Now we are back playing matches and training after nearly four months of lockdown I can certainly notice the difference in my players. It isn’t like when they come back from summer holidays because that is usually just down to a bit of fitness and rusty match play.
This time it is almost like going back to basics with players very unfit and the match we played at the weekend was a shambles! Fortunately this week we have some training camps so I will see my players for three days. We can go over some of our simple training games that give players creative tests to get them back thinking and playing like I know they can.
It is the simple things that need players to use their brains and play passes or beat players then go 1v1 against the goalkeeper. My players normally excel in 1v1s but at the weekend were not moving well and lost the ball in situations they would normally keep the ball in.
Try the different types of skill below to get your players back on track in matches and at training.
Can your Under 9s shield the ball? Use Shielding the ball (Under 9 game) from my curriculum to get them shielding and keeping possession in key areas of the pitch
Putting through passes into attacking areas is a great attacking skill to have. Playing killer passes needs clever work to create space and to see the pass. Line breaking passes is a good example to show your players, then get them to put players through on goal with the session Running onto a pass.
Introduce tricks such as step overs or drag backs, which can help wrong-foot defenders and give them a clear run through on goal. Encourage your young players to use a skill to get past a strong defence or to beat a goalkeeper when they’ve been put through by a killer pass. One of my go-to games is Double jeopardy which pits the striker against the goalkeeper.
The key rondos passes can be used in tactical play during matches to play between the lines with the key play splitting lines of defence to create goalscoring runs MORE
When players are through on goal, they must decide whether to shoot or take it around the keeper. To be able to make this decision players must practise both methods so they have the techniques required when the situation arises in matches. MORE
If you want to put your strikers through on goal with a killer pass from midfield, try running this session and see your match day passing improve MORE
Defending against overloads can happen whether your team is in an organised or disorganised state. You can plan defending when organised much easier than when you are defending disorganised. MORE
I was talking to a coach this week about how to control balls in the air, especially when heading the ball in training is off the menu for most clubs. I imagine that there will be much more of a contest to win the ball with a volley once it has dropped from head height. So how do you coach controlling balls in the air? MORE
This week I have been reunited with parents and players from my teams because the club I coach at has used the Easter school holidays to give back to the players what they have been missing for the last four months. So this week I have been coaching full days – around 7 hours – in three sessions. I've coached U9s, U10s and U13s boys and U11 girls. I really enjoy it but it does come with some very obvious problems. MORE
A high pressing game gives teams a huge advantage when they win the ball back because you are close to your opponents goal. Lose the ball, win it back in 6 seconds is a rule that I use in training sessions. But how does that work? MORE
Player trials are likely to be one of the most stressful events facing young players after they have been missing games due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Even the most confident players will get stressed out when they have to put their talents on show to a new group of coaches and players. And now without the help of a full season behind them they will feel a lot more exposed than normal. MORE
I've watched every game that Leeds United have played under Marcelo Bielsa in the Premier League this season, and boy is it fast! It is a game played with fluidity right across the pitch at speed – crosses fly into the penalty area. And if you lose the ball to them they counter attack in an instant, a great tactic for youth teams. MORE