Intro In modern soccer, passing technique is considered the key principle of the collective game. After a brief conceptual approach, we will present a series of exercises to work passing technique through contextualized plays. In soccer, the pass is part of the collective technique – the actions that can put together […]
Intro We will discuss the exploration of the wide areas, to create imbalances in our opponent’s strategy. It is extremely important for a team to be able to use the maximum width of the field to explore those areas, and also to create space in the central lane, so the […]
In soccer it’s necessary to master a set of motor skills, and for that a functionally strong core – capable of generating mechanical anchorage alongside hip movements regardless of the speed, is required. To achieve such responsiveness, we have to adapt accordingly, working on the dynamic stabilization of the trunk while the extremities produce movement. What are […]
Nowadays there is a wide range of books, websites, blogs, everything you want. We, as coaches, need to select really well what we want, that detail, that situation or exercise that will bring a little extra to our game idea, and consequently to our game model. This is because coaches today […]
Intro In this topic, we will approach the importance and possible benefits of a good and organized high pressure. Is not easy to play 90 minutes pressuring on the opponent’s half, but in some moments of the game, it can make the difference. This is the kind of game situation […]
Background Sigurdsson, a 30 years old center back from Iceland, plays currently at FK Krasnodar from Russia. With 60 games for his National Team, was a starter in every Group A qualification for this competition. This season played 40 games, averaging 71 minutes per game. Scored 4 goals and 2 […]
Éder is a 28 years old striker, currently playing for Lille OSC. He was considered the best winter transfer for the French League 1. It wasn´t a consensual choice, however Fernando Santos never gave up on the conviction that Éder could have an important role in the team. In this […]
Rafa Silva was born in Barreiro 23 years ago, on May 17, 1993. He is the biggest signing for the national champions in Portugal, for the 2016/2017 season. Here you can find a brief profile analysis for the new SL Benfica signing. Rafa is a high quality player. Excellent in 1-on-1 […]
From a failed Serie B loan to a millionaire transfer in less than one year. It’s hard to understand the meteoric rise of Roberto Gagliardini. How can a player be valued so fast in such a short period of time? What’s so special about him? That’s what we’ll try to […]
Recently elected for the best 11 born after 1997 by the italian periodic “Gazzetta dello Sport”, Amadou Diawara, 19 years old, plays an important role in the Napoli midfield. Coming from Bologna, the African born in Guinea Conakry has already 19 games this season in Serie A, Coppa Italia and Champions League. […]
Soccer is full of individual skills, as each player has it’s own specific characteristics that fit in the game model, idealized by the coach. In this context, it’s possible to find players that play in identical positions but with distinct profiles. Luis Suaréz and Diego Costa have three common characteristics […]
Motivation for success Success! Word that means “Being successful at something”! In sporting terms, I think we can divide success in four different roads: Those who make a sports career with dedication as good athletes of their favorite sport, but without titles or financial gains; Those with talent, but that […]
The game model The game model is nothing more than a set of relationships that the coach idealizes. Whether offensive or defensive, everything ends up in the relationships of the player with and without the ball. Relationships involving decisions and therefore also the individual, the player, each of the players […]
Please, let the kids play! (part 1) Each day, it becames more difficult to scouters to find talent in the age groups up to U-15, since these kids are increasingly getting equal in their abilities. The intrinsic motivation, the volitional aspects (i.e. related with their will) and work capacity which […]
During the pre-season the teams sign new players and sell others. Since some players take longer to adapt to a new reality, coaches need to know if the new players are prepared for the specific demands of their game model. Let’s look, for example, at Rashford and Lukaku from Manchester United: one had a great performance last […]