ANIMATION / 10v10 / 3-2-4 / DEFENSIVE SHAPE
Shifting as a unit
How all ten of us move together wherever the ball goes — across, up, back and diagonally. Drag the ball anywhere on the pitch and watch the shape answer.
click or drag anywhere on the pitch to move the ball
BALL PATH
SHOW
Mid block
KEY
What to say while they watch it
ACROSS — WHEN THE BALL CHANGES SIDES
- We move on a rope. Ball goes left, everybody goes left. Nobody waits on their own side for it to come back.
- The far fullback becomes a second CB. Ball on our left, the RB slides all the way inside. Biggest change from where they stand now.
- The far winger tucks in. The one they'll argue about. Standing on the far touchline means we defend with nine.
UP AND BACK — WHEN THE BALL CHANGES THIRDS
- Ball in their third: the back line pushes to halfway. Watch the LB, CB and RB climb. If they stay deep we leave a forty-yard hole in front of them and the game gets played in it.
- Ball in our third: the strikers come back. LS and RS drop to around halfway. They are not spectators up top waiting for a clearance.
- Depth stays around 35 yards. The block-depth number is the one to watch. When it runs past 45 we've split into two teams — usually the forwards not tracking back.
- The keeper comes off his line. When the ball is up the field he's at the edge of the box, not on the goal line. He's the last defender, not a spectator.
DIAGONALS — THE HARD ONE
- A switch from their left back to their right winger asks us to move sideways and backwards at once. Run the DIAGONAL path slowly and pause it halfway: that's the moment we usually get caught.
- Whoever is furthest from the ball has the longest run, so they have to start moving before the pass is played, not after it arrives.
A real decision for you: the model has LW and RW tucking in properly. At 10v10 in a 3-2-4 that's what keeps the block honest, but it's real work from your front four and may leave them flat for the counter. The alternative is leaving the wingers high and accepting you defend with six — defensible if counter-attacking is your strength. Pick one and tell them which, because the worst version is half of them tucking and half not.
Best use of this: open it on a phone at the field, then walk the shape at a standstill. Put them in position, carry the ball to each corner in turn, and have them physically slide. Three repetitions on grass beats ten minutes of watching a screen.