Midfield build up and finish

At the weekend I witnessed one of the best goals in the Premier League this season. It came from midfield for Tottenham against fierce north London rivals Arsenal.

The build up and finish was superb. Gareth Bale switched the ball with a long pass to Sergio Reguilon, who passed the ball inside to Lucas Moura. He layed off to Erik Lamela who responded with a sensational Rabona which also nutmegged Thomas Partey on its way into the Arsenal net. Players were holding their heads in disbelief!

Anyone who watched Lionel Messi in the Champions League earlier in the week when Barcelona were finding it difficult to break down a stubborn defence surge into the PSG third and unleash a 30 yard shot into the top corner will also have been holding their heads – how did he do that!

Midfielders are key to getting goals when you least expect it and when you can take the opposition apart with skill, surprise, creativity and a dash of flamboyance.

Shooting from midfield is a great way to get your team to catch the opposition out. Use Shoot! to get players lining up shots. Players can be scared to shoot from distance but this session will make sure they start doing it in matches.

Coach your players how to capitalise on an accurate pass out of midfield. Beat the back four is guaranteed to set up goalscoring opportunities. Midfield players can open up defences if they see the right pass, which is often to a player in space on the other side of the pitch. In a counterattacking situation defenders are on the back foot and a clever, accurate passer can pull them apart with a crossfield ball.