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Sao Paulo Crossing & Finishing
ADDED TO FAVOURITES
Practice Breakdown:
Number of Players: 9 | Pitch size: 1/3 Pitch
This crossing and finishing practice is designed to develop wide-area combinations, quality of delivery and attacking movement inside the box. Two attackers start in central positions, with one of them playing a pass out into a wide area. On the flank, two wide players combine using quick passes, overlaps or underlaps to create space for a cross.
Once the wide combination is completed, the ball is delivered into the penalty area for the two central attackers to attack and finish. The practice is set up on both sides of the pitch, allowing the attacking group to alternate between right and left, encouraging variety in movement, crossing angles and finishing techniques.
• Wide Combination Quality: Encourage sharp, well-timed combinations that create separation from defenders and clear crossing angles consistently.
• Crossing Detail: Reinforce accurate delivery with the correct weight, height and trajectory based on attackers’ movements.
• Timing of Runs: Coach attackers to delay, then explode into finishing zones to avoid arriving too early or late.
• Attacking Movement: Emphasise varied runs across the near post, central and back-post areas to disrupt defensive positioning.
One-Touch Cross:
Require the wide player to deliver the cross first time after the combination to increase tempo and technical demand.
Focus: Improves speed of execution, crossing technique and realism under time pressure.
Add a Passive Defender:
Introduce a passive defender in the box to apply light pressure on attackers during the finishing phase.
Focus: Develops movement under pressure, awareness of space and composed finishing in realistic scenarios.