Organising your players at the back is vital to the ability of your team to compete in matches. Your defenders must be able to react to the play in front of them and move accordingly. Whatever defensive formation you set up, your players will need to be able to recover to deal with the different situations on the pitch
How to defend overloads as an individual andScreen positions show how a pivot player sits in the screen position, which shields the defence. The beauty of the session is the simple way a young player can learn the role, and it has a great graphic that will help your players understand.
Now focus on the art of centre-backs in your defence. How to defend at corners and Team shape via central defenderstake the defenders into situations that require them to concentrate on maintaining their positions. The defending a corner session should be a blueprint for defending any set pieces in and around the area.
Finally, a good way of getting players to recognise their responsibilities within the defensive structure is to get them out of position then with something like a counter attack see if they know where to get back to in order to defend their goal. Position decisions is one of my favourite sessions for this.
This session looks at the roles of defenders and the goalkeeper in corner kick situations. It’s vital that, when setting up to defend a corner, each man knows his exact task, working as an individual and as part of a bigger unit within the penalty area. MORE
This session will get young centre-backs surging out of defence with the ball to set up attacks – this gives your attacking players chance to get into goal scoring positions in the final third MORE
A number of things caught my attention this week. One of them was a podcast that included an ex-player talking about playing in key games when the crowd was so loud the players had trouble communicating on the pitch, meaning they often got confused when making runs and supporting play. The team had to use a crude form of sign language to help them cope with the problem. MORE
Promotion and relegation bring problems. How are you going to fare in a division above that contains teams that will give your youngsters a thrashing? On the other hand being relegated could mean going to a league in which your team wins every week. Here are my tips for surviving the end of season shake up MORE
Run this session to get your defenders clearing the ball like Arsenal academy director Per Mertesacker used to do in the Premier League, pushing the ball away from the penalty area and leaving opponents with fewer attacking options MORE
Soccer tournaments test both your coaching ability and your player management skills so you must go into them prepared. Here are six sessions, a combination of activities and advice, that will help you. Tournament matches come thick and fast and you want players to be fit and ready. Try small-sided games such as Score one touch,... MORE
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