Created using Tactics Manager ⚽️ Activity Outline Mark out a 40m x 30m area with a goal and a goalkeeper at one end, and two lines across the pitch: a red starting line where the back four begin, and a blue target line ten to fifteen metres in front of it. The defending team is a back four who start on the red line; their job is to step up together to the blue line to squeeze the space and catch the attackers offside or win the ball. The attacking team is two central midfielders and a front three of a left winger, a striker and a right winger. The two central midfielders start with the ball and look to build up and play the front three in behind the back four to score in the main goal. The back four hold the red line, then step up together to the blue line at the right moment to trap the front three offside or to win the ball. The goalkeeper steps up off his line as the defence pushes forward, ready to sweep any ball played in behind. A repetition ends when the ball goes out of play, when the attacking team plays the front three in behind to score, or when the defending team wins the ball through a tackle or interception or catches an attacker offside. After each outcome, restart quickly with a central midfielder on the ball and the back four back on the red line. Play for fifteen to twenty minutes and then swap the roles. Progression: narrow the gap between the red and blue lines, or limit the midfielders' touches to speed up the build-up. ✅ Coaching Points The back four steps up from the red line to the blue line as one body, together on the same cue, not one at a time. The cue to step is the moment the man on the ball cannot play forward: head down, or forced to take a touch back. Step up to the blue line to squeeze the space and catch the front three's runs offside. One defender stepping late plays the front three onside, so move together even when it feels early. Hold a flat line as you step; the defender who lags behind is the one who keeps the attackers on. The goalkeeper pushes up behind the line to sweep any ball played over the top. Communicate: a leader calls the step, but everyone reads the ball and moves on the trigger. Once the ball is won or the line is beaten, reset onto the red line and start again. 🟢 Game Relevance Trains the offside line as a weapon: stepping up from the starting line to the target line to catch the front three and kill the attack. The squeeze from the red line to the blue line compresses the space behind and forces the attackers offside. A high line only works if it steps as one, so this builds the collective timing the whole press depends on. Two midfielders feeding a front three recreates the real problem of defending runners trying to get in behind. The goalkeeper sweeping behind the line shows how the keeper makes the high line safe. The shared cue, not individual judgement, is what makes the trap reliable under pressure. Download Drill
