Counter-press: win it back in five seconds

Setup

1. Mark a 50 × 40 m pitch with a goal and keeper at each end.
2. Two teams of six in a 2-3-1 or 3-2-1. Spare balls in both goals and with the coach on halfway.

How it runs

1. Normal 6v6. When a team loses the ball, the coach counts five out loud.
2. Win it back inside five seconds and score within 10 more and the goal counts three. The team that won it scores a point with five passes or a pass over halfway.
3. 4 × 4 min, 2 min rest. Keep the same teams so players learn each other's distances.

Coaching points

• The player who lost it presses at once from the side they came from, blocking the receiver's way forward.
• The next two close the nearest passing lanes, not the ball. The furthest players squeeze up so the area stays small.
• Prepare in possession: keep two behind the ball and short distances, so someone is close enough to press when you lose it.
• If the first five seconds don't win it or force a long ball, stop and drop into shape. Press together or not at all.

Common mistakes

• The player who lost it stops to complain while the receiver plays out.
• Everyone runs at the ball and the switch is free.
• The team is stretched in possession, so nobody is close enough to press.