71: Grow Coach Newsletter
Football Coaches: Develop your Coaching Craft.
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Here is What to Expect:
Coaching Craft: Passing to players who are closely marked
Full 60-Minute Practice: 3 x practices to develop a team’s ability to play in tight spaces.
Football is about space and time. Whoever controls both, controls the game. – Carlo Ancelotti
Mastering Space and Time: How to Coach Players to Thrive Under Pressure
In the modern game, where space is constantly shrinking and pressing systems are becoming more aggressive and sophisticated, the ability to pass to—and, more importantly, through—tightly marked players is no longer just a risk worth taking; it’s often a requirement for progress.
When executed well, passing under pressure can dismantle compact defensive blocks, drag opponents out of shape, and create a domino effect that opens up entire phases of the pitch.
Too often, coaches and players avoid passing to those who are closely marked out of fear — fear of losing possession, of being caught on the ball, or of “not playing safe.” But the most dominant teams in world football embrace this challenge. They build players who can receive in chaos and create clarity.
Why It Matters: The Impact of Receiving Under Pressure
Passing to marked players is a foundational principle in positional play and progressive attacking. Why?
It destabilises defensive structures: Defenders marking tightly are drawn out of position when their target receives and moves, opening space elsewhere.
It supports vertical progression: When a player receives between the lines or with their back to goal, they act as a conduit to progress the ball from back to front.
It creates overloads and link-up play: Receiving under pressure invites combinations and quick interplay, particularly in central areas.
It builds bravery and resilience: Technically gifted, fearless players develop confidence from being trusted in these scenarios.
The player who can play with a man on his back is worth his weight in gold. – Arsène Wenger
Key Coaching Points for Success
1. Body Shape to Receive
Open your body to see both the ball and the next action.
Adjust your angle to receive side-on, especially between lines.
Constantly scan over the shoulders before and as the ball is travelling.
2. Securing & Protecting the Ball
Use arms and body to create a barrier between the opponent and the ball.
Be low, balanced, and ready to spin, lay off, or absorb contact.
Take the first touch into space, not into pressure.
3. Accurate Passing & Timing
Deliver passes with detail: correct foot, pace, and direction.
Time the pass so the receiving player has the best chance to secure it.
Recognise when to punch a pass into feet vs. guide it into space.
4. Supporting the Receiver
Players around must offer quick, close options.
Move off the ball to create safe exit routes and 3rd man links.
Tactical Considerations
Breaking the Line vs. Holding Possession: Decide whether the pass is a trigger to break lines or a method to keep the opponent compact and manipulate space.
Central Congestion: Passing into marked players centrally can collapse the opposition block if executed with precision.
Third-Man Runs: Using the marked player as a bounce or pivot to release another runner supports constant momentum.
Tempo Control: Knowing when to accelerate play into pressure or pause to bait opponents is vital.
Spatial Awareness: Recognising the real space isn’t always where the ball is—it’s where the next pass can go.
The key is not the pass. It’s the idea behind the pass. – Johan Cruyff
Common Faults and Fixes in Player Marking
Static body shape before receiving - Can be fixed by encouraging constant scanning and slight movements to stay alive.
Panicking under pressure - Use scenario training with receivers to normalise playing under pressure.
Poor timing or weight of pass -Emphasise repetition and technical detail under constraints.
Lack of support after the pass - Coach positional discipline and “support triangles”
Receivers hiding or being passive - Reward bravery; use freeze-replay feedback to highlight poor positioning choices.
“Football is about space and time. Whoever controls both, controls the game.” – Carlo Ancelotti
Thought-Provoking Questions for Coaches to Use
Use these questions to get the players to think about their reception skills when being marked closely.
Where is the pressure coming from when you’re receiving? Can you use it to your advantage?
What’s your next action before the ball arrives?
How can we make the opponent’s press work against them?
What triggers tell you it’s safe (or unsafe) to pass into a marked player?
How can your teammates support you better when you’re tightly marked?
Final Thoughts:
Passing to marked players is a bold but essential element of modern football. It separates the teams that probe from the teams that penetrate. To coach it well, you need to build trust, train under pressure, and teach players to think ahead of the game.
It’s about developing technically secure, tactically aware, and mentally tough players — ones who don’t fear tight spaces, but flourish in them.
Encourage your players to own the chaos, welcome the press, and find the footballing poetry in tight, uncomfortable moments. When they do, your team won’t just play safer — it will play smarter.
There is no space? You must create it. That is what makes the difference. – Marcelo Bielsa
Players Receiving When Marked | Practices
Receiving to Play Forwards | 2v2 with Players Locked in Zones.
⚽️ Created On: @SSPlanner
Aim:
Pass to players who are marked and need to get turned.
Set-Up:
30 by 20 yard pitch space split in half.
1 mini goal 🥅 placed on the side of the pitch in each half.
👕Teams: 🟡 and 🟢s are support players, they are on one touch and can play to each other once before passing into the practice.
⚫️s are the attacking team. They are locked in pairs in each half and look to play from 🟡 to 🟢s.
🔴s are the defending team. They are locked in pairs in each half. Must win the ball ⚽️ and score in a mini goal.
👕 Teams: ⚫️s Defending, 🔴s Attacking
How to Play:
⚫️ Use the support players to play from end to end to score a goal.
🔴s win possession and score in the mini goals. They can also use the support players to create scoring chances.
🚧 Constraints:
🏆Reward: Double goals for playing through the zones without passing backwards.⚽️.
👨🏫 Review: How many ways can you combine in a pair to play forward?
🚫 Restriction: Attackers can only pass backwards to support players once.
Three Team Possession Game | Forward Passing | Regains to Score.
⚽️ Created On: @SSPlanner
Aim:
Passing forwards and offering support to score.
Set-Up:
30 by 30 pitch space with 4 x mini goals positioned as shown.
👕 Teams: ⚫️ Possession and defending team, 🔴 Possession and defending team, 🟡 Support players.
How to Play:
⚫️s and 🔴s compete for possession, 🔴s work from one red mini goal to the other, ⚫️s win the ball and work from one black mini goal to the other.
Each team is looking to play off the 🟡 support player and finish first time into the mini goal 🥅
🚧 Constraints:
🏆Reward: 3 one-touch passes that lead to a goal = Double.
👨🏫 Review: Quality of passing and support play.
🚫 Restriction: 🟡s limited to one touch to set up or secure possession.
Possession vs Pressure | 6v4 into 3v2
⚽️ Created On: @SSPlanner
Aim:
Passing into the final third.
Set-Up:
Use the 18-yard box and large goal, then set up another 18-yard box on top of it (shaded zone).
Place 2 x mini goals at one end and use 1 x large goal at the other end.
Place a screening zone just inside the main 18-yard box (dashed line).
👕 Teams: ⚫️s possession team. ⚫️s have 1 player fixed in the D of the 18-yard box. 🔴s pressuring team. Have two players fixed in the screening zone until the ball enters it.
How to Play:
6x⚫️s keep the ball vs 4x🔴s. ⚫️s must player off ⚫️1️⃣ to slide in a runner 🏃 or dribble through the screening zone.
Once the ball enters the 18-yard box, the 3x⚫️s play against 2x🔴 screening players.
Once ⚫️s break beyond the dashed line, they score in the large goal. 🔴s regain the ball and score in the mini goals.
🚧 Constraints:
🏆Reward: 1- touch finish inside the box = double goals
👨🏫 Review: Movements off the ball to connect play.
🚫 Restriction: If a player has more than 2 touches, they have to play forwards.
I always want my players to receive the ball under pressure. That’s when the game becomes real. – Pep Guardiola
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