Match moments / They have the ball
Two against one
Two attackers are running at you and help is a few seconds away. The defender's job is not to win the ball yet: it is to slow them down until a teammate gets back.
In the match
- Decision 1Centre-back
- Decision 2Winger
- Decision 3Centre-back
You are 5, our last defender.
Two of them are coming at you. What do you do?
Play the build-up, then choose.
Best choice
Standing between them, you can reach either pass, and backing off slowly buys time for 7 to get back. This is delay.
It can work
You put pressure on, but the moment you commit, they pass to the free player.
Costly
The player with the ball now has a free run at our goal.
In the match, play carries on from the best choice.
You are 7, sprinting back.
Where do you run?
Play what happened next, then choose.
Best choice
Running the shortest way back to goal side puts you between the ball and the goal. Now it is two against two.
It can work
You might get a toe in, but from behind you cannot stop the pass, and a tackle from behind risks a foul.
Costly
5 is still on their own, and the delay was for nothing.
In the match, play carries on from the best choice.
You are 5 again. 7 is back with you.
Now it is two against two. What do you do?
Play what happened next, then choose.
Best choice
7 is in front of the dribbler and goal side. A quick shout means each of you has one attacker, and nobody is free.
It can work
Two on the ball can win it, but if they get the pass away the runner is free in front of goal.
Costly
The time for delay is over. Backing off now lets them walk into shooting range.
How you know it is happening
- We have lost the ball and two attackers break.
- You are the last outfield player back.
- A teammate is sprinting back behind the ball.
Why it works
One defender cannot win a two against one. What one defender can do is slow it down, standing between the attackers so either pass is hard, until help arrives. Then the defence goes from waiting to winning.
The tactics behind it
Your job, by position
- CBCentre-back
- Stand between the two attackers.
- Back off slowly and stay on your feet.
- When help arrives, talk: who takes the ball, who takes the runner.
- WWinger and wide midfielder
- Sprint back on the inside, goal side, then turn to face the ball.
- GKGoalkeeper
- Talk to the last defender: "Stay up, stay on your feet."
How to explain it
- Say it simply: when you are outnumbered, your job is time, not the tackle.
- Use the word "delay", then the word "go" when help arrives.
On the training pitch
- On your ownClose down and jockeyThe technique underneath it, with a ball and some space.
- The practice2v1: pass or go?The same decision, over and over, with a little pressure.
- The gameAttack, then defend: wavesA small-sided game set up so the moment keeps happening.
Set the game up so it keeps happening
- Start each wave 2v1, with a second defender starting five metres back.
- The attackers have eight seconds to score.
Three things to say
- Between the two.
- Back off slowly.
- Talk when help arrives.
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
- How long did you hold them up?
- Did you talk when help came?
What to look back on
- How many two against ones did we stop, and how?
Next moment: Three against two on the break All match moments