All Posts by Mike Saif

1 Midfield Pivot Players

By Philip Cauchi Analysis of Italy’s two pivot players Jorginho and Cristante in the 2022 world cup qualifier match versus Lithuania played on September 8 2021. The pivot players’ behavior during the offensive organisation phase. Italy started the match using a 1-4-2-3-1 system operating within an associative style of play.  The match was dominated by

0 Coaching Basic Catching Skills

By Philip Cauchi - The below are games that develop the basic skill of catching which is a pre-requirement for the development of goalkeepers. These games target the foundation phase between eight and twelve years of age. However, they could also be used with younger ages if the children demonstrate to have the ability to

0 Receive With a Change of Direction

By Matt Carroll - The purpose of this individual technique drill to provide repetition of receiving into a change of direction with a high level of repetition and variability. Setup: Set up a rebounders about 10 feet in front of a player and ten feet to their left. This can also work in the corner

0 Designing a Pressing Session

In this week's Animated Drills Video, Matthew Carroll shares how to design a pressing session. The diagram is created with the Academy Soccer Coach software. See more at www.academysoccercoach.co.uk 

1 Marking the Direct Opponent

By Philip Cauchi Level of ability: The players should have a general understanding of the principles of defending pressure, cover and balance. With beginners it might be more fruitful to keep the contexts simple by using less players. With more advanced players we can overload the defenders by playing in a numerical disadvantage. Aim: To

0 Getting Outside Backs Forward in Any Formation

By Matt Carroll For some young players, in their head, playing defense means not crossing half, and definitely no scoring. This mindset is detrimental to their development as players, and your team’s attacking capabilities. The fear for people that put this idea in their head is that if they are out of position the opposition

0 How Your Forwards Should React When Losing Possession

By Danny Carvalho Question - “When we lose possession, my two forwards don't react quick enough to try and get back to help defend. What should forwards be expected to do when your team loses possession and is now defending?” This is a matter of preference and tactical option. The coach can determine if they

1 Ball Gladiators Warm Up and Conditioning Game

By Philip Cauchi Title of practice: Ball Gladiators. Type of practice: Warm-up Age bracket: Under 8 to under 13.  Area of practice: 12 yards by 12 yards. Aim of the practice: The players will be aware of when and how to shield the ball to protect it, play with the head up and continuously assess

1 3v1 Possession Drill

By Keith Scarlett - Line a field into 4 15 yard boxes per the diagram. Players are positioned in the grids as the diagram shows. They play 3v1 for possession in their grid. When the defender wins the ball, they immediately transition to the other grid and play in their two teammates. The player who

0 Transfer From a 4-3-3 to a 4-2-3-1 In Game

By Matthew Carroll Most coaches have heard the Mike Tyson quote “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth”, and it rings especially true for the game of soccer. The best made tactical stratagem can be laid bare when the opposition scores from the kickoff, or your key left winger is sick

0 Two Goalkeeper Sessions

By Philip Cauchi - In this article we will go through the key points learned by observing Sevilla FC’s goalkeeper Yassine Bounou against FC Barcelona in first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final played on Wednesday 10th of February 2021. Following this brief analysis are two practices that target the development of goalkeeping soccer-related

0 Touch and Turn Drill

By Matt Carroll - This small touch and turn drill is a useful one for midfielders. The turn can be used to draw the defender towards one shoulder then quickly turn and find the space vacated by their heavy press. Setup: Setup about eight feet away from a rebounder or wall with a cone five

0 The Role of the Center Midfielder – Attacking eBook

0 Teaching Quality Finishing

By Philip Cauchi Level of ability: This session is aimed for average to above average levels of ability. The players should have an understanding of the individual principles of play such as playing with the head up, adapting an open body profile, receiving and controlling the ball using the back foot and playing forward using

0 Receiving to Shoot in a Private Session

In this week's Animated Drills Video, Matthew Carroll shares private shooting session. The diagram is created with the Academy Soccer Coach software. See more at www.academysoccercoach.co.uk 

0 Pressing in a 3-2-4-1

By Matt Carroll The 3-2-4-1 is unique for its M shaped defensive covering system in the back that doesn’t sacrifice forward attacking options as much as the 4-2-3-1 does. It also provides more firepower for pressing. This article will discuss some tactical concepts for pressing with this formation. Just as in the 4-2-3-1 the press

2 How to Make Defending Interesting For Your Players

By Danny Carvalho Question - “My players don't like it when we work on defending. I coach U11's. Any ideas on how I can make my defending sessions more interesting and fun for my players?” My plan A for a motivating session is always to reward them for performing the expected actions or behaving in

0 Team In Team Out Continuous Play

By Philip Cauchi Title:  Team in – Team out: Continuous play. Area of practice: 30 yards by 25 yards. Number of players: Two goalkeepers and twelve outfield players.  The outfield players are divided into three groups. Workload:  Continuous play for eight minutes with a rest period of three minutes in between series.  Play three of

0 Competitive 1v1s to Goal

By Keith Scarlett - Setup at the halfway line as in diagram below. Once ball is played forward and the first person in each line takes off after it. The player who gets to the ball first has to stop for one second, and then goes 1v1 against the defender as quickly as possible.  

0 The Role of the Withdrawn Forward – Defending eBook

0 Interval Sprint Dribbles

By Matt Carroll - The purpose of this individual technique has two main purposes. First is to increase sprint speed by allowing for recovery between sprints to ensure that they are done at max capacity. The second is to help players begin to increase their ability to receive the ball at high speeds. Setup: Set

0 Covering for Attacking Fullbacks

By Matthew Carroll While commonly associated with a more defensive mindset, the 5-4-1 does allow for some creative forms of attacking football. Most notable of these is the use of attacking fullbacks making deep lying runs or counter attacking dribbles to exploit over aggressive opponents throwing numbers at the back five. The best way to

0 Quick Footwork With Reactions

By Philip Cauchi - Aim: Getting quickly into position to make the save. Key points: 1. Quick short side-steps. 2. Weight on the balls of the feet. 3. The weight of the body inclined slightly forward. 4. Leg cross-over technique to quickly get into position. 5. Arms to the side and in front of the

0 Building a Session Around Finding Space

In this week's Animated Drills Video, Matthew Carroll shares how to build a session around finding space. The diagram is created with the Academy Soccer Coach software. See more at www.academysoccercoach.co.uk