Midfield Solutions to Beat the Press (1321)

This technical passing practice aligns directly with the principles of our 3-2-1 series but can be adapted for various formations, such as 3-2-3 and 3-box-3, depending on the players' age and level. The exercise takes place in a 50 by 80-yard area and focuses on building play with a back three and two deep-lying midfielders, operating against a 2-3-1 pressing structure (represented by mannequins). The back three players start by rotating the ball across the backline, aiming to find solutions to release the free midfielder against the single defender (mannequin) in the midfield press. Once the player has passed, they will follow their pass and take up the position of the teammate who received the ball. When a player scores, they retrieve their ball and return to the starting point of the drill.