5-Station Attacking Pattern Drill | From Linking With Your Midfielders to Finishing in Front of Goal

Overview

• 2 central midfielders (running the middle of your attack)
• Left winger, center forward, and right winger (your attackers)
• Several mannequins (or cones) set out to mark the gaps in the defensive line
• Everyone plays on the move, so players need to read space and make quick decisions

Objectives

• Make quality passing from your midfielders to your attackers a habit
• Sharpen the runs of the receiver and the timing and accuracy of the pass at the same time
• Work on movement, using space, and finishing in front of goal in a game-realistic setting
• Get your wingers and forward more connected and thinking together

Setup

This drill walks your players through the full sequence step by step: a pass from the midfielder out to the winger, a cross from the winger into the center forward, and then the finish.

1）Setup: Split the field into 5 stations. Place your 2 central midfielders (CM), left winger (LW), center forward (CF), and right winger (RW).

2）Start: A CM has the ball and plays it out to a winger using a set passing pattern (for example, square pass → diagonal ball forward).

3）Winger’s movement: On receiving the ball, the winger moves into a position to support the CF, or gets ready to take his defender on.

4）Exchange of passes: The CM and winger link up with several passes back and forth. Keep them moving the whole time, reading each other’s movement before releasing the ball.

5）Cross and finish: Finish the move with a cross from the winger to the CF, or with a second runner arriving to shoot.

6）Finish: The winger who crossed it gets a return pass and shoots, or the CF finishes it off directly.