Possession game · 18 seconds, 3D
Magic Player
A 4v4 possession game with one Magic Player, from FIFA's Talent Coach programme. Four against four in a box about twenty five by twenty, with a small goal at each end and one neutral player in a keeper kit. The Magic Player always plays for whichever team has the ball, so the side in possession is always five against four. You must play through them before you can score, so every attack has to use the overload: find the spare player, play off them quickly, and the attacker arriving finishes first time in the small goal at the end you are attacking. Defending, you cannot tackle the Magic Player, so the job is to screen the pass into them and press hard. Win it and you are the team in possession now, and the Magic Player is yours. The clip shows a whole passage both ways: one team working the overload and scoring, the restart, the pass into the neutral read and intercepted, and the ball going back the other way. Nine players, no keepers, twelve to eighteen minutes.
Instructions
- Scan before you receive, so you already know where the Magic Player and the space are
- Support the ball carrier at an angle, not flat, so there is always a forward and a backward option
- Use the Magic Player to tilt it 5v4: get the ball into them, then play off them quickly, one and two touch
- Keep the Magic Player free by moving the ball; the quicker you switch it, the harder they are to mark out
- Defending, you cannot tackle them, so screen the pass into them, stay compact, and press hard to win it back
Variation
- Start with free scoring, then add the must use the Magic Player before you score rule once the players are keeping it. Limit the Magic Player to two touches, then one touch, so the ball keeps moving. A goal counts double if the Magic Player plays the final pass. Add a second small goal at each end to make the players switch play and use the whole width. Play to a set number of passes for a point instead of goals if you want pure possession.
Building lineups in seconds
Set your team sheet, plan your substitutions, and share it with the parents before you leave the car park.
