Attacking

Often watching replays on TV they don't show you the steps that make up where the goal came from. You want to see where the ball was won or how the team kept possession right up the pitch. Here are 7 steps to scoring a goal MORE

Four corners

in Attacking, Shooting

Great session for movement and combination play in the final third. Also has 1v1 against the attacker and shots on goal. MORE

Alex Morgan: don’t specialise too early

I’m always being asked should parents allow their kids to play other sports or is diluting their time spent on soccer detrimental to their chances of becoming a good player and winning sports scholarships? Alex Morgan played lots of sports... MORE

Alex Morgan: key skills

When you watch an attacker like Alex Morgan of the US Women’s National Team you know how hard she has to work in training to be that good on match days. So good she can score five goals in a World Cup game. MORE

He won’t pass the ball!

in Attacking, Blog

I had a question this week on my AskDave advice line which wanted to know why his team could pass their way into the final third of the pitch but play broke down once they got there. MORE

Substitute game

This is a favourite game of mine in which players do anything they can to keep the ball or they get substituted MORE

Organise defence to counter

A strong defence is a great foundation to launch counter attacks. In Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid team the strong tackling defensive set up wins the ball and wins games by capitalising on counter attacking. MORE

10 things to work on in training

For a possession-based game players need to be competent with ball control and decision making. Poor first touch or taking the wrong decision to dribble or pass will result in losing the ball. MORE

Six-ball possession

Great fun with this game against the clock – how can the team in possession keep hold of the ball? Pressure versus possession MORE

Zonal keep ball

This is a great game to get players holding onto the ball when under pressure with plenty of passing options around them MORE

Dangerous bend

in Attacking, Ball Control and Footwork

This sessions helps players to practise swerving the ball, which is an important skill to help them take advantage of goal scoring opportunities from free-kicks and shots. MORE

Beat the back four

Coach your players how to capitalise on an accurate pass out of midfield with this session that is guaranteed to set up goalscoring opportunities. MORE

Angle your attack

Teach your team how to score late in the game by throwing more players forward and playing the ball into your attackers from wide positions. MORE

Create The Unexpected

in Attacking, Tactics

When your team is a the final underdogs, your best chance of success is to catch your opponents by surprise with some unexpected midfield creativity. MORE

My top tips for running with the ball

in Attacking, Ball Control and Footwork, Email newsletters

Running with the ball is not to be confused with dribbling, which requires close control and relatively small steps. Running with the ball involves bigger touches and longer strides. MORE

Three Strikes

In this fun and challenging training exercise your players will have to be accurate at speed to win the game. MORE

Strikers need friends

Attackers work well when they have support from their friends. Make sure your players support and move like the Ajax attackers did in the Champions League so your team can create many more goalscoring chances. MORE

Behind the defence

This competitive training session will teach your players to beat the offside trap by making defence-splitting runs onto well played through balls MORE

Movers and shakers

Use this session to teach your young players how to use movement in order to disrupt a defence and create passing opportunities MORE

Exploiting possession

Penetrating the opposition is key to creating goalscoring chances. Combination play is a vital part of your coaching strategy and by using this session you can get players to understand how and why linking up in the final third will help your team score more goals. MORE

Train like Lionel Messi