5v4 Soccer Drills: 6 Games to Beat the Press and Use the Spare Player

Quick answer: A 5v4 works when the five attackers use the spare player to beat the first line of pressure, progress through the middle third without passing backwards, and finish before the recovering defenders arrive. Keep one player free at all times, move the ball in two touches, and attack the goal within 10 seconds of breaking the press.

Five attackers against four defenders should always break the press. Too often it does not.

The ball goes sideways, the spare player hides behind a defender, and the four pressers win it back high up the pitch. The extra player is there, but nobody uses them to move the ball forwards. The same spare-player problem decides games in football at every level, and it is solved by a clear first pass, a free player in the next zone, and speed once the press is beaten.

These six games teach that sequence. Each one starts with a 5v4, each one ends with a finish, and each one punishes slow or backwards play with a recovering defender or a shot clock.

Session snapshot

• Players: 9–18 (5 attackers, 4 defenders, goalkeeper, plus rotation groups)
• Area: 30 x 25 to 45 x 35 yards, one full-size goal
• Duration: 60 minutes for all six games, or 20 minutes for any two
• Focus: Playing out against a press, finding the spare player, progressing through zones, finishing under a shot clock
• Equipment: Cones, bibs, balls, one full-size goal, two mini goals for Drill 3
• Age: U12–U18 (see age adaptations)

The one rule: one player free in the next zone

A 5v4 gives the attacking team one spare player. That player is only useful if they are free in the zone the ball needs to reach next.

• Start free, stay free. The goalkeeper counts as an attacker in the build-up. Use them, and the spare player stays spare.
• Move forwards, not backwards. A pass back into the zone the ball came from lets the press reset. Play into the next zone.
• Move the ball in two touches. One touch to control, one to pass. A third touch lets the four defenders shuffle across.
• Finish fast once the press breaks. The recovering defenders are already sprinting. Shoot within 10 seconds of beating the press.

Start with 4v3 soccer drills if your players cannot yet find the spare player with a smaller overload; the 5v4 below adds a second spare-player decision, a press to beat, and a zone to progress through, so the first pass must be cleaner and the movement must be earlier.

Drill 1 — Play Out From the Back

The starting point for every 5v4. Five attackers, including the goalkeeper, build out against a four-player high press through three zones, and may not pass the ball back into the zone it came from.

Setup:

• One 45 x 30 yard area split into three 15-yard zones, one full-size goal with a goalkeeper at one end.
• Five attackers: goalkeeper, two centre-backs and two midfield pivots, plus a centre-forward in the final zone.
• Four defenders in red bibs, pressing as a high block with only one player pressing at a time.
• One ball per rep, spare balls behind the goal.

How to Play:

1. The goalkeeper starts play with a pass to either centre-back to open the rep.
2. The centre-backs spread to the edges of the build-up zone and open their bodies to the next zone.
3. A pivot drops to receive, drawing a marker out and freeing space behind them.
4. The ball is played forwards into the middle zone, never back into the build-up zone.
5. The pivots link the zones and play the centre-forward in, who turns or lays the ball off.
6. The centre-forward finishes first time, or after one controlling touch, in the goal.

Coach’s note: The cue is “Next zone!” If the ball goes backwards, stop the rep. The lesson is forward progress, not safe possession.

Progressions: Allow the pressers to press two at a time, then add a 10-second limit from goal kick to finish.

Drill 2 — Break the Box

Five attackers face four defenders and a goalkeeper in the final third. The spare player starts on the edge of the box, and the attack has 10 seconds to find them and finish.

Setup:

• One 30 x 25 yard area, one full-size goal with a goalkeeper.
• Five attackers in blue bibs, four defenders in red bibs, one spare attacker on the edge of the penalty area.
• One ball per rep, spare balls with the coach on the touchline.

How to Play:

1. The coach plays the ball to the first attacker to start the 10-second clock.
2. The attackers spread at once, with two players holding the width on each side.
3. The ball moves in two touches, looking for the spare player on the edge of the box.
4. The spare player receives, drives at the nearest defender and creates a 2v1.
5. The pair finishes first time, or after one controlling touch, before the clock runs out.
6. After each finish, the next group of five enters at once from the far line.

Coach’s note: The cue is “Find the free player!” If the ball stays in front of the defence for three passes, stop the rep and point at the spare player.

Progressions: Cut the clock to 8 seconds, then require the finish to come from a first-time shot.

Drill 3 — Wide Switch and Cutback

The four defenders shuffle across to the ball. This game teaches the five attackers to pin the press wide, switch the point of attack, and finish from a cutback.

Setup:

• One 35 x 25 yard area, a mini goal in each corner of the far end line, one full-size goal at the near end.
• Five attackers in blue bibs, four defenders in red bibs, no goalkeeper in the mini goals.
• Two balls per group, spare balls with the coach at the halfway line.

How to Play:

1. The attackers start on one side and play three quick passes to draw the defenders across.
2. On the coach’s call of “Switch!”, the ball is played first time to the far-side wide player.
3. The far-side wide player drives to the end line and cuts the ball back.
4. Two attackers attack the near post and far post, and one attacks the cutback zone.
5. The cutback is finished first time in the full-size goal, or in a mini goal if the defence recovers.
6. Restart from the opposite side after every rep so both feet are used.

Coach’s note: The cue is “Switch and cut back!” A switch played slowly is not a switch. The far-side pass must travel before the defenders can shuffle back.

Progressions: The switch must be played with one touch, then the cutback must be finished within 5 seconds.

Drill 4 — Eight-Pass Rondo to Goal

Possession must earn the right to attack. The five attackers keep the ball against four defenders, and only after eight passes may they attack the goal.

Setup:

• One 30 x 25 yard area, one full-size goal with a goalkeeper at one end.
• Five attackers in blue bibs, four defenders in red bibs, one ball per rep.
• Cones marking a 20 x 20 yard possession square inside the area.

How to Play:

1. The five attackers keep the ball inside the possession square against the four defenders.
2. Every pass is counted aloud by the coach, and the count restarts if a defender touches the ball.
3. After eight clean passes, the attackers may break out of the square and attack the goal.
4. The spare player leads the break, driving at the nearest defender to create a 2v1.
5. The attack finishes within 10 seconds of the eighth pass.
6. If the defenders win the ball, they play out to the coach and the count restarts at zero.

Coach’s note: The cue is “Eight, then go!” If the attackers break early, bring the ball back. The lesson is patience first, speed second.

Progressions: Raise the target to 10 passes, then limit the attackers to two touches in the square.

Drill 5 — Beat the Recovery

The 5v4 starts as a 5v2. Two defenders sprint in from the far line after the third pass, so the attackers must break the press and finish before the numbers are even.

Setup:

• One 30 x 25 yard area, one full-size goal with a goalkeeper.
• Five attackers in blue bibs, two defenders in red bibs inside the area, two recovery defenders on the far line.
• One ball per rep, spare balls with the coach on the touchline.

How to Play:

1. The attackers start with the ball and play their first two passes against the two defenders.
2. The moment the third pass is played, the two recovery defenders sprint into the area.
3. The attackers must finish before the recovery defenders can get goal-side.
4. The two defenders inside delay and funnel play wide while the recovery run arrives.
5. If a recovery defender wins the ball, they play out to the coach at once.
6. Rotate the recovery defenders every two reps so every player feels the sprint.

Coach’s note: The cue is “Before they arrive!” If the attackers pass sideways twice, the recovery defenders win the race. One switch, one 2v1, one finish.

Progressions: The recovery defenders start closer to the area, then the attackers must finish in two touches after the switch.

Drill 6 — End-to-End Transition Game

The overload runs both ways. Whichever team wins the ball attacks 5v4 at once, and the team that lost it must sprint back and defend the spare player.

Setup:

• One 40 x 30 yard pitch, a full-size goal at each end with a goalkeeper in each goal.
• Two teams of nine, with five attackers and four defenders on the pitch at any time.
• Spare balls behind both goals, and a coach on each touchline to restart play fast.

How to Play:

1. The coach plays the ball to the blue team, who attack 5v4 against the red defenders.
2. The blue team must find the spare player and finish within 10 seconds of the first pass.
3. If the red team wins the ball, they attack the far goal 5v4 at once, with no reset.
4. The team that lost the ball sprints back, and the spare player is the runner they must track.
5. A goal from a 5v4 attack scores double, and a goal from a counter after winning the ball scores triple.
6. Play for 4 minutes, rest for 1 minute, then swap which team starts with the ball.

Coach’s note: The cue is “Win it, go!” The transition is the drill. A team that jogs back after losing the ball concedes the spare player twice in one rep.

Progressions: Cut the shot clock to 8 seconds, then require the counter-attack to finish in three passes or fewer.

Coaching points

• “Next zone!” Forward progress beats safe possession. A pass back lets the press reset.
• “Find the free player!” The spare player is the point of the overload. If the ball never reaches them, the 5v4 was wasted.
• “Two touches, then pass!” Speed of ball movement beats the defenders’ shuffle. A third touch gives them time to recover.
• “Stretch them wide!” Width is what turns five against four into a 2v1. Narrow attackers defend themselves.
• “Make it a 2v1!” Isolate one defender with two attackers. The overload is only useful when it becomes a 2v1 somewhere on the pitch.
• “Before they arrive!” Every 5v4 has a clock. Finish before the recovering defenders get goal-side, and train the finish that follows with a 1v1 finishing drill.
• “Win it, go!” The counter-attack is decided in the first two seconds after winning the ball.

Common mistakes

Age adaptations

How to run the 60 minutes

Use the full hour as the main practice phase in the 60-minute youth soccer session plan, or run Drills 1 and 5 only as a 20-minute overload block.

From 5v4 to full-team overloads

When the spare player is found quickly and the press is beaten cleanly, the same principle scales up: create the overload in one zone, then move the ball to the spare player in the next. The 3v2 soccer drills teach the smaller overload decision inside the 5v4, and switching play drills teach the long switch that opens the far side: use these switching play soccer drills once Drill 3 is clean, so the switch in a 5v4 arrives at full speed and on the correct foot.

Sources

These drills are based on, and in line with, the FIFA Training Centre exercise on 5v4 attack v. defence: playing out from the back, which focuses on building and progressing play with a numerical advantage against a high block, creating passing lines through three zones and linking the goalkeeper, centre-backs, pivots and centre-forward; and with the FIFA Training Centre session on creating and exploiting overloads, which stresses using the spare player at all times, creating 2v1s inside overloads, and the timing, weight and accuracy of the final pass. No FIFA approval, endorsement or affiliation is claimed.

FAQ