Odd 8v8 Formation

[jmnva]

My U11 girls are playing our first season at 8 v. 8. For most of the season we've been playing a 3-2-2, with the center defender pushing up and playing with the mids.

In our game yesterday, the other team's formation was impossible to figure out--whenever we attacked they collapsed all 7 field players in the box thus having nobody to receive the clearances. Has anyone tried this as an approach or is simply that their kids have not been coached on how to play positions.

Part of the reason this has stuck with me is that we've played this same team since we were U8s and the games tended to be very close, well played affairs. Yesterday though, we won 2-0 (my kids sent lots of shots just wide) and in the 2nd half, the ball came into our end just twice.

[peridigm]

I would say they are not playing position. No coach would teach their players to all come back and defend when playing 8v8 unless it was defending a close lead in a tournament and the game was on the line.

[ranova]

1. At that age its about development, not winning or teaching team tactics. Coaches will try a lot of different things, so if I wanted to know what he was doing I would ask him.
2. If a team is playing perfect team tactics, it will be hard to tell what system they are using without taking some time to study it.
3. If I were playing 8 a side, I would probably play a 331 and have all seven defending in a zone defense. So that might look like seven players in the box to an observor.
4. Sounds like the opposing team was having trouble transitioning from defense to offense.

[Wahoo]

Sounds to me like the other team was collapsing too far into the defensive third and wasn't doing the proper job (whether coached or by coincidence) of getting out on the attack.

I took over a U11 team last year where the prior coach was a good person and dad, but didn't know soccer. His idea of good defense was "the more the better". It took me about half a season to convince some girls that we didn't want or need them defending. What was happening is 6 girls would drop back because the coach was telling them to and so it was 6 defenders trying to defend 4 attackers and so everyone was confused. No one knew who to mark because it always looked like someoen else was there, and when they did clear the ball out there was no one to collect the ball and start an attack when it was cleared.

Most 8v8 teams I've seen play a simple 2-3-2 though I've seen a few play a 3-3-1 (usually as a 3 backs and diamond in front) or 3-2-2. Usually though I've seen the 2-3-2 because it's more attack oriented and most kids don't want to play defense.