All Posts by Mike Saif

0 Recovery Runs, Counter Attacking, Acceleration and Speed Endurance

By Justin Cresser

There are times when attacking teams are deep in their opponent’s half, but are keeping possession with the players at the back. However, if the ball is lost at the back from a poor pass or a player trying to beat an opponent off the dribble, this can be very problematic as the team that lost the ball is likely to be spread out in an attempt to provide width, and therefore out of position.

When this happens, defenders have to recover as fast as possible over a great distance and therefore require good speed endurance; whereas attackers need to make rapid decisions in terms of passes and movement off the ball and therefore acceleration and speed of reaction would be beneficial qualities to have.

Today’s activity mimics the situation described above and will involve 3 attackers counter attacking against 3 defenders and a goalie. You will need half of a regular-sized playing field for you playing area. Place two cones at the halfway at the points where the centre circle intersects the line. Place a third cone on the half way line 5 yards in from right side line. Have a player stand behind each of these cones. These will be your three attackers.

Set-up another 3 cones where your recovering defenders will start. Place a cone i) 5 yards behind the cone on the halfway line near the right touchline; ii) on the bottom edge of the centre circle so that it is in line with the centre of the goal; and iii) 5 yards in from the left touch line and 5 yards in front the half-line (Figure 1). Note: the defender on the centre circle must start facing away from goal.

Play starts with the coach playing a firm ball towards the corner flag in the top, right-hand corner of the field (for the right winger to run unto). As soon as this happens,

4 Which Fakes to Teach Young Players

I'm in favor of teaching young players to be very comfortable and confident with the ball by teaching them different fakes . During the initial learning phase I want the players to use them every time they get the ball. Some coaches have told me that you can't teach creativity but I think you give them the tools and then teach them how to use them. This can look a bit rough at first as the kids get comfortable with the fakes but if they use them enough they learn when to use a move and when to choose another option.

There are so many different fakes you can teach that an important question becomes

0 Reading the Touches On Breakaways

Welcome to the Goalkeeping Newsletter.  Today’s featured activity works on reading the touches on breakaways.

Goalkeepers tend to work on the technique and footwork for breakaways but just as important is reading the opponents touches.  Frequently the breakaway opportunity comes about real quickly.

An example of a typical way keepers might work on breakaways is to have a player start 30-40 yards out and dribble in at speed.

In this activity the keeper knows where the breakaway is

0 Playing the Ball Out Of the Back

Welcome to the FineSoccer Drills Newsletter. Today’s featured activity works on playing the ball out of the back.

We are going to play with two teams playing 4 - 4 - 2 but you can use any formations you choose.  There is a keeper in one goal and the other end line (70 yards away) has two 8 yard wide goals on the ends.

The ball starts with the keeper and the team defending the goal (in this case the black team) gets a

2 Teaching Group Defending Principles while Developing Anaerobic Capacity

By Justin Cresser

In today’s activity we work on teaching the principles of group defending (Pressure, Cover and Balance) while working on anaerobic conditioning.

Divide your players into groups of three and pair two groups together. Set up a playing area that is 15 yards long and 20 yards wide for each set of 6 players. Have the players of one group stand at both corners and the centre of the touch line at the top of the playing area. (These players are not allowed to move or enter the playing grid) Instruct the players of the second group to stand opposite to the players of the first group on the bottom touch line (These are your defenders). The defender in the centre of the bottom touch line should have a ball (Figure 1).

Play is initiated by the defender with ball playing a pass into the feet of the centre player at the top touch line. This defender immediately pressures the player who receives the pass, while the other

0 Defend Like the Italians

Believe it or not, most coaches spend little time coaching defending compared to coaching possession and attacking. Yet not conceding goals is just as important as scoring them if you want to win games. There are reasons coaches spend more time coaching possession and attacking...first and foremost, it's more fun to coach and players prefer the fun of scoring goals in practice more than they do working at stopping them. Another reason is that some coaches find it difficult to coach defending...they just don't have enough defending drills and exercises in their library.

The good news is we have a great book on defending. Zonal Defending the Italian Way. This book will give you the tools you need to create some great defending sessions. And who better to learn from than the Italians. The Brazilians are known for their trickery and technical skill. The Germans for their organization and discipline. But when it comes to defense, then the Italians are the best around. So if you’re struggling for ideas on how to tighten your back line, how to concede fewer goals and how to win more games, then the tactics used by the best Italian coaches of the last two decades are the perfect ones to study.

Zonal Defending the Italian Way provides an in-depth look at the Italian back four and their

1 Finishing from Volleys and Headers

I've always had a standing challenge to my teams (U13 and below), if they score a headed goal, I buy ice cream for the next practice. It's been a way to encourage the players to try and score with their head if they can. This has been most successful with the girls teams I have coached. The extra incentive has become something that the team rallies around.

After spending a few weeks working on our combination play to score we played very well in our next games. Two of our three goals came from combinations in the middle of the field.

Another area that I've wanted to address

1 The Tactic of How to Beat Barcelona

By Waleed Zaghloul.

Watching the latest Classico, I was wondering how much change will be seen from both teams based on the analysis of some vulnerabilities in a previous meeting this year (discussed in previous blogs). Some of the points analyzed back then showed two vulnerabilities for Barca, defending the counter attack specially against speedy opposition and the other was their left back. Real Madrid were overly aggressive in closing down Messi that they left other Barca player wide open at the back. Madrid were also notably losing their heads and committed very hard fouls when whatever they tried tactically did not work. Let us have a look at some instances of the latest Classico and decide for yourselves.

Asleep at the Wheel

This first image shows, in addition to the fact that this goal should very well have been called off for offside, a lack of interest from the Barcelona players. Four of the five players are off position and do not seem to be marking any of the Real players and all four are

4 Developing a Dynamic First Touch, While Improving Speed Dribbling and Sprinting Technique

By Justin Cresser

A good first touch is essential in soccer; and as a coach, one of the coaching points that I repeatedly stress is taking the first touch into Space. Whether it is the space you want to attack with a dribble, or it is into space away from a pressuring defender, taking a dynamic first touch will prove beneficial.

The following exercise is geared towards developing the ability to take the first touch into space, but also incorporates speed dribbling and sprinting.

Divide your players into groups of 2. Each group needs 1 ball. Set up the following station for each pair: Place 2 small cones 5 yards apart so that they are in a straight line. Have both players stand at a cone each so that they are facing each other and ensure one of the players has a ball at their feet. Place another set of 2 cones (5 yards apart) 20 yards to the side of the first two cones so that both sets are in line with each other (Figure 1).

When ready, have the player with the ball pass to their partner and then immediately sprint towards

0 Reading and Anticipating Shots

Welcome to the Goalkeeping Newsletter.  Today’s featured activity works on reading the game and anticipating shots.

When training keepers we frequently put them in a situation where they know a shot is coming.  In many cases, not only do they know when the shot is coming but also from where.  To allow the keeper to work on this we can play a 4 v 4 (any numbers really would work) possession game using the width of the 6 as one set of boundaries and the penalty spot to the top of the D as the other set of boundaries.  A keeper is in goal.

Whichever team has the ball must make 3 consecutive passes and at that

0 Small-Sided Game For Heading That Your Players Will Love

Welcome to the FineSoccer Drills Newsletter.  Today’s featured activities work on heading.  There is an excellent DVD devoted just to heading that you might want to check out at 30 Minute Soccer Clinic - Heading

When you watch a lot of youth games (and it’s probably safe to lump a lot of professional games into this statement as well) you see that heading is an often neglected skill.  Great opportunities are squandered because players aren’t prepared to finish with their head.  Goal scoring opportunities are given to the other team because of bad clearances with the head.

Here is a simple game to work on heading with a purpose.

Start with a 30 x 30 area (size can vary) and have two teams of five plus a neutral player in the grid

One team starts with a ball in one of their

3 Teaching the Movement of the Forwards in the 4-3-3

As I've written about several times, I've been going through the process of training one of my teams to play the 4-3-3 formation. I've always used a 4-4-2 or a 3-4-3 in the past so this has been a learning experience for me as well as the players.

I began with the defensive phase of the game to give the team a foundation to build on. They now have a good understanding of their responsibilities when we don't have the ball and that has made us a tough team create chances against. As a part of this we've worked a great deal on getting our wing backs involved by pushing them forward when we win the ball. This put emphasis on our wide play and we've been able to generate a lot of our offense by attacking the flanks with both our wing backs and wingers.

The area that we have been lacking

3 Is Mourinho's 4-3-3 System Better Than Ferguson's 4-4-2 System?

One of our best selling books over the past few years has been the 4-4-2 v 4-3-3. This book takes an in-depth look at two of the greatest managers/coaches in today's game...Sir Alex Ferguson and Jose Mourhino. Both have incredible records, yet both have their teams play with a different style and formation. Ferguson opts for the 4-4-2 and Mourhinho with the 4-3-3.

The argument as to who is better or what formation is better is too contentious for any book to answer. But what this special book, 4-4-2 vs 4-3-3, does do is to analysis in-depth the differing formations, strategies and tactics used by the two managers.

Through assessing the key players, the way in which the team adapted to new signings and how both managers adjusted their team's play to get

6 Developing Aerobic Endurance and Dribbling Skills

By Justin Cresser

Soccer involves performing repeated high intensity actions over the course of a 90 minute (less for younger players) game.  A high level of aerobic endurance is therefore required by soccer players as this component of conditioning aids in recovering from these high intensity actions, and prevents a decrease in technical performance that occurs with fatigue.

One of the best methods to improve aerobic endurance is interval training, a form of cardiovascular training that involves performing short periods of high intensity work interspersed with work periods of lower intensity.

Consider the following dribbling activity, which uses the interval training format, to enhance the aerobic capacity of your players.

Set up 8 to 10 small cones, 5 yards apart, 15 to 20 yards from the top of one penalty area. Give each player a ball and instruct them to dribble around inside the playing area using small touches while keeping their heads up (Figure 1). They are not allowed to go outside the penalty box and they must always be moving.

After 90 seconds, have all players dribble as fast as possible, but

0 The Psychology of the Pre-Game Warm-Up

Welcome to the Goalkeeping Newsletter.  Today’s topic deals with the psychology of the pre game warm up.

The technical and tactical sides of goalkeeping are important.  The psychological sides are just as important (and possibly even more so).

As a coach, when the teams are warming up prior to a game, I want to watch my keeper but I will also watch the other teams keepers.  If I see bad technique, poor footwork or an overall lack of athleticism, I’ll make note of this and make sure the team I’m coaching is aware of this and encourage them to shoot whenever possible because it looks like the keeper position is a weakness.  If the keeper looks like they have good technique, good footwork and is athletic I most likely will not mention the keeper at all.  Based on this alone, I know if the keeper I’m coaching works hard in warm ups, shows proper technique, footwork and attitude, there is a good chance the opposing team will notice this as well.  This means that encouraging the keeper warm up with a

0 A Small-Sided Game With a Twist

Welcome to the FineSoccer Drills Newsletter.  Today’s featured activity is a small sided game with a twist.

Start with a keeper in goal, 2 attackers and 2 defenders.  The attackers and defenders start around the 12 yard spot.  A server starts with balls around 30 yards out.

In this example, the black team is attacking and

0 Forcing Opposition Back and Finding Space the Barcelona Way

By Stevie Greive

As the ball is returned to Pique, Iniesta checks his run for the 4th time! This time, as Alonso is too far away, he wont be able to press effectively and stop Iniesta receiving with ease. Iniesta dribbles back then passes back to Pique, then circles round the back of Alonso. Xavi is ready to make his circle run, and when he does, Messi will fill in his space (positional rotation).

Note the Real Madrid players circled and who they are supposed to be marking – Diarra (Xavi) Pepe (Messi) Alonso (Iniesta) and Di Maria (Alves). Only Pepe is

1 Integrating Short Sprints into a 3 V 3 Small-Sided Game

By Justin Cresser

Playing a 3 v 3 small-sided game (SSG) is an excellent way to improve the anaerobic endurance of your players. It is also an excellent way to work on basic group defending and attacking. However, by making one simple modification you can get all the technical and tactical benefits of a normal 3 v 3 SSG and also target starting speed as well as acceleration. This exercise also places a greater emphasis on the anaerobic component.
Set up a 20 by 20 yard playing area. Place two small goals (1.5 yards apart) on the end line at the bottom of the playing area.  Each goal should be 1 yard in from the closest sideline (Figure 1). Have 3 players stand a few yards apart, 10 yards behind the end line with the goals. These are your defenders. Have another 3 players stand a few yards apart on the end line at the top of the playing area. These are your attackers (Figure 1).

Play starts with one of the 3 defenders playing a hard pass along the ground to any of the 3 attackers. As soon as

0 Using Small-Sided Games to Develop Players

Most coaches use small-sided games as part of their training sessions. Sometimes this is limited to a 10 minute scrimmage at the end of the session.

During the spring season I will often run an entire session that revolves around two or three small-sided games to reinforce technical or tactical topics that we have covered a number of times during the fall and winter. As the session continues the players move in and out of the two or three different games. Each one has a slightly different challenge for the players to solve. The players enjoy the change of pace and the games help the players connect the skills we've developed to the game itself.

I'm always on the lookout for games that are a bit different. A book that we recently released has given me a number of good games that my players have really enjoyed.  Check it out here.

Developing Creativity Through Small-Sided Games, is written by Brazilian soccer coach, Eduardo Andriatti Paulo. He feels that the Brazilian system has moved away from

0 A Coach's Guide to the 4-3-3

We are really excited about our new book, A Coach's Guide to the 4-3-3. Check out the introduction and a sample excerpt below.

INTRODUCTION

The Brazilian National Team under Aymoré Moreira in 1962 was one of the first top tier teams to use the 4-3-3 formation. It was a variation from the 4-2-4 previously employed by the Brazilians. Subsequently other great teams have made

0 Improving Footwork and Positioning

Welcome to the Goalkeeping Newsletter.  Today’s featured activity works on footwork, positioning and shot blocking.

Start with a couple field players near the top corner of the 18 with balls and a keeper in goal.

The first player starts dribbling across the

0 Finishing With Pressure Around the Box

Welcome to the FineSoccer Drills Newsletter.  Today’s featured activity works on finishing around the 18 and dealing with pressure.

Start with a server with some balls around 25 yards from goal.  A forward starts on the 18 and a defender is marking the forward.  A keeper is in goal.

The server plays the ball into the forward and the forwards job is to

0 Distributing With the Feet

Welcome to the Goalkeeping Newsletter. Today’s featured activity works on receiving a ball with the feet and distributing under control.

Start with a keeper in goal, a three yard wide gate at the top corners of the 18 and a server 25 yards out with some balls.

1 Footwork, Shot Blocking and Recovery

Welcome to the Goalkeeping Newsletter. Today’s featured activity works on footwork, shotblocking and quick recovery.

This activity requires a keeper, a full sized goal, a cone, a server and a few balls. The keeper starts at one of the posts and the cone is set in the middle of the goal, four yards out. The server has some balls at the 12 yard spot.