Coaching: Encouraging third player movement in combination play

One of the most exciting things to watch in football are teams that excel in using quick-fire combination play and plenty of off the ball movement to break through defensive lines.

Often this combination play involves the use of third player movement (I use the term ‘third player’, not ‘third man’ because, um, it’s not just men who play football). Not only is it exhilarating to watch when perfected, but it is also highly effective at catching defences out — players will often be drawn to watching the ball and perhaps where the next pass is going, but with a third player making a well timed movement this is often extremely difficult to track and defend against.

So how do we get about training this habit in our players? It is really common to see unopposed passing patterns that look to ingrain third player movement within a team, but without wanting to launch an opposed vs unopposed debate, I have put together some practice ideas that can help develop this instinct within a game-based environment.

The following practices are simply ideas which can be adapted to suit different situations. I do not specify dimensions because this will always be dependent on the age and ability of the players you work with. In my coaching however, I always try to establish realistic spaces to work in, to provide a relevant picture for players to translate to matches.

Small Sided Game with bounce players

This a great small sided game that is excellent at implicitly developing off the ball movement skills due to the nature of the constraints placed on the game. It can be used with any number of players however with the younger age groups 2v2/3v3 in the middle tends to work best (the image is 4v4 as it was developed for another project — as all the images were).

With the rule of the game being that you can only score after a set-back from the target player at either end, this necessitates players having to use clever and varied movement to arrive at the perfect time to score in either of the mini-goals. Whilst I do allow 1–2 combinations to count, I will generally reward a goal from a third player movement to support the set-back with an extra goal. A further goal is added if the set-back is one touch, which is an excellent incentive to help players time their runs to arrive at the perfect time. This practice can tend to start slowly, but it really flies once players begin to recognise the patterns of how to succeed — and you’ll end up with even young players regularly perfecting up, back and through combinations as a consequence of the game.

What I love about this game is that it is almost entirely intuitive for players. The constraints and scoring system provide a great platform for players to develop the fundamentals of third player movement in a fun and challenging environment, and one that still allows for players to make their own decisions.

Alongside the implicit learning the game provides, here are some coaching points that may arise;

1. Timing and triggers: What is your trigger for making a third player run? Is it the ball moving or when the player passing into the target gets their head up to pass? Can you arrive in a position where you can pop the ball through one of the mini-goals by receiving a one-touch set-back, and scoring with a one-touch finish?
2. Varying movement: Can you make your movement forward unpredictable, and not just a straight line where you can be tracked easily. Can you run outside the eye-line of the player who is marking you? Can you lose your marker with a double movement by faking one way, and going the other?
3. Target player movement to receive: If you want to achieve good third player combinations, then we need to look at the player receiving the vertical pass. Can you mirror the ball and open up a passing angle? Can you position your body effectively so you can set the ball back in a minimum of touches?

Combination play to finish

This zoned game is a really enjoyable way to work on off the ball movement, and when conditioned in a certain manner it is possible to get a high level of repetition of third player runs to support an attack.

Ideally this begins with a 3v3 (or more) in the middle third, mainly because in a 2v2 it is obvious which player will have to make the supporting third player movement, and the 3v3 creates just that bit more unpredictability for the team out of possession.

I will usually allow 1–2 combinations and for the player who has played the ball into the final third to follow their pass to create the 2v1, but as in the last practice I will reward a third player run that creates the 2v1 and leads to a goal an extra point.

The coaching points are very similar to the first practice, however one thing that you can look to instil with your players is the risk reward element of making the forward run. If you go too early and at the wrong moment, your team can be caught outnumbered 3v2 in the centre.

Another additional factor in the practice is that the forward target player does not have to set the ball back (of course they can if they would like too), so you can work with them on playing quick, creative combinations ‘round the corner’ to an onrushing third player. You can also look to coach who is best positioned of the midfield players to make the third player run, and the type of runs they can make — whether that be overlaps, crossovers or decoy runs to exploit the 2v1.

As in the previous practice, when running this practice with a new group of players this can be a bit stop-start to begin with — which is good. You now have something to work with and develop — and it will soon begins to flow. As a quick point of session management and also if you want to develop additional principles, when restarting the practice from the GK, I allow a central midfielder to drop and collect the ball to create a 3v1 for them to drive in to the central 3v3.

Up — back — through game

This last practice is perhaps a bit more advanced and not one I would necessarily run with the younger players (although you never know). The aim is again to work on the up, back and through movement to break the last defensive line and create scoring opportunities.

Depending on numbers of players and ability levels, you can look to make this practice position specific with a back 3/4 and screening midfielder(s), and perhaps dispense with a goal at one end — which turns the practice into an excellent exercise into breaking down a set defence.

The aim of the game is to find the centre forward who is positioned in a narrow strip where they can initially only move horizontally. On receiving the ball, the forward can set the ball back to trigger an up-back-through combination and third player run beyond into the final zone. The forward can also play a round the corner layoff to a connecting third player run. As soon as the ball enters the final zone (via the centre forward), this can then commence a 2v1/3v2 overload to finish. In fact, this can be progressed in so many ways where you can use matchups, underloads or any finishing situation that is realistic and relevant to what you want as a coach.

Again, the coaching points are similar to the previous practices, where the focus is on the movement ahead of the ball by the centre forward, the timing and variation in movement to go untracked to support the receiving player either behind the ball, or with a run in behind the defence.

This practice not only allows for third player movement, but also fourth player movement to arrive in behind the defensive line. If you find you are struggling to achieve success in this practice, it can easily be manipulated to allow players to play through balls to runners from deep or wide, and simply reward an up-back-through movement that results in scoring with an additional goal. This rule change means the out of possession side will not only have to screen the centre forward to see success, but also defend effectively against runs in behind and through balls.

These practices are just a simple three ideas on how I would look to develop the art and instinct of third player movement, with a heavy focus on using them in combination play to create goalscoring opportunities. Of course third player movement can occur all over the pitch, and there are many practices that can be created to develop this in the build-up phases of the game.

As with any coaching practices, the first consideration should always be what is right for your players and that age and ability will determine the depth of detail, distances and difficulty that you add into your coaching process. Make the practices your own, adapt them and ensure your players have the opportunity to experience success.

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