Weekly English Premier League Opinion - World Cup Edition Day 2Egypt vs. UruguayNobody is giving Egypt a chance. Uruguay have two world class strikers, two seasoned central defenders and a host of talent in and around them. Egypt’s talisman Mo Salah was deemed fit enough only for the bench and that decision seems to put
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Weekly English Premier League Opinion - World Cup Edition Day 1Few could wish for a more enthralling opening to a World Cup than a couple of Goliath teams battling it out with the eyes of the entire globe staring in. The soccer scheduling gods did well with this one. The two lowest ranking teams in
Continue readingWORLD CLASS COACHING 30 Finishing Rondos By Luca Bertolini Table of Contents PART ONE INTRODUCTION MOVING FROM POSSESSION TO FINISHING PHASE KEY POINTS FOR PRACTICING FINISHING RONDOS PART TWO ONE-GRID RONDOS PART THREE TWO-GRID RONDOS PART FOUR THREE, FOUR AND SIX-GRID RONDOS Introduction: The Possession Principles of Play Soccer is an attacking game whose objective is
Continue readingWORLD CLASS COACHING 30 Finishing Rondos By Luca Bertolini Table of Contents PART TWO ONE-GRID RONDOS Single Grid Rondos Exercise 1: 2 + 1 v 1 - Third man finishing (1) Sequence Two black players are placed along one of the longer sides of a rectangle and along one of the shorter sides. One neutral player
Continue readingWORLD CLASS COACHING 30 Finishing Rondos By Luca Bertolini Table of Contents PART THREE TWO-GRID RONDOS Two-Grid Rondos Exercise 16: Alternate 2 + 1 v 1 duels or 3 + 1 v 2 transition duel Sequence A rectangular area is divided into two numbered zones vertically (1 and 2) and two goals with goalkeepers are placed
Continue readingWORLD CLASS COACHING 30 Finishing Rondos By Luca Bertolini Table of Contents PART FOUR THREE, FOUR AND SIX-GRID RONDOS Three-Grid Rondos Exercise 23: 3 v 1 to build up and 1 v 1s to finish Sequence A rectangular area is divided into three areas; a lower and horizontal one to build up and two upper one
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By Anthony Hazelwood The following activity has two groups of players play a 4 vs. 4 activity, however each player is restricted to stay in a 10 x 10 yd. squared zone within the overall grid. The idea is to have a fluid possession game within the time of play while creating an isolated 1
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By Steven Smith This session is focused on tactical training while encouraging all players to stay focused during full sided play and while making every effort to never let the mind wander during that play. Shift and Shift with every ball movement. Think two and even three steps ahead. Try to find specifically trained patterns. Activity
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By Gregg Gillies - Set Up: Size (45 x 35 depending on age, skill level, etc. - can be brought down as far as 30 x 25) Depending on your technical and tactical focus as well as equipment available this can be played with small goals or full size with goalies. See diagram 1 below for
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Weekly English Premier League Opinion - World Cup EditionFor a change of pace, while the EPL is in their off-season and we have the World Cup to look forward to and enjoy, the Weekly EPL Opinion blog, will become the "World Cup Edition". Jonny Carter will continue to give his opinions on the teams, players
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By Tom Mura Question - This high school girls’ soccer season has just begun where I live, and I coach a local JV team. As the JV coach, I view my job as one with two parts, soccer development and confidence building. Normally, I have the girls play a 4-1-2-1-2, partly because it's a simple enough formation
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By Scott Housden - The exercise below is a great drill to finish a shot stopping session on. It adds an element of competitiveness among the goalkeepers as they can take turns in shooting. It is also a good marker as to how much the goalkeepers have absorbed during the session as a key component to
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Chelsea's Change of Tactics and Why It Has Hurt ThemWeekly English Premier League Opinion #33In this video, Jonny Carter talks about Conte changing the tactics that Chelsea used to win the EPL last year.What do you think? Agree? Disagree? Please let us know by commenting below.
Continue readingWORLD CLASS COACHING 30 Transition Rondos By Luca Bertolini Table of Contents PART ONE INTRODUCTION THE KEY POINTS WHEN PRACTICING RONDOS SINGLE GRID TRANSITION RONDOS PART TWO TWO GRID RONDOS PART THREE THREE-GRID RONDOS PART FOUR FOUR-GRID RONDOS Introduction: About Rondos Introduction: the Transition Phases In every kind of football match, teams are involved in possession
Continue readingWORLD CLASS COACHING 30 Transition Rondos By Luca Bertolini Table of Contents PART TWO TWO GRID RONDOS Two Grid Rondos Exercise 18: 2 v 2 + 2 and 1 + 1 transition with exchange of positions and roles (1) Sequence The playing space is divided into two areas. Two black players are placed along the vertical
Continue readingWORLD CLASS COACHING 30 Transition Rondos By Luca Bertolini Table of Contents PART THREE THREE-GRID RONDOS Three Grid Rondos Exercise 24: 2 v 2 + 1, double 1 v 1 duel and same transitions phases Sequence The playing space is divided into three areas; one horizontal lower area and two upper and vertical ones. Two black
Continue readingWORLD CLASS COACHING 30 Transition Rondos By Luca Bertolini Table of Contents PART FOUR FOUR-GRID RONDOS Four-Grid Rondos Exercise 28: 8 v 4 and 4 v 4 transition with alternate directions Sequence The playing space is divided into four squares. Two black players are placed along the outer end lines of all the squares and one
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By Alex Trukan Defending in 4-4-2 is relatively simple and provides good organisation and structure. If executed well, it is very hard to break down and attack against. One of the key areas where overloads can be created and players moved out of positions is centre. Here comes a crucial role of central midfielders who
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By Steven Smith Area Size: Two 12 by 12 yard grids are set up just outside the 18-box as shown. Groups are divided into five per group. Need at least 10 players plus keepers. Teams: Four teams of five in two different bib colors Time: 12 minutes Objective: To be able to technically retain possession in
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By Mike Smith For me, the argument between playing a sweeper and playing a flat back has always missed one important aspect – why not do both? Understandably, leaving a player deep at the back of the defensive line does put a team at a disadvantage when their opponent is good a moving the ball around
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By Steven Smith This session is designed to support target play especially coming from the midfield central players. Many modifications can be made to have the striker receive from various positions on the field. Activity 1: Dutch Squares Warm-up Setup: Three square grids are set up with 10-yard by 10-yard dimensions with barrier space between each
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By Anthony Hazelwood The following activity triggers players to attack or defend their opponent while going to goal. This activity is a line type of exercise with the soccer specific fitness target being player athletic development with the metabolic training adaptation being speed production. The time of action should be around 4 to 8 seconds’
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