Gafferbook
Patterns of play ยท U9 to U11

7v7 2-3-1: wide player and defender rotation

In 7v7 the wide midfielder and the defender behind them swap: one drops to receive, the other runs past. A simple rotation that unlocks the 2-3-1 down the sides.

U9 to U11Ages
6 to 10 plus a keeperPlayers
Half a 7v7 pitchArea
15 minsTime

Your assistant coach: turn this drill into a full session, plan the weeks around it and tell me how it went.

โž• Put it in tonight's session๐Ÿ—“ Build my season around itโœ๏ธ Make my own version

Set-up

  • Defender (with balls), wide midfielder and striker on one side.
  • Keeper in goal; a cone defender for the wide player.

Equipment: Cones, balls, goal

How it works

  1. Wide midfielder drops towards the defender and gets the ball.
  2. Defender runs past on the outside.
  3. Wide midfielder plays them in; defender crosses or cuts it back to the striker.
  4. Next go: swap roles.

Coaching points

  • Drop to make space, not just to get the ball.
  • Run in a curve so you stay onside and get round the defender.
  • Cut-backs to the edge of the box work better than high crosses at this age.

Formations this drill suits

2-3-1 (7v7) drills3-2-1 (7v7) drills2-1-2-1 (7v7) drills3-2-3 (9v9) drills

Coaches use this for

Add this drill to a session plan โ†’

Make it easier

  • No defender

Make it harder

  • Live defender
  • Add a second defender who tracks the runner

AttackersDefendersKeeper / neutral- - โ†’ Passโ†’ Runใ€ฐโ†’ Dribble

Questions about this drill?

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