56: Grow Coach Newsletter
Football Coaches: Develop your Coaching Craft.
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Here is What to Expect:
Coaching Craft: Playing in a Low Block
Full 60-Minute Practice: 3 x practices to work on defending in a low block
“When you work as a team, when you stay compact and united, even the most talented opposition finds it difficult to break you down.” - Diego Simeone
Frustrate, Deny, Counter: Coaching the Low Block
What is a Low Block?
A low block is a defensive strategy where a team positions itself deep in its defensive third, staying compact and organized to limit space for the attacking team. This setup prioritises defending the goal and controlling dangerous central areas while forcing the opposition to play in less threatening wide zones.
Why Do Teams Deploy a Low Block?
Against Stronger Opponents: To neutralize the attacking strengths of a superior team by denying them space to create chances.
Protecting a Lead: To preserve a scoreline by reducing risk and minimizing defensive exposure.
Utilising Counterattacks: By drawing the opponent forward, a low block creates space to exploit on the counter.
Lack of Possession: When a team is outmatched in ball retention, a low block helps them stay organized without the ball.
Key Coaching Points for Low Block Defending
Individual Defending
Positioning
Stay goal-side of your opponent to block passing lanes and deny access to dangerous areas. Use body positioning to direct attackers away from the goal or into support zones.
Anticipation and Scanning
Constantly check your surroundings for runners and anticipate passes to intercept. Read the attacker’s body language and the movement of the ball.
Discipline and Patience
Avoid diving into challenges unnecessarily; delay attackers and force them into less threatening decisions. Focus on timing when stepping out to press or block a shot.
Communication
Verbally coordinate with nearby teammates, giving cues like “shift,” “drop,” or “step.”
Collective Defending Coaching Points
Compactness
Maintain minimal space between the defensive and midfield lines to deny passing options. Stay horizontally tight to prevent the opponent from playing through gaps.
Shifting as a Unit
Move together as a team to cover the ball side while remaining balanced on the weak side. Keep a connected shape that adjusts to the opponent’s ball movement.
Forcing Play Wide
Funnel the ball into wide areas where it is less dangerous and easier to defend crosses.
Coordination When Pressing
Only press when triggers are met, such as a poor touch or a backward pass. To maintain structure, ensure that teammates support pressing.
Protecting Key Areas
Focus on defending the central zone in front of the penalty area. Crowd the box when the ball enters dangerous areas, ensuring sufficient coverage for crosses or cutbacks.
7 Tactical Considerations for Low Block Dominance
Formation and Shape
Common Formations: A low block is often implemented using formations like 4-4-2, 4-5-1, or 5-4-1, which naturally provide defensive balance and cover key areas.
Flexibility Within the Shape: While staying compact, players must be prepared to adjust their positions based on the ball’s location and the opponent’s movements. For instance, a wide midfielder may need to drop deeper to create a back five temporarily.
Control of Key Zones
Central Protection: Prioritize defending central spaces, particularly in front of the penalty area (the “golden zone”) where most high-quality chances are created.
Wide Areas: Use the touchline as an extra defender by guiding play into wide zones, where multiple defenders can contest crosses and attacks.
Shifting and Balancing
Ball-Side Overload: Shift as a unit toward the ball side to prevent overloads and deny the opponent space to combine effectively.
Weak-Side Awareness: Maintain discipline on the weak side by keeping players in position to intercept diagonal switches or second balls.
Pressing and Triggers
Pressing in a low block is selective and must be coordinated to avoid compromising the shape.
Primary Triggers:
A heavy touch or slow decision by an opponent.
A back pass, especially to a defender under pressure.
Isolation of an attacker without nearby support.
Pressing Zones: Decide where to engage the opponent. For example, pressing high in wide areas can trap the opposition against the touchline, while central pressing must be deliberate and supported.
Managing Transitions
Defensive Transition: When losing possession, ensure immediate recovery runs to restore the low block shape. Players must focus on delaying the opposition while teammates regroup.
Offensive Transition: Plan quick counterattacks when the ball is regained. Identify players with pace or ball-carrying ability to exploit spaces left by the attacking team. Assign outlets for quick, forward passes.
Reading the Opponent
Strengths and Weaknesses: Adapt the low block to neutralize the opponent’s strengths. For example, against a team with creative midfielders, prioritize screening passing lanes into central areas. Against a team reliant on crosses, strengthen the backline’s aerial presence.
Patterns of Play: Observe and anticipate the opposition’s build-up patterns. If they favour wide play, ensure full-backs and wide midfielders are prepared to double up on wingers.
Game State and Context
Protecting a Lead: Use the low block to frustrate the opponent and run down the clock. Encourage players to remain calm and focus on defensive fundamentals.
Chasing a Result: Be prepared to transition out of the low block if a goal is needed while maintaining defensive stability. This might involve pushing a midfielder forward during counterattacks.
6 Questions to Test Player Understanding
Use these questions to test the player’s knowledge and understanding of implementing the low block.
For Individuals
Are you consistently staying goal-side and making it difficult for your opponent to progress?
Are you using your body position to direct play away from danger?
For the Team
Are we maintaining compactness and shifting together to cover spaces effectively?
Are we identifying and reacting to pressing triggers in a coordinated way?
On Triggers
Do you recognise situations where the opponent is vulnerable, such as poor touches or backward passes?
Are you pressing in unison with teammates, or are you leaving gaps in the structure?
Final Thoughts:
The low block is much more than simply parking the bus—it’s a calculated and disciplined defensive strategy that requires both mental and physical commitment. Success in a low block hinges on clear communication, unwavering organization, and the ability to anticipate and respond to the opposition’s actions.
For players, the challenge is to remain patient, recognise pressing triggers, and take pride in defensive responsibility. For coaches, the key is to prepare the team tactically and instil a collective understanding of roles and responsibilities.
Ultimately, the low block is not just about defence; it’s also a platform for effective transitions and counterattacks, turning defensive solidity into offensive opportunities. By teaching players to embrace the principles of compactness, discipline, and teamwork, the low block becomes a formidable weapon in any team’s tactical arsenal.
“Good defending isn’t about chasing the ball; it’s about positioning, anticipation, and working as one collective unit.” - Arrigo Sacchi
Full Practice: Low Block Defending
6v6 | Low Block Defending | Defence vs Attack
⚽️ Created On: @SSPlanner
Aim:
Work with the backline on low-block tactics and protecting a lead.
Set-Up:
On half a pitch set up the field space as shown above. A large goal and a penalty box for the defending team is ideal.
Place 3 x mini goals within the width of the box opposite the larger goal, then create a shaded zone (orange) for 1 attacker.
Teams: ⚫️s vs 🔴s plus 🟢 (Gk).
How to Play:
⚫️s start the attack centrally, they must beat the low block to create scoring chances on the large goal. ⚫️s must keep one player in the orange-shaded zone who is responsible for screening the mini-goals.
🔴s win back the ball and score in any of the three mini-goals from anywhere on the pitch.
If the ⚫️ in the shaded orange zone intercepts the ball they can step onto the pitch and join in to cause further problems for the 🔴s.
🚧 Constraints:
🏆Reward: A play-out ball for the 🔴s for successfully defending 3 balls.
👨🏫 Review: Positioning, shape and communication of the defenders.
🚫 Restriction: ⚫️s lose one player to 🔴s for achieving 6 minutes of defending without conceding a goal.
8v7 | Half Pitch Practice | Low Block Block Defending
⚽️ Created On: @SSPlanner
Aim:
Defending a half pitch in a low block formation.
Set-Up:
On half a pitch set up the field space as shown above. A large goal and a penalty box for the defending team is ideal.
Place 2 x mini goals in line with the corners of the box. Cone off the top corners of the half as shown by the dashed orange lines.
Teams: ⚫️s vs 🔴s plus 🟢 (Gk).
How to Play:
IN Possession Team:
⚫️s score in the large goal and defending the two mini goals and outer dashed lines.
OUT of Possession Team:
🚨 🔴s score in either mini goal or by dribbling the ball beyond the orange dashed lines between the mini-goal and sideline.
🚧 Constraints:
🏆Reward: 🔴s goals for each 4 minutes of defending without conceding a goal.
👨🏫 Review: Individual and collective defending at various pitch locations.
🚫 Restriction: Touch limits on the attacking team inside of the box.
7v7 | Low Block Defending Game
⚽️ Created On: @SSPlanner
Aim:
Defending as a low-block
Set-Up:
On half a pitch bring in the lines of the field by around 5 yards and create a shaded zone (Orange) centrally as shown above.
Each team defends a large goal
Teams: ⚫️s vs 🔴s plus 🟢 (Gks).
How to Play:
The 🔴s attack first and try to score. The ⚫️s are defending and countering.
Each team defends 4 balls consecutively. The defending team must keep one player in the orange-shaded zone as an out ball to play off if they regain possession.
The ⚫️s are defending first so they have one player fixed in the orange zone, this player is unlocked and free to roam as soon as the ball is received and they connect a pass.
When the ⚫️s win the ball and play off their target player the game opens up and everyone is free to roam anywhere until the game comes to a natural end.
🚧 Constraints:
🏆Reward: Bonus ball to the attacking team if they score a goal within their 4 attacks
👨🏫 Review: Compactness of the defending team to protect the central space.
🚫 Restriction: Limit the defending team's counterattacks to 10 seconds. They must score upon a regain or the game restarts back with the attacking team.
“The defensive organization is not about putting players behind the ball. It’s about controlling spaces, being compact, and knowing when to press and when to wait." - José Mourinho
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