Set up an 11v11 or 10v10 scenario across the full width of the pitch or cone off a narrower pitch.
- ✓Using cones, mark out a defensive “compactness zone” near the penalty areas. These zones can be mismatched as per the diagram. This is to help defenders understand they have to get more and more compact the closer they get to their goal.
This is the start of the setup. The full session, the coaching points, and the complete diagram are in the Session Library.
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