Keepitonthedeck
@Keepitonthedeck • 126,918 subscribers
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Arsenal are yet to concede a goal this season, and there are some interesting details behind the way they are preparing their players defensively in matchday warm ups. Their training has placed a much greater emphasis on duels, but their approach to matchday preparation is equally interesting. The coaches are heavily involved, working closely with their specific units. Here is Gabriel Heinze, for example, on Monday night away at Aston Villa. What stands out is the lack of a fixed routine. There is no predetermined sequence where the ball travels from A to B, the player follows the pass, and the pattern simply continues. Arsenal approach it differently. The work is position specific and built around actions the players are likely to experience in the game, but the sequence itself is not planned in advance. The players do not know exactly what is coming next, which means they have to constantly process information, make decisions and react. That is exactly what the game will demand from. The purpose of this random and reaction based work is to switch the players on mentally before kick off. They cannot simply go through the motions or operate on autopilot, as can sometimes happen during closed passing patterns. Every action demands concentration, awareness and a response to the information in front of them. It is a small detail, but an interesting one. Arsenal are preparing the brain as much as the body, and so far, it is working.
Keepitonthedeck244,895 views • 1 month ago
🔵Man City assistant manager Pep Lijnders’ points system for small sided games insight. 🎯 ⚽️ 3 pts – Goal ⚡️ 2 pts – Counter-attack goal 🛡️ 1 pt – 1 minute without conceding Mentality driven constraints rewarding actions in possession, in transition, and out of possession.
Keepitonthedeck1,191,244 views • 7 months ago
We’ve noticed a clear trend across Premier League training this summer: a greater emphasis on duels and defensive actions within sessions. This appears particularly prominent earlier in the training week, further away from matchday, where clubs can expose players to more intense and demanding 1v1 situations. Here’s a three phase duel practice used by Arsenal as they prepare to face Aston Villa on Monday: Phase 1: Defending a direct 1v1 dribble. Phase 2: Defending an attacker receiving with their back to goal. Phase 3: Defending a 1v1 in a wide area. Like and follow us for more.
Keepitonthedeck251,024 views • 1 month ago
Incredible insight from Luis Enrique when asked about Cesc Fabregas and his view that football is moving increasingly mainly towards movement patterns, manipulation of space and coordinated actions, rather than traditional positional play, which he believes is becoming a thing of the past. The modern game is less about where a player is positioned and more about when, why and how they move to an area of the pitch. The best teams are now defined by their ability to recognise the opponent’s structure, identify the spaces that can be attacked and then coordinate the timing of movement to exploit them. It is not movement for the sake of movement. It is movement with purpose, based on recognition, timing and collective understanding. Luis Enrique reinforces a fascinating principle he spoke about last season. The objective of modern football is to become unpredictable for the opponent while remaining completely predictable to your own teammates. That is the real challenge at the highest level. Creating freedom without losing organisation. Producing variation without creating chaos. Giving players the intelligence to adapt their positioning and movement while maintaining a shared understanding of what the team is trying to achieve. The future of elite football may not belong to the teams with the most rigid positional structure, but to the teams who can read the game fastest, manipulate space most intelligently and coordinate movement with the greatest precision.
Keepitonthedeck189,273 views • 1 month ago
Liverpool fans won’t like this… 👀 Pep Lijnders already making his presence felt at Man City. In today’s Manchester City open training session, he was non-stop, demanding, directing, pulling players into a huddle and demanding standards before an 8v8 possession game. Pep Guardiola knew exactly what he was doing bringing that energy in. 📥 Our New Pep Guardiola training study is out now — grab it via the link in our bio or below 👇
Keepitonthedeck1,373,969 views • 1 year ago
Zenit Two Phase 1v1 Duel Setup. Access more training sessions here:
Keepitonthedeck27,945 views • 8 days ago
Stop scrolling and just take 20 seconds to read this. Then share it with development coaches! We’ve translated the lip reading from this excellent insight between Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni and central midfielder Leandro Paredes. So many coaches try to control everything. Scaloni does something different. He listens. He includes. Then he manages the situation around what his players see, feel and need on the pitch. In this clip, Paredes explains that he is struggling to progress the ball because the opposition number nine is starting close to him and blocking the passing lanes based on the angles of support Paredes offers from central areas. His solution? He needs an extra centre back so one of them can step forward. That will either allow the centre backs to build the play themselves, or attract the number nine towards them, freeing Paredes to receive in space and take control of the game. He asks Scaloni to introduce an extra centre back to support that build up, believing it is the best way for Argentina to regain and retain control of the game. Scaloni listens, and immediately begins working on the solution. Throughout the World Cup, the cameras repeatedly captured Lionel Messi discussing on field problems with Scaloni and explaining how he believed they could be solved. That is not a weakness in the manager. That is leadership. Empowering others making them feel more attached to the objective. An environment where players are included in the planning. Not robots blindly following instructions. Footballers. THINKERS. DECISION MAKERS. THIS IS FOOTBALL, Decision makers! Develop decision makers. Get instructive control freaks out of development football!! The game is a constant series of problems and decisions. If players are always waiting for answers from the sideline, they will never reach their full potential, individually or collectively. Coach the player. Develop the thinker.
Keepitonthedeck271,930 views • 3 months ago
🔥 COACHING INSIGHT FROM GERMANY 🇩🇪 Something really interesting we noticed from Pep Lijnders coaching on Tuesday. Runs beyond in the half spaces. He explained that the run is there to offer an option for a through pass. But there is another layer. When those runs are made diagonally, they drag defenders with them and disrupt the defensive shape. That creates space for the winger to drive inside in a 1v1, get a shot away, or attack the space that has just opened. And if the opposition shifts across quickly to close it? That can open the opposite side for a pass and a strike on goal. So watch for this tonight in Holland vs Germany 👀 Runs beyond in the half spaces. Wingers driving inside. Shots from central areas. Passes into the spaces those runs create. That is the detail. ⚽🧠 This is the sort of coaches that offer pictures with many solutions that players can then decide for themselves. Like and follow for more like this. #keepitonthedeck #soccercoaching #soccerdrills #coacheducation
Keepitonthedeck73,512 views • 24 days ago
Day one of Roberto De Zerbi at Tottenham Hotspur is in the books, and a couple of small moments already say a lot about how meticulous he is. No matter how minor or major the situation, he coaches what the game presents. The first example came when he approached Dominic Solanke. During a small sided game, Solanke was using constant movement, checking runs and changing direction to create space. When play paused, De Zerbi stepped in to explain that in tight areas, locking/shielding the defender directly can actually create more space surrounding him to receive, without needing movement. It sounds simple, but if it needs coaching, he addresses it immediately and with intent. The moments of when to move vs when to lock on! The second moment highlighted his well known focus on tempo. He urged calm from defenders when they had an overload, encouraging them to slow things down just enough to ensure accurate distribution. That patience also allows the structure ahead of the ball to take shape and for movement to develop, leading to more controlled and progressive possession. When the moment is right tempo speeds up to progress the play! The detail stands out. If it's detail and energy Tottenham wanted, Roberto De Zerbi will 100% bring that.
Keepitonthedeck433,551 views • 6 months ago
🚨 Matthias Jaissle has wasted NO time, the new manager is straight into action on the training ground at Newcastle United. Jaissle worked as an assistant at Brøndby before coaching Salzburg’s Under 18s and FC Liefering. He then won two Austrian league titles with RB Salzburg before moving to Al Ahli for a reported big contract offer. From his first session at Newcastle, the message was clear: Starting from the basics first ✅ Take pride in defending ✅ Be aggressive in 1v1 duels ✅ Compete for everything ✅ Press together, not individually During possession drills, Jaissle constantly demanded that the team move as one. The moment one player pressed, everyone around him had to close the space immediately. He’s starting with the basics, but the identity out of possession is already obvious: Very aggressive in duels. Organised. Competitive. Follow us for all things football.
Keepitonthedeck166,856 views • 2 months ago
FC Bayern Munich Game Realistic Finishing Setup. Access more training sessions here:
Keepitonthedeck20,770 views • 8 days ago
Amazing insights here with thanks to West Ham United. 🚨 New boss Nuno Espírito Santo is already making his mark on the training ground 👀⚒️ A few key takeaways from his early session: ✅ Building an open environment where players feel comfortable sharing input. ✅ Emphasizing forward thinking play by introducing a constraint that passes back to the goalkeeper during small-sided games are not allowed more than once (Futsal Style) ✅ Bringing energy and positivity, his encouraging style and constant communication are infectious. Big question: is Nuno the man to spark a turnaround at West Ham? 🔥⚽️
Keepitonthedeck597,365 views • 1 year ago
⚽️ Chelsea FC | Two Phase Finishing Setup Under Xabi Alonso 🔹 Phase 1: Build up against shadow defenders, with players working to break beyond the defensive line while timing their runs to stay onside. 🔹 Phase 2: The coach passes a new ball and starts a 10 second countdown. Players must combine quickly, create an opening and finish on goal before time runs out. Access 1,000s more training practices on our website. #SoccerTraining #FootballTraining #FootballCoaching #SoccerCoaching #FinishingDrills #ChelseaFC #CoachingDrills
Keepitonthedeck125,497 views • 2 months ago
Why is there a numbered board on a training mannequin at FC Barcelona this week?????⚽ This FC Barcelona practice combines football specific movement with a visual challenge. The NECO board as it is called gives players numbers and coloured shapes to find, recognise and process while they keep moving. A number or colour can be linked to a turn, a direction or a pass, adding a decision to the physical task. The aim is to train: 👀 Visual scanning Finding relevant information quickly among distractions. 🧠 Attention and concentration Staying focused on the cue while managing movement and ball work. ⚡ Processing and response Recognising information, choosing a response and putting it into action. ⚽ Coordination Connecting what the player sees with what their body does next. In a match, players constantly gather information about teammates, opponents, space and the ball. Adding visual tasks to practice challenges them to keep looking and thinking while performing football actions. Scan. Recognise. Decide. Act. It's a cognitive load task, or the more complicated term which clubs are using "cognitive motor dual task training" Save, like and follow us for all things football. #FootballTraining #VisualTraining #DecisionMaking #PlayerDevelopment #FootballCoaching #FCBarcelona
Keepitonthedeck20,338 views • 11 days ago
⚽ Excellent Sheffield Wednesday Positional Game A directional 7v7 plus 4 practice played across three zones. 📐 Suggested Dimensions • End zones: 14 yards long x 16 yards wide • Central zone: 16 yards long x 16 yards wide 🔹 Organisation • Each end zone is 2v2 plus 1 • Central zone is 3v3 plus 2 • Teams work through the zones towards the opposition target goals • One central neutral can move forward into the attacking end zone to create an overload 🎯 Scoring • 1 point for scoring directly into a target goal • 2 points if the goal follows a pass from the end line neutral 🧠 Coaching Focus • Scan before receiving • Create effective support angles • Play forward when possible • Recognise when to support into the next zone • Maintain balance behind the ball • Make quick decisions under the touch restriction Save this one for your next session and like/follow for more. #FootballCoaching #SoccerCoaching #PositionalPlay #PossessionGame #FootballTraining #CoachDevelopment #PlayerDevelopment #SheffieldWednesday
Keepitonthedeck21,314 views • 12 days ago
Check out this detail from Steven Caulker around when a centre back should make contact with a centre forward receiving into feet. The key is not simply to be aggressive. It is about timing the contact at the moment the forward is least able to manage it. If the defender makes contact too early, the striker is ready for it. There is time to brace, lower the centre of gravity, use the arms, initiate contact or even allow the contact to take the body to ground and potentially win the foul. But delay that contact until the ball is arriving and the picture changes. The centre forward’s attention has now shifted towards the ball. The priority becomes the quality of the first touch. There is a need to judge the speed of the pass, the angle it is arriving from, the surface used to receive and where that touch needs to take the next action. That is when balance is vulnerable. As a player prepares to control the ball, body weight is constantly transferring. The receiving action may involve moving from two feet onto one supporting leg, opening the hips, reaching towards the ball or adjusting the centre of mass to prepare the receiving foot. In those fractions of a second, there is far less capacity to absorb external force. A defender therefore does not necessarily need a huge amount of contact. A small well timed nudge can be enough to move the striker’s centre of mass outside the position prepared for the touch. The forward suddenly has to make a postural correction at exactly the moment a technical action is being executed. The task changes from simply controlling the ball to recovering balance and controlling the ball at the same time. The receiving foot can become slightly firmer. The ankle can lock differently. The body may become more upright. The hip angle can change. The touch may become a reach towards the ball rather than a controlled reception into the intended space. Now a touch that should have travelled six inches might travel eighteen. At the highest level, that is a big difference in a duel. The centre back can step around. The second defender can engage. The midfielder can collapse onto the loose touch. Or the striker is forced backwards rather than being able to secure the ball and connect the next action. There is also an important psychological detail. Once a striker knows the centre back is capable of arriving with contact as the ball arrives, part of the attention starts to become occupied by the defender. Instead of only processing the ball, the first touch and the next action, there is now also a need to process where the defender is, when the contact is coming and how much pressure is about to arrive. That extra information can make the receiving action less clean even before the next contact arrives. Good defenders understand that defending a centre forward is not always about winning the ball immediately, you don't have to go win every single duel. The defender must still arrive under control. If the defender charges through the striker, it becomes an obvious foul. If the contact comes too early, the striker has time to prepare for it. The art is in arriving close enough to affect the player, late enough to limit the ability to brace for contact, and balanced enough to attack the next touch. Those are the details that you have to experience or feel to see why they matter and how they work. Defending is an art also.
Keepitonthedeck20,516 views • 12 days ago
🔵 Chelsea Under Xabi Alonso | 4v4 + 3 The Alonso era at Chelsea is underway. Dimensions: 16(W) x 18(L) Yards A high intensity positional possession practice focused on combination play, structure and aggressive counter pressing during moments of transition. The team in possession combines with three neutral players and earns a point for every eight consecutive passes. Upon regaining the ball, the pressing team attacks one of four mini goals to reverse roles. Key coaching points: • Immediate reaction on transition • Nearest player presses the ball • Supporting players lock on • Protect central areas • Maintain compact distances • Regain possession quickly Save this one and follow us for more #ChelseaFC #XabiAlonso #CounterPressing #PositionalPlay #FootballCoaching #SoccerTraining
Keepitonthedeck139,158 views • 3 months ago
Before stepping away from Uruguay, Marcelo Bielsa sat down for an hour and a half last night to reflect on his time in charge. But one part of what he said is absolutely astonishing. Bielsa claimed that very few people showed any real interest in what he knows. Few, if any, made a genuine attempt to learn from him. Think about that. One of the most influential football minds of the modern era is basically saying that the people around him did not value his knowledge, his ideas, or his methods. It now feels a lot clearer what was really going on. The Uruguay players simply didn’t buy into Bielsa’s beliefs about the game or his approach to training. That is an incredible thing to say, but these are Bielsa’s own words. And when a man like him speaks with that level of honesty, you tend to listen. If true, it points to an astonishing lack of respect. You can know everything, but if the people playing for you don't like you, it's worthless.
Keepitonthedeck132,247 views • 3 months ago
