Breaking lines: playing between the units

Setup

1. Mark 45 × 30 m in three zones: 10 m, 25 m, 10 m.
2. Zone 1: four builders against two pressers. Middle: two attacking midfielders behind two screening defenders.
3. Zone 3: two targets, each with a marker behind them. Coach on the side with the balls.

How it runs

1. Builders keep it 4v2 and look for a pass through both defending pairs into a midfielder: one point. Midfielder on to a target: two more.
2. A pass straight from zone 1 to zone 3 counts one. Defenders who win it play to the coach for a point.
3. Coach restarts in zone 1. 4 × 5 min, 90 s rest; rotate one pair each block.

Coaching points

• Midfielders stand in the gaps behind the screening pair, at different heights, never level with each other.
• Move into the lane as the passer looks up, not before, and arrive half-turned with the body open to the far zone.
• Builders move the ball quickly to shift the pressers, then play forward the moment the gap opens. Firm, to the far foot.
• Scan twice before receiving, once for the defender behind and once for the target. If the defender follows tight, set back first time.

Common mistakes

• Midfielders hide behind a defender and wait for the ball.
• Builders pass sideways and miss the moment the gap opens.
• The pass is soft or to the near foot, so the midfielder can't turn.