The Cole game By Tony Carr

The Cole game

By Tony Carr

This session is designed around the two Coles – Joe and Ashley – who have both played for England. This practice combines the two players' abilities, Ashley's 1v1 defending skills and Joe's 1v1 attacking skills.

Developing your ability to attack and defend 1v1 is vitally important to all players.

After all, the best attacker doesn't always beat the defender and the best defender doesn't always stop the attacker. Therefore, we must constantly keep working to improve our play when in 1v1 situations.

How to set it up

• Use an area 30 yards by 20 yards with a four-yard square zone in the centre.

• Place mannequins (or poles and cones) five yards from each goal.

What players should do

The player must pass across to the opposite player and then run to jockey backwards. Once the player has pressured him until the coned square has been reached, he must take the ball from the other player and quickly dribble to the mannequin and complete a skill and shoot at goal.

Therefore, the player defends and then reacts to winning the ball to become an attacker. Players shoot at the opposite goal from the player in the previous exercise.

Development: The Cole game

Pick two teams and have them take alternate turns in a continuous 1v1 game. When attacking, they are trying to score in the big goal, when defending they are trying to regain possession and score in the small goals.

The first team to five goals is declared the winner. As soon as a player has attacked, they become the defender for the next ball.