All Posts by Mike Saif

0 Zonal or Man Marking Defending

By Keith Scarlett In football there are two broad categories of defensive approaches; zonal defending and man-marking. Each approach has sub-divisions; however, the two styles differ mainly on reference points. In zonal defending each player references their team-mates and the ball, in man-marking however, the reference point is the opponent. The difference in reference points

0 Tactical Reasons to Play With One or Two Holding Midfielders

By Philip Cauchi Question - Some teams play with one holding midfielder and some with two holding midfielders. Is there a tactical reason to play with one or two? The tactical reason to play with one or two holding midfielders is not restricted only to the midfield structure but also how the rest of the

0 Four Corners Reactive Agility

By Philip Cauchi Title: Four corners reactive agility. Theme: Reactive agility. Development of the soccer domains: Technical: Receiving and passing the ball with accuracy. Tactical: n/a. Mental: React quickly to verbal and visual stimuli. Physical: Perform quick changes of direction at speed while maintaining balance. Organisation: Area measuring 5 yards x 5 yards. A player

0 Live Raptor Bomb Game

By Matthew Carroll - Description: The diagonal pass from the endline is statistically the most dangerous pass in the game from an attacking standpoint. The Live Raptor Bomb drill attempts to recreate repetition of this scenario in as an organic manner as possible. Setup: One 30x30 grid is set up with a 5v5 being played

0 Four Group Passing Drill

By Arthur Bell - Setup: Area – 30 yds. X 30 yds. Players x 16. Cones x 4. Balls Execution: 4 players at each of the cones. First player passes long to the second player, then follows his pass. Second player, receives and lays ball back, then runs to the next cone on his left.

0 Each Positional Role in the 3-4-3

By Matthew Carroll The 343 is a more attack minded version of the 5-4-1 and can be taught with the concept of just moving every outside player up one line, in fact in the low block the formation should essentially become a 5-4-1. The system you run will ultimately decide on how your 3-4-3 will

0 Be a Distraction In Goal

By Mike Smith - I was first introduced to the concept of being a distraction in goal through what I felt at the time was a poor choice of words. I actually always wanted to be a full time keeper but as I was always small – I was only 5 feet tall 100lbs when

0 Klopp v Guardiola Defending eBook

0 How to Play With Three Center Backs

By Keith Scarlett A key quality of a back 5 is that they have 1 extra central defender, the one who is covering for both the outside central defenders. A common mistake when looking to pin a back 5 is to try and pin the covering central defender (we will call him the sweeper for

0 Training Session Using Barcelona's Structure

By Philip Cauchi Introduction: In this session we will work using the structured method of FC Barcelona’s Francisco ‘Paco’ Seirul-lo. FC Barcelona view the player as an individual composed of eight structures which are interrelated and affect each other. Through optimised planning of our training sessions, we can develop these structures within a specific stage

0 The Pros and Cons of a Back Three

By Philip Cauchi Question - I notice a lot of pro teams are now playing with a back three. What are the pros and cons of a back three? Playing with a back three comes down to the quality of players you have in your team. If you don’t have any natural wingers then you

0 1v1 Conditioning Drills

By Philip Cauchi Title: Strength in the duel – get unmarked in a 1v1. Theme: Strength in the duel. Development of the soccer domains: Technical: Quality of technical actions performed under heavy opposition pressure such as shielding the ball, passing the ball with accuracy, oriented first touch and shooting. Tactical: Perform off-the-ball movements such as

0 The Most Effective Pass in the Game

By Matthew Carroll - Description: The purpose of the Raptor Bomb drill is to recreate the most effective key pass in the game, the pass directed from the edge of the box and backwards into the 18 with high repetition and pace. Setup: Set up a gate angled to cut over the corner of the

0 Klopp v Guardiola Attacking eBook

0 Different Phases of Counter-Attacking

By Matthew Carroll The 3-5-2 can be an interesting tactic to use in order to counter opponents. The flood of midfield players can cause chaos on the counter with the right level of movement and interchange as opposition players need to quickly adjust the rapid role change of deep lying wingers and 3 attacking players

0 How to Extend a Goalkeepers Reach

By Mike Smith - Just as most field players have a dominant foot, most keepers have a dominant leg they prefer to push off from. This usually corresponds with the dominant foot so if your keeper is right footed, chances are they prefer to launch from their right leg. I teach my keepers to shift

0 Counter-Pressing Drills

By Arthur Bell - Setup: Area – 30 yds. X 30 yds. Players x 8 - 11. Cones x 6. Balls Execution: 4 players on the outside plus 1 on the inside V 3 defenders. Players in black keep possession, passes must go through the player in the circle. If the three players in the

0 Coaching Positional Awareness

By Philip Cauchi Introduction: Coaching individual players should not be done in an isolated manner away from the rest of the team. We should always keep in mind that a player’s performance depends heavily on the level of the communication between her and her teammates. The positional awareness of the player is directly influenced by

0 Making Good Attacking Decisions

By Keith Scarlett This training session is designed to provide opportunity for players to learn the when, why and how of making decisions when attacking. Unrestricted space – warm-up: ball between three people – passing and moving Coaching points: - Good passing technique • In order for the players to make good tactical choices they

0 Scoring Goals With Set Plays Vol 3 eBook

0 A Sweeper or a Zonal Back Four

By Philip Cauchi Question - What is easier to teach and why? A flat back four or a back four with a sweeper? Which of the two system is easier to teach is a very open question as it depends on the level of game insight and general soccer abilities your players possess. Moreover, how

0 Lose Your Marker to Score Conditioning Game

By Philip Cauchi Theme: Rapidity. Development of the soccer domains: Technical: Receive and control the ball while moving at speed. Finish with accuracy. Tactical: Getting unmarked to receive the ball. Mental: Quick thinking under opposition pressure of what moves to perform to lose the defender. Physical: Perform rapid movements while maintaining the body in a

0 3v2 to 5v5 Transition Game

By Matthew Carroll - Description: The purpose of this grid game is to create moments of transition focusing on building from the back and the counter attack. By creating a smaller field and more transition moments the players can more effectively envision and execute lighting fast counters from goalie buildup. Setup: Create 2 connected 30x30

1 Each Role in the 4-2-3-1

By Matthew Carroll Along with the 4-3-3, the 4-2-3-1 is one of the most commonly used formations at the professional level today. It is a uniquely flexible formation that can be used to fit any number of styles of play. Below are listed some general roles that players should be aware of when playing within