Attacking session: width for deception

Session

England Football Learning

2 mins - Jan 27, 2025

Session intentions

This is week four of the finishing session programme. Check out the whole six-week programme here.

This session aims to support players to use width to create goalscoring chances.

It will help players:

know when, how and why to use width
work on different types of crosses
develop their movement skills to get out wide
practise finishing from a cross into the box.

If you're short on time, this structured training programme can be used as it is. Pitch sizes in this programme are shown as how long the pitch is x how wide it is, but these are just suggestions.

To make the programme more effective, adapt it to suit your players, your numbers and the space you have. If you want to skip, repeat or amend these sessions – that's fine. It’s up to you how you use this resource.

If you like this idea, download the session plan and give it a go. And don't forget to share your experience on the England Football Community. We'd love to know how you got on.

Session setup

In our example, this is what we’ve used to set up this session. But adapt it to suit your team and the space available to you.

45x60-yard pitch

12 players

Four goals

Flat cones

Bibs

Width for deception

For this arrival activity, set up a small area for a 4v4. Put a goal at each end. Each team also has two wide players outside the area – one on each side of the pitch. Teams need to work with all their teammates to make four passes. Then they can try to score in either goal. Play for three rounds.
Create a wide pitch with a goal at each end for a 6v6 practice. Use flat markers to create channels out wide on both sides. Players take part in a normal game but should naturally make use of the width. You can add scoring systems to encourage teams to cross and score from the channels.

0/0

Tactics board

Looking for a bit more detail? Check out Peter's tactics board video for this session.

Make it easier

Using the STEP framework (Youth Sports Trust, 2002) can help keep things fun, engaging, and appropriate.

To make this session easier, you could:

add more wide players to the arrival activity and allow them to move around the pitch
make the practice pitch wider to create even more space
allow players to be unopposed when in the wide channels.

Make it harder

To make this session harder, you could:

limit players to only two touches in the wide channels
enforce that players can only score from a cross from a wide channel.

Coaching points

Observe how teams use the wide channels. Get players thinking about when the best time is to use them and how using the channels can provide their team with space and options. For example, if things are crowded in central areas, playing it out wide moves the opposition around and provides the attacking team with more space.

Encourage players to think about the type of cross they could use and to try different ones. For example, using a cut-back cross when near the byline, or crossing early and deep to the back post.

Ask players to think about how the timing of their runs into the channels and the box can help create space – and provide their teammates with a passing option.