All Posts by Mike Saif

4 Developing the Ability to Shield the Ball from an Opponent while Improving Anaerobic Endurance and Repeated Sprint Ability

By Justin Cresser

I was watching the El Classico game over the weekend and it was a fantastic game. Although we most frequently talk about Barcelona’s ability to pass and move, another thing the players do so well is to protect the ball from pressuring defenders in tight spaces. In today’s exercise we will work on improving the ability to shield the ball from an opponent while developing anaerobic endurance and repeated sprint ability.

Set up a 15 yard by 15 yard playing area (it may be smaller or larger depending on numbers). With the exception of 2 to 3 players, give each individual a ball and instruct them to dribble around inside the playing area using small touches. Have the players without a ball stand on the edge of the playing area wearing a different colour bib (Figure 1). These are your pressuring defenders. You will want a ratio of approximately 1:4 defenders to dribbling players.

When ready, the coach should direct the defenders to sprint inside the playing area and try to

0 Positioning and Reading the Game

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

This is a 3 v 2 activity with a keeper in goal and uses half a field.

The player in the middle starts with the ball and can initiate the attack with a

0 Combining Skill Work With Agility and Fitness

Welcome to the FineSoccer Drills Newsletter.  Today’s activity combines simple skill work with agility and fitness.

Start with 6 flags (or cones) staggered to create a “zig zag course”.  The players start at one end and a server starts with a ball in the middle.

The first player in line sprints around the near flag and as he is sprinting to

3 Play Like Champions League Teams

There is no question that the world's best teams play regularly in the Champions League. And one of the great thing about the Champions League is the diverse tactics employed by the various teams. Barcelona have their style, Man U play with a 4-4-2 or the variant 4-5-1, Bayern Munich play with their familiar German style, Chelsea with a 4-3-3 and so on.

All the styles obviously have some merit because the teams are all successful in their own leagues and to a certain extent, in the Champions League. But as a coach, what style is the most effective? What style should you adopt for your own team? No one can answer these questions for you, but most experts will say that whatever style of play you prefer, it will have to be flexible enough to fit the kind of players you have in your team.

Our book, Champions League Tactics, gives you an in-depth look at the methods, tactics and systems of play from the best known coaches and clubs in the world. The book begins with a overview of the characteristics and tendencies of

0 A Progressive Method to Teaching Fakes

In last week's post I discussed the first few fakes that I teach young players. I thought it would be a good idea to share HOW I teach these fakes to players as young as six and seven.

I set up by arranging a set of cones in the pattern below.

This allows me to see everyone from the front of the group and it gives them the

0 Great Activity For the Goalkeeper AND the Team

Welcome to the Goalkeeping Newsletter.  Today’s featured activity works on a keeper reading the situation when the ball is on the end line.  This activity is great for keepers as well as the rest of the team.

Start with a keeper in goal, an attacking player on the end line just outside the 18, a defender 3 yards behind the player on the end line and a few attacking and defending players in the 18.

As soon as the attacker with the ball touches it, the game is live.

The attacker can dribble straight toward

0 Supporting the Backs On Their First Touch

Welcome to the FineSoccer Drills Newsletter.  Today’s featured activity involves supporting the backs on their first touch.

To start, have a server with balls around midfield and a back near the top of the 18.  A midfielder is 10 yards in front of the back.

The server plays a ball into the back and the midfielder has to position himself to receive a

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