By Philip Cauchi One of the drawbacks that the 1-2-1-4-1 system has in the defensive organization phase is the lack of width at the backline. The spaces on the outside of the center backs are left unguarded and these could be easily exploited by the opposition team’s wide players. This could be fixed by dropping
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By Philip Cauchi In this article, we take a look at the strengths and weaknesses of the 1-2-1-4-1 system of play when the team is in possession of the ball. The playing style we refer to is the associative style which consists of building up by playing through the thirds with the aim of getting
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By Philip Cauchi - The follow three practices target the development or maintenance of agility and reactivity that are specific to the position and role of a goalkeeper. Through these practices we also develop quick footwork, quickly getting into position with reference to the position of the ball with the goal, establishing the correct body
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By Philip Cauchi Title of practice: 1+2 v 1 Endurance. Type of practice: High Intensity Interval. Age bracket: Under 12 upward. Area of practice: 15 yards by 10 yards divided into two equal vertical zones. Aim of the practice: To develop muscular endurance in the duel. The players are required to perform a high number
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By Philip Cauchi The advantages and disadvantages of playing with a 1-3-5-2 system against a 1-4-3-3. The 1-3-5-2 system offers various advantages in the build-up phase which includes creating various lines in front of the ball, options presented to the player on the ball, covering the whole width of the pitch, and a solid central
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By Philip Cauchi - Facing penalty kicks are very challenging situations for any goalkeeper. Goalkeepers haven’t got any defenders between them and the ball within a distance of twelve yards. The defenders must also be positioned at least ten yards away from the ball and outside the penalty area until the shot is taken. Furthermore,
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By Danny Carvalho Pep Guardiola made "Developing the Lavolpiana" an expression and style of build up play, very famous throughout the years. It consists in having three players (usually two center back on the sides and de defensive midfielder dropping in between them to set the play) starting the attack on the first third. The
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By Philip Cauchi Title of practice: 3v3+3 Continuous Transition Game. Type of practice: High Intensity Intermittent. Age bracket: Under 14 upward. Area of practice: 35 yards in length by 20 yards in width divided into two equal vertical zones. This however depends on the tactical-technical and also the soccer fitness level of the players. Aim
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By Philip Cauchi Analysis of Italy’s two pivot players Jorginho and Cristante in the 2022 world cup qualifier match versus Lithuania played on September 8 2021. The pivot players’ behavior during the offensive organisation phase. Italy started the match using a 1-4-2-3-1 system operating within an associative style of play. The match was dominated by
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By Philip Cauchi - The below are games that develop the basic skill of catching which is a pre-requirement for the development of goalkeepers. These games target the foundation phase between eight and twelve years of age. However, they could also be used with younger ages if the children demonstrate to have the ability to
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By Philip Cauchi Level of ability: The players should have a general understanding of the principles of defending pressure, cover and balance. With beginners it might be more fruitful to keep the contexts simple by using less players. With more advanced players we can overload the defenders by playing in a numerical disadvantage. Aim: To
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By Philip Cauchi Title of practice: Ball Gladiators. Type of practice: Warm-up Age bracket: Under 8 to under 13. Area of practice: 12 yards by 12 yards. Aim of the practice: The players will be aware of when and how to shield the ball to protect it, play with the head up and continuously assess
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By Philip Cauchi - In this article we will go through the key points learned by observing Sevilla FC’s goalkeeper Yassine Bounou against FC Barcelona in first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final played on Wednesday 10th of February 2021. Following this brief analysis are two practices that target the development of goalkeeping soccer-related
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By Philip Cauchi Level of ability: This session is aimed for average to above average levels of ability. The players should have an understanding of the individual principles of play such as playing with the head up, adapting an open body profile, receiving and controlling the ball using the back foot and playing forward using
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By Philip Cauchi Title: Team in – Team out: Continuous play. Area of practice: 30 yards by 25 yards. Number of players: Two goalkeepers and twelve outfield players. The outfield players are divided into three groups. Workload: Continuous play for eight minutes with a rest period of three minutes in between series. Play three of
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By Philip Cauchi - Aim: Getting quickly into position to make the save. Key points: 1. Quick short side-steps. 2. Weight on the balls of the feet. 3. The weight of the body inclined slightly forward. 4. Leg cross-over technique to quickly get into position. 5. Arms to the side and in front of the
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By Philip Cauchi Level of ability: This training session is targeted for high level amateurs up to professional players who have a good tactical understanding and how one system can uses its strengths while exploiting on the weaknesses of the opponents. Adaptations: The session is targeted to end in an 11v11 match. Therefore the ideal
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By Philip Cauchi Title: Transition 1v1s. Area of practice: 15 yards by 12 yards. Number of players: Six to eight players maximum. Workload: Work continuously for five minutes with the players rotating all the time. Therefore the players rest between repetitions as part of these five minutes. Perform twice (2 x 5 minutes with a
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By Philip Cauchi - Introduction: Dealing with crosses is often a major headache for goalkeepers. This holds true when playing against opponents whose strengths lie in this aspect of the game. Dealing with crosses is a cohesive team effort. First we aim to eliminate or reduce as much as we can the opponents’ strength of
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By Philip Cauchi Level of ability: The players should be well familiar with the concept of making the pitch as big as possible when in possession of the ball. Being able to play both short and long passes is a must as is receiving and controlling the ball with an oriented touch. Adaptations: Reducing the
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By Philip Cauchi Title: 1v1s all over the place. Area of practice: 20 yards by 20 yards. Number of players: Eight players grouped into four pairs. Workload: 2 sets of 6 repetitions x 30 seconds each repetition with a 90 seconds rest between repetitions and three minutes rest between sets. Description of the practice: The
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By Philip Cauchi - Introduction: The modern game requires the goalkeeper to be more active in the offensive organization and offensive transition phases of the game. It is therefore of no coincidence that goalkeepers need to be good and very confident with the ball at their feet while under pressure from the opponents who try
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By Philip Cauchi Level of ability: Ideally the players should have a sound technical foundation in passing and receiving the ball under opposition pressure. Therefore the players should be able to understand basic visual communication, perceive key stimuli to make decisions, and pass the ball (execute the decision) with accuracy. Adaptations: To increase the time
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By Philip Cauchi Title: Soccer-specific high intensity endurance Aim: To develop the players’ ability to perform many quality soccer actions per minute. Introduction: The following practice develops the players’ ability to perform many soccer actions per minute but also for them to quickly adapt and adjust their position according to the needs of the team
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