Tag Archives for " Booked "

0 Midfielders and Forwards Combination Play

Welcome to the FineSoccer Drills Newsletter.  Today’s featured activity works on midfielders and forwards working together in combination play.

We want our players to get accustomed to looking for combination opportunities so in these activities we recreate various ones.

Starting with 4 attacking players and a keeper.  One player is a forward, one is an outside midfielder and 2 are central midfielders.

The first combination simply is a pass into the target player who then

2 High-Intensity Conditioning Circuit for Pre-Season Training

By Justin Cresser

Our club begins the major competitive season in the next 2 to 3 weeks, so we are therefore entering into the pre-season phase of the training year. As you transition from the off to the pre-season, the focus should shift to high-intensity training and developing anaerobic endurance. In addition, more time is needed to focus on match preparation (tactics, team shape, etc.) and less time is devoted to fitness training, so your conditioning exercises need to be as economical as possible.

Today’s exercise is a simple conditioning circuit. It is an exercise that I most frequently use during the pre-season as it is very efficient and demands a high work-rate. Not only does it incorporate agility, acceleration and speed endurance; but the work-to-rest ratio also allows you to develop the anaerobic capacity of your players.

For this exercise, you will need a playing area at least 20 yards long and 30 yards wide. Divide your squad into two equal groups. (The amount of cones and stations you set up will depend on the number of players you have. In this example, we have assumed they are two groups of 5 players each.)

Set up a horizontal row of 6 cones so that each cone is 5 yards apart. This creates 5 channels that are all 5 yards in width. Have each player in one of the groups stand in the middle of each channel so that they are 7 yards behind the row of cones. These players should each have a ball (Figure 1).

Set up another row of 6 cones (each cone 5 yards apart), 7 yards away from the first row so that each cone, except the first, is directly in line with a player standing with a ball. Have the players in the other group line up behind the first cone in the second row as shown below (Figure 1).

When ready, the player at the front of the line will

1 Functional Training of the Centre Midfielder: Change of Direction, Half-turns and Speed Dribbling

By Justin Cresser

As your players advance and begin to play at higher levels, they will need some degree of Functional or Position-specific Soccer training. For example, wingers need to be good dribblers and crossers of the ball and should therefore devote time to perfecting these skills. In a similar fashion, central defenders need to be strong in the air and proficient in 1 v 1 situations. The same is true for conditioning. Players in the various positions will have specific conditioning needs and coaches should allocate some time to developing position-specific fitness needs.

Most of the exercises we present on this website are general fitness exercises, in that; they are suitable for every player on the team, regardless of position. This week and every so often however, we will look at position-specific conditioning exercises. Today’s activity is geared towards the central midfielder, but strikers and wingers can also benefit from the drill.

Center mids are often called upon to create space between themselves and their marker, check back to receive a pass played to their feet and in one motion, turn and attack the space in front of them. This sequence of movements is frequently seen with passing midfielders that play in front of the back four, such as Real Madrid’s Xavi Alonso, and requires good agility as well as proper turning and receiving technique.
Divide your players into groups of two. For each pair, set up 3 cones 12 yards apart in a straight line. Have yours players stand at each of the end cones facing each other. One of them should have a ball at their feet (Figure 1).

When ready, the player without the ball will run to the right of the cone in the centre. When they reach midway between this cone and their

0 A Group Warm-Up For Goalkeepers

Welcome to the Goalkeeping Newsletter.  Today we will show a simple group warm up activity for keepers

A keeper starts in a small goal (6 yards wide).  A player starts 15 yards out with a ball and other players start on an angle in each direction (also about 15 yards out)

The keeper with the ball starts by “shooting” toward the goal (the objective isn’t to score but rather to

0 Flank Play - Attacking and Defending

Welcome to the FineSoccer Drills Newsletter.  Today’s featured activity works on attacking and defending with flank play.

This is a 3 v 3 game with a keeper using half a field.  The three attacking players start at the midfield line with one of them out wide.  The defending players can start wherever they want.  A keeper is in goal and the ball starts with a server behind the midfield line.

The game starts with the server playing the ball out wide

5 How Man City and Barcelona Break Down a Bunkered Defense

By Waleed Zaghloul

Manchester City has just won the Premier League after beating QPR in dramatic fashion. What City has faced during this game was very similar to what they and Barcelona have faced almost all season. Many games have seen teams defending against these two fancy teams with 10 and 11 players for the whole game. It was interesting seeing Drogba playing as a left back against Barcelona in the Champions League.

Chelsea and Real Madrid have played way too negatively against Barcelona in recent weeks and so did QPR against Manchester City in the recent historic game. The worrying sign to us coaches is the fact that Chelsea and Real Madrid achieved their goals from such negative tactics and QPR almost did the same. Such negative mentality has been advocated in recent years by Mourinho when he was at Inter Milan (against Barcelona in the Champions League) and by van Marwjiik with the Netherlands at the World Cup final against Spain.

Many teams have become proficient at bunkering down or “parking the bus” in front of their goal. This necessitates coaches becoming better at teaching their team how to break down such bunkered defenses (or at least trying).

Variety is Key
A respected FIFA coaches instructor once said that how well a team is coached is usually apparent in the way they create chances. The better coached a team is, the more effective ways they have to break down the opposing defense.

Ball possession is important in football, but as most coaches can attest possession does not guarantee winning games (ask Guardiola!) So what could be done to increase your team’s success chances when it comes to breaking down bunkered defenses? I concur variety is a key factor!

Variety means utilizing different ways of attacking the opponent. This includes playing wide and attacking through the wings. It includes penetrating attacks though the middle, shooting from distance and attacking through set pieces specially free kicks and corner kicks.

Let us have a look at how Manchester City was faring against QPR in the variety sense.

First Goal – Principles of Attack
City switched play to the right wing, but after Zabaleta was closed down, they switched to plan B which was penetration though the middle (against nine defenders in the box with the tenth player just outside the box).

This goal involved several attacking principles carried out very well. The City players were

3 How Manchester City Won the EPL Title

This article is by Stevie Grieve and is a sample excerpt from a new book "Modern Soccer Tactics", which is due for release this summer. This book takes a look at the top professional teams like Barcelona, Real Madrid, Man Utd, Man City, etc. and breaks them down tactically. The book also includes practical drills and exercises on how you can teach these tactics to your own teams.

We don't have a definite date yet, but look for it some time this summer.

This excerpt is from the analysis of how the five goals were scored in the final game of the season between Man City and QPR. The book is packed full of these kind of articles and observations.

Diagonal Runs around the box create goals by Stevie Grieve

In the final game of the English Premiership season, there were lots of teams with something to play for – no less than Manchester City v QPR. Manchester City need to win to guarantee winning the league, QPR need to win to guarantee avoiding relegation. If City don’t win, they need to hope Manchester United don’t win at Sunderland (they win 1-0). If QPR lose, they need to hope Bolton don’t win away to Stoke City to avoid relegation.

Manchester City 1st goal – Zabaleta makes run diagonal run inside to receive the last pass

Silva spreads play wide looking for a 2v1, as Zabaleta has pushed forward and he normally arrives

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 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,

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

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

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 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 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