HOME Football Answers Football COACHING Q&A

I have no natural strikers help!

So I have no out and out strikers this year at U16 level and we have scored one goal in 3 games and that was a penalty any ideas on formations and drills to encourage attacking football from the midfield?

Chris EaglesCoach, England

3 answers

ANSWERS

Matt MorrisonPlayer, England

Hi Chris,

Every team goes through a period of struggling to find the back of the net. Is the issue that you`re not creating chances or that you`re creating them but can`t finish? Once you`ve highlighted the issue, you can then go about fixing it. Whatever formation you play whether it be 3,4 or 5 in midfield - give them all the licence to go forward and join the attack - as long as there is always 1 midfielder sitting back to cover any breaks. It`s always useful to practice finishing in training so you players get a feel for scoring goals. Here`s a good drill you could use.

Matt

Shooting with the ball going away from the player

DESCRIPTION

Players set up in 2 lines with one central player who feeds you the ball. The ball must be struck first time. The other player follows the player in for a rebound.

Shooting with the ball going away from the player

DESCRIPTION

Players set up in 2 lines with one central player who feeds you the ball. The ball must be struck first time. The other player follows the player in for a rebound.

Chris EaglesCoach, England

Thanks Matt this is helpful.

Yes finishing is the issue (confidence maybe).

Zola Player, South Africa

How can i get D license drills and save them as pdf?
Answered using Sportplan on Mobile

JOIN SPORTPLAN FOR FREE

search our library of 500+ football drills
create your own professional coaching plans
or access our tried and tested plans

Football

STAY CONNECTED

in more ways than one

sportplan_football

LATEST COACHING TRENDS

Football Football Trends Set-Piece Attacking Routines: Lessons from the Specialists

Set-Piece Attacking Routines: Lessons from the Specialists

Roughly a fifth of Premier League goals come from set pieces, and the gap between teams who plan their routines and teams who do not has never been wider. Here is how the modern set-piece specialists design attacking corners, free kicks, and throw-ins - and how you can apply their ideas at any level.

June 2026

Sportplan Coaching

Football Football Trends Cognitive Load Training: Building Smarter Football Players

Cognitive Load Training: Building Smarter Football Players

The next frontier in football coaching is not physical, it is mental. Cognitive load training - the deliberate use of perception, decision-making and dual-task demands inside football drills - is reshaping how the best academies develop players. Here is what it means and how to use it.

June 2026

Sportplan Coaching

Football Football Trends Rest Defence: The Hidden Structure Behind Modern Attacking Football

Rest Defence: The Hidden Structure Behind Modern Attacking Football

If the last decade taught us about pressing, this one is teaching us about what stands behind it. Rest defence is the shape your team holds while attacking, and it is the difference between dominating a game and getting picked off on the counter.

May 2026

Sportplan Coaching

VIEW ALL COACHING TRENDS