By Keith Scarlett This activity works on defending and possession. Set-up: A 30 yard by 30 yard grid split in half. There are 3 teams of 3. One team in each half and one team that is on defense. The two teams on each side are restricted to those respective sides. The defending team can
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By Keith Scarlett This activity works on communication, defending and problem-solving. Set-up: A 40 yard by 30 yard grid. There are two teams of 7. The players are numbered 1-7 on each team. The two teams play possession. The team that starts on defense starts with player #1 down on a knee while the offensive
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By Keith Scarlett This activity works on speed of play. Set-up: A 40 yard x 30 yard grid with a 20 yard x 15 yard grid in the middle of it. There are two teams of 7. The two teams play possession with the only restriction being that only one-touch is permitted inside of the
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By Keith Scarlett This activity works on combination-play and off the ball movement. Set-up: A 40 yard x 30 yard grid with 5x5 yard grids on each corner. There are three teams of four. Two teams are in the middle playing against each other, while the third team has one player each in each of
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By Keith Scarlett This activity works on technique and communication. Set-up: A 10 yard x 10 yard grid. Each corner has a player with a ball. There is one player in the center of the grid down on their hands and knees. The player working is also in the center of the grid. The player
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By Keith Scarlett Question - How do I beat a team that "parks the bus"? I have a state high school tournament this weekend and the first two teams that we will face have a tendency to defend with 8 or 10 players. Thank you for your help. The aim must be in one
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By Keith Scarlett This activity works on technique, communication and opening up the player’s body. Set-up: A 13 yard x 5 yard grid with a 3x5 yard section in the middle. Each 5x5 square has a defender in it and the center rectangle has the player doing the work. Each corner on the outside of
Continue readingHOW THE MATCH WAS WON by Keith Scarlett UEFA Cup - Flashback March 1996 Bordeaux 3 v 0 AC Milan It was 20 years ago. March 19, 1996, when Bordeaux, led by three future world champions (Zidane, Lizarazu and Dugarry) were playing away at AC Milan in the quarterfinals of the UEFA Cup. Beaten 2-0 in the
Continue readingHOW THE MATCH WAS WON by Keith Scarlett La Liga Atletico Madrid 1 v 0 Real Madrid After a difficult, yet victorious start to their Champions League campaign, Zinedine Zidane experienced his first Madrid derby as the coach of Real. His team lost to an Atletico Madrid that is simply satisfied to be collectively higher. Here
Continue readingHOW THE MATCH WAS WON by Keith Scarlett Champions League Paris SG 2 v 1 Chelsea Victorious over Chelsea at Parc des Princes, PSG has done half the work in leading them through the Champions League quarterfinals. After a dominating, but uninspired, first half, the Parisian club accelerated after the break and undermined Chelsea’s game
Continue readingHOW THE MATCH WAS WON by Keith Scarlett Champions League AS Roma 0 v 2 Real Madrid In this match, Zinedine Zidane may have measured the road that still separates him from the great coaches. Facing a veteran, the "young" Zizou remained helpless, watching his Real Madrid side stumble over a well-organized team. It took a flash
Continue readingHOW THE MATCH WAS WON by Keith Scarlett Ligue 1 Marseille 1 v 2 Paris SG So close, yet still so far away. Just like in the first leg, Marseille worried PSG but still ended up on the losing end. After a catastrophic start to the match, Michel's players were able to regroup and put up some
Continue readingHOW THE MATCH WAS WON by Keith Scarlett La Liga Real Madrid 5 v 0 Deportivo la Coruna Almost the entire world of football had their eyes on Madrid to see Zinedine Zidane on the Real bench. In what was a successful outing with a victory over La Coruna. Nevertheless, despite the score largely in
Continue readingHOW THE MATCH WAS WON by Keith Scarlett Ligue 1 Lyon 4 - 1 Troyes It was not only Zinidane Zidane who made his “big league” debut on the bench this match, but also the successful return of Bruno Genesio in Ligue 1. In their new stadium, Lyon dominated Troyes (4-1) but it wasn’t without
Continue readingHOW THE MATCH WAS WON by Keith Scarlett Barclay's Premier League Player Focus - Roberto Firmino Arsenal 1 - 0 Leicester City It was a flash of brilliance from Roberto Firmino that saw the Reds take the lead. Playing in a position of support for the center-striker, the Brazilian could cross midfield while only under
Continue readingHOW THE MATCH WAS WON by Keith Scarlett La Liga Celta Vigo 1 - 3 Real Madrid After exposing Barca 4-1 just a few weeks prior, Celta Vigo hosted Real Madrid for another La Liga top of the table clash. Eduardo Berizzo pushed another Spanish League behemoth to its limits. Real escaped, however, through cold realism and
Continue readingHOW THE MATCH WAS WON by Keith Scarlett Champions League August 19, 2015 Valencia 3 - 1 AS Monaco What regrets will AS Monaco have after this match! Convincing collectively, Leonardo Jardim's men were sealed by individual errors, each time punctuated by a Spanish team; 3 shots on target resulting in 3 goals. The gap was
Continue readingHOW THE MATCH WAS WON by Keith Scarlett Bundesliga August 29, 2015 Bayern Munich 3 - 0 Bayer Leverkusen Bayern Munich’s first real test of the season was against one of their more serious rivals in Germany, Bayer Leverkusen; a team feared for their pressing. Yet, they were able to get by with their technical quality and
Continue readingHOW THE MATCH WAS WON by Keith Scarlett Ligue 1 August 22, 2015 Stade de Gerland Olympique Lyonnaise 1 - 2 Rennes After two disappointing outings in their matches against Lorient and Guingamp, Olympique Lyonnais stepped out at home in their third Ligue 1 match. With a very defensive starting lineup featuring no striker, Rennes managed to
Continue readingHOW THE MATCH WAS WON by Keith Scarlett Champions League Final June 06, 2015 Olympiastadion; Berlin, Germany Juventus 1 - 3 Barcelona For the 4th time (2006, 2009, 2011), Barça won the Champions League final. Put on track by an opening goal from Rakitic, the Catalans were disrupted by a Juventus side that did not fall-off despite the difficult
Continue readingHOW THE MATCH WAS WON by Keith Scarlett Europa League Final May 27, 2015 National Stadium; Warsaw, Poland Dnipro 2 - 3 Sevilla Logically they were respected, but Sevilla wasn’t expecting such resistance from the Champions of the 3rd Division of Ukraine. Never-the-less, loaded-up and ready to fight, Dnipro caused problems for Unai Emery’s men, even though
Continue readingHOW THE MATCH WAS WON by Keith Scarlett La Liga May 17, 2015 Vincente Calderon Atletico Madrid 0 - 1 Barcelona After Messi’s goal shortly after the hour mark, the movement of Barça on Atletico Madrid’s lawn became a small rehearsal for the upcoming Champions League final. Even if the Colchoneros have less to offer in
Continue readingHOW THE MATCH WAS WON by Keith Scarlett UEFA Champions League March 22, 2015 Camp Nou Barcelona 2 - 1 Real Madrid All level at the top of La Liga just a few weeks ago, Barca did not miss the opportunity to push themselves 4 points ahead of their rivals by winning the second Clasico of
Continue readingHOW THE MATCH WAS WON by Keith Scarlett UEFA Champions League February 24, 2015 Juventus Stadium Juventus 2 - 1 Borussia Dortmund Juventus is once again able to breathe in the atmosphere of the Champions League and prepare for the second leg. In or out in two matches, it’s not a League Season that is played
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