By Mike Smith I had the opportunity this week to watch the Nashville SC of the USL take on ( and defeat ) the Colorado Rapids of MLS in the Lamar Hunt Open Cup. While on paper Nashville may have been overmatched, the way the game was played told a different story. Nashville played brilliantly with
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By Philip Cauchi Moment of the game: In possession. Theme: 1v1 in attack. Age category: Under 9 to under 12. Number of players: 16. Aim: To dribble past the opponent in a 1v1 situation. Key performance outcomes: Direction oriented first touch. Quick footwork with the ball. Feint to disguise and unbalance the opponent. Quick change
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By Keith Scarlett This activity works on speed of play. Set-up: A 40 yard x 30 yard grid with a 20 yard x 15 yard grid in the middle of it. There are two teams of 7. The two teams play possession with the only restriction being that only one-touch is permitted inside of the
Continue readingWORLD CLASS COACHING 4-3-3 Defending By Luca Bertolini Table of Contents PART ONE Introduction Basic Principles of Play Without the Ball - 1 PART TWO Basic Principles of Play Without the Ball - 2 Transitions to Defend and Key Defending Principles PART THREE Players/Positions Roles and Responsibilities PART FOUR 4-3-3 Defensive Shapes Introduction As already analyzed
Continue readingWORLD CLASS COACHING 4-3-3 Defending By Luca Bertolini Table of Contents PART TWO Basic Principles of Play Without the Ball - 2 Transitions to Defend and Key Defending Principles Basic Principles of Play Without the Ball - 2 When the pressing lines are overcome, as in this example, Liverpool retreats the positions in with very
Continue readingWORLD CLASS COACHING 4-3-3 Defending By Luca Bertolini Table of Contents PART THREE Players/Positions Roles and Responsibilities Players/Positions Roles and Responsibilities Goalkeeper: • Direct the defense line while the team is attacking • Direct the defense positioning of the team when is defending inside the first third • Awareness to support the team when it's
Continue readingWORLD CLASS COACHING 4-3-3 Defending By Luca Bertolini Table of Contents PART FOUR 4-3-3 Defensive Shapes 4-3-3 Defensive Shapes The 1-4-5-1 could be considered as the most common defense shape of the 1-4-3-3; but this is true only on paper and only considering the retreating movements of the fullbacks, joining the center backs and of the
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By Philip Cauchi Question - My U16 team has had numerous difficulties with transitioning to the attack due to lack of central midfield play. Unfortunately I have lost my excellent CMF long term and we are struggling to adapt. Player pool is limited so we need to use what we have. I have always put
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By Anthony Hazelwood The following activity has two teams playing a 11 vs. 11 game activity. The specific fitness target is match endurance while adapting the player’s aerobic capacity in a game scenario activity. The field is split into three zones and the ball starts from a goal kick scenario. The ball will begin with
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By Matthew Carroll Description: The Triangle Shooting Game is designed to create a competitive shooting environment where elements of short rhythmic passing, pass and move, as well as finishing are integrating into a short effective drill. Can be used in practice or as a pre-game warm-up Setup: Place three cones in a triangle about 5-10
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By Mike Smith “Make your opponent move in a way which helps you and hurts them.” Maybe an overly simplistic statement, but the logic is there. Too many times I see teams build a text book attack, have the ball out wide, numbers crashing the box and then the service comes in behind the front 2
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By Mike Smith - My first real coaching “job” was as a girls junior varsity head coach / varsity assistant. The varsity coach who hired me quickly became a mentor and good friend, but I soon found out the “ varsity assistant” title meant after practice shooting dummy for the former Man U Developmental Player
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By Sean Reed - Objective This session can be included within the warm-up, as an engagement exercise focusing on movement, awareness and communication. It was a game I came across when visiting a Serie A team and was used as part of their warm-up. There are many ways to adapt and progress according to the
Continue readingWORLD CLASS COACHING 4-3-3 Attacking By Luca Bertolini Table of Contents PART ONE Introduction Basic Principles of Play With the Ball PART TWO Possession and Key Attacking Principles Movement Without the Ball - Variation of Runs PART THREE Players/Positions Roles and Responsibilities PART FOUR 4-3-3 History, Different Line Ups and Applications Introduction A 1-4-3-3 team formation
Continue readingWORLD CLASS COACHING 4-3-3 Attacking By Luca Bertolini Table of Contents PART TWO Possession and Key Attacking Principles Movement Without the Ball - Variation of Runs Possession and Key Attacking Principles Building up from the back and playing out: when the goalkeeper starts the possession phases (building up from the back) and when the ball
Continue readingWORLD CLASS COACHING 4-3-3 Attacking By Luca Bertolini Table of Contents PART THREE Players/Positions Roles and Responsibilities Players/Positions Roles and Responsibilities Goalkeeper: • He is able to help his teammates with instruction, exploiting his back position and perspective to to see the whole field • He has good technical skills with both feet and with
Continue readingWORLD CLASS COACHING 4-3-3 Attacking By Luca Bertolini Table of Contents PART FOUR 4-3-3 History, Different Line Ups and Applications 4-3-3 History, Different Line Ups and Applications 1-4-3-3 system was not invented by the Dutch but their application created the "Total Football" thanks to Rinus Michels. It used the space through players movements even out
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By Philip Connolly Objective: To work on players ability to create chances and finish in the final third of the pitch. Practice 1: Objective: To start the players finishing on goal early in the session while also having to combine with players to move around the area to score so working on scanning ability and awareness.
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By Keith Scarlett This activity works on combination-play and off the ball movement. Set-up: A 40 yard x 30 yard grid with 5x5 yard grids on each corner. There are three teams of four. Two teams are in the middle playing against each other, while the third team has one player each in each of
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By Mike Smith Question - My team was up 3-1 at halftime and playing well. In the second half we conceded two early goals. The team then completely lost their shape, left players unmarked and were totally disorganized at the back. In this situation, would you consider changing to a different formation to try and
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By Anthony Hazelwood The following activity has the defending players working on their soccer specific muscle strength, while targeting their anaerobic energy system. Four grids are created in a half field environment. A four vs. two activity is played in each grid – with each grid measuring 15 x 15 yds. The four attacking players
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By Matthew Carroll Description: The purpose this game is to create full field awareness. While players must focus on the task of breaking the defensive line and scoring, they also must be aware of the game occurring simultaneously on the other side of the pitch. The game also challenges the goalkeepers to do double duty
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