Match moments / We have the ball
Follow in the rebound
Keepers at every age save shots they cannot hold. The player who expected it and kept running scores the easy goal that everybody else watched happen.
In the match
- Decision 1Winger
- Decision 2Midfielder
- Decision 3Winger
You are 7, on the right.
9 is about to shoot. What do you do?
Play the build-up, then choose.
Best choice
A low shot across the keeper that is saved usually comes back out into the middle or towards the far post. Running before the shot means you arrive with it, not after it.
It can work
You are there if 9 squares it, but a parried shot lands well ahead of you.
Costly
Everyone watching means the keeper gets up and gathers their own save.
In the match, play carries on from the best choice.
You are 8, in the middle.
The ball has spilled. 7 is running in. Where do you go?
Play what happened next, then choose.
Best choice
If 7 does not get there, or a defender clears it, the next ball comes out to the edge. Being there keeps the attack going.
It can work
More bodies near the ball, but if it is cleared there is nobody outside to win it back.
Costly
4 is already covering. Going back as well leaves our attack without support at the moment we might score.
In the match, play carries on from the best choice.
You are 7. The ball is at your feet, six metres out.
The keeper is on the floor. What do you do?
Play what happened next, then choose.
Best choice
Close in, a placed shot is more reliable than a powerful one. Aim away from the keeper and keep it low.
It can work
It may go in, but close in, power often sends the ball over the bar.
Costly
One touch gives the keeper time to get up and a defender time to block.
How you know it is happening
- A teammate is about to shoot.
- The shot is low and across the keeper.
- The keeper dives and cannot hold it.
Why it works
Most young keepers cannot catch a firm low shot cleanly. A parried ball usually drops a few metres from goal, and the first player to it has an open net. That is about expecting it, not about speed.
The tactics behind it
Your job, by position
- STStriker
- Shoot low and across the keeper, so a save comes out into the middle.
- Keep running after the shot. You can play a rebound once the keeper has touched it.
- WWinger and wide midfielder
- Run to the far post as the shot is taken.
- CMCentral midfielder
- Hold the edge of the box for anything cleared.
How to explain it
- Count how many players run in after a shot in training. Praise the ones who do, even when the rebound never comes.
- Show where saves usually drop: in front of goal, not wide.
On the training pitch
- On your ownStrike the cornersThe technique underneath it, with a ball and some space.
- The practiceShoot and saveThe same decision, over and over, with a little pressure.
- The gameThe gameA small-sided game set up so the moment keeps happening.
Set the game up so it keeps happening
- A goal from a rebound counts double.
- The shooter must follow in after every shot.
Three things to say
- Low and across.
- Run in before the shot.
- Place it, do not blast it.
On Saturday
Tick them off on the day. Nothing is saved: print the page if you want to keep it.
After the whistle
Ask yourself
- Did you run in after a shot, even one that went wide?
What to look back on
- Which saves dropped loose, and who was there?