Zombie football

by Tony Carr in Attacking, Practice plans

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You can improve your players’ and team’s composure on the ball by playing against
“zombie” defenders. The use of zombie defenders is to give your players a slowmoving
opponent rather than a static mannequin, or flag, that doesn’t move or simply blocks space.
What this session is about
1.  Facing pressure, even if it is slow.
2.  Improving composure on the ball.
3.  Building up to score a goal.
What to think about
When players want to improve on a technique, they work unopposed to remove the pressure
an opponent offers.
When progressing to applied technique, we have to move the practice to an opposed situation.
However, should there be a stepping stone from the unopposed to the opposed practice by
way of using slow-moving, zombie defenders?
Zombie defenders can move and mark players, they can pressure the player in possession but
are not allowed to tackle or intercept passes. They are to be a nuisance only.
When playing with composure, we can remove the zombie rule and enter into a real match
where both teams are competing to win.
Set-up
Warm
Warm up Session Developments Game Situation
Down

10 minutes 15 minutes 15 minutes 15 minutes 5

minutes
What you get your players to do
Use the final third of your usual pitch and put three players in defensive positions as zombies
(Z).
The midfielder (M) passes to the attacker (A1) on the right who dribbles to beat the first
zombie and second zombie defender in order to shoot at goal.
After shooting, A1 becomes the second zombie, the second zombie becomes the first and the
first zombie now waits in line to become an attacker.
The new midfielder passes to the opposite attacker (A2) to continue with the practice.
A midfielder (M) plays in an attacker (A1 or A2) who goes past two slow moving defenders,
or zombies (Z), to shoot at goal.

Development
Use your regular pitch or a smaller one if using fewer players. In this small-sided game, one
team works as zombies and one team works as the attackers.
Zombie defenders are sat back in their own half as a deep-defending opponent.
The attacking team must continually build up play to try and score against the zombies.
After a few minutes attacking against zombies, allow the defenders to play at full speed and
able to make challenges then swap restrictions so the original zombies are the attackers and
vice versa.
The team that scores goals wins.
An attacking team (white) tries to score goals against zombies (black), who are playing in a
deep, defensive position.

Game situation
For the second part of this game, zombie defenders are pushed up high and into the attacking
team’s half of the pitch.
This scenario encourages the attacking team to pass the ball into the space behind the
zombies quickly, with the forwards running in behind and into space to shoot at goal.
After a few minutes attacking against zombie defenders, allow zombies to play at full speed
then reverse the restrictions. The team that scores most goals wins.
An attacking team (white) tries to find space behind a high, defensive zombie (black) team to
shoot at goal.

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About Tony Carr

Tony Carr is one of the most influential figures in English football. The former West Ham
Academy director has brought through – from the youth team to the first team – players like
Glen Johnson, John Terry, Rio Ferdinand, Frank Lampard, Michael Carrick, Joe Cole and
Jermain Defoe.
View all posts by Tony Carr >
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