Pep Guardiola on the tactics board explaining how to... exploit a double pivot by creating overloads in central areas. The key is positioning players between the lines while maintaining width through the half spaces, forcing the opposition to shift and protect one side of the pitch before attacking the space that opens on the opposite side. Those spaces can be through through dribbling or combinations. He then delivers perhaps the most important message when operating in dangerous areas: DESIRE TO SCORE. When you receive the ball close to goal, your first thought must be to hurt the opposition. Play forward. Attack the defender. Combine to penetrate. Shoot when the opportunity is there. Pick the ball up with the desire to score.show more

Hexagons and Octagons Those who follow football and coaching... will be well aware that there are trends that emerge and become the great break through in coaching, only to vanish quite quickly. A few stick around and become a staple. Such as the rondo, or the 4v4+4 Guardiola rondo variation. One that did not stick around in the coaching collective consciousness that possible should have was Thomas Tuchel’s use of hexagonal and octagonal playing areas in training sessions. Tuchel explained that cutting off the corners and angling the pitch forced “sharp diagonal” passes that would help break the press. The positioning of players outside the hexagon/octagon or players close to the edges will be manipulated into an open body shape by the angles of the pitch. Players are impacted by environmental constraints and embodied cognition, where the geography of the playing area influences their actions. This influence spreads to the creation of triangles and diamonds within the playing area due to the “funnel” like nature of the playing area. We can use the cut outside angles by placing bounce or target players on the exterior, influencing the movement and organisation internally. The inside players will not have to move wide as those areas are occupied. The internal players will seek to create passing angles using the positioning of the outside players and their internal team mates. The diamonds and triangles will appear. If we leave the spaces on the outside empty players can move to fill the spaces. These act as free spaces to receive from the goalkeeper or open spaces for attackers to overlap into, encouraging attacking combination play and crosses. A different way of using the space is to remove goals and goalkeepers from the ends and place bounce/target players on the outside. Players now can combine with the outside players, when they do so they are then free to finish into the outside goals. The condition can be extended to combining with the target player in the opposite side of the pitch before scoring, adding an element of switching play. The hexagon and octagon are versatile spaces that help to replicate aspects of the game. By funneling the spaces we impact players body shape, ability to play forward quickly, team shape (or small group shapes), players cutting in, defending centrally, the types of combination used and the angles of line breaking pass (diagonals). The angles are hugely significant for teams that value combinations and possession football, Straight passes and receiving angles are much easier to intercept and carry high risks for being counter attacked. Short diagonals can bypass players and attacking shapes, creating angled connections. If an angles pass is given away there is still a risk of being counter attacked but there is more chance of having players around the ball to regain possession. To counter press. The question that emerges is should we then be using hexagons and octagons more? If they are of greater benefit than squares and rectangles, why use them? Should all pitches, including those of a small sided nature be hexagonal? Can the rondo square be replaced by the rondo octagon?show more

In the outfield if you open up to one... side of a hard hit ball & the ball is on the opposite side just rotate your head to the ball verses trying to turn your entire body back to the ball. Taking your eyes off the ball briefly & having body control is more efficient than watching the ball all the way & not be in control of your movements.show more

⚽️ Cutback Small Sided Game 🗣️ This is a... practice from drill library. This small-sided game is played with 4v4 teams and 4 neutral players positioned at the 4 corners of the grid, known as the 'cutback' zones. The objective is to score 1 goal to win the game. After each goal, the losing team will switch with the neutral players, ensuring that both teams get equal opportunities in different roles. The neutral players are restricted to 1 touch, and the team in possession is encouraged to use them to create goal-scoring chances through quick cutbacks, crosses, or switching the play. The attacking team should aim to exploit the neutral zones to stretch the defense, pull defenders out of position, and open up space for a final delivery into the box. The defenders will need to be aware of their positioning and try to prevent passes into the neutral zones by maintaining close coverage on their opponents.show more

Attacking the ball and directing it toward where we... want to finish is one of the key concepts in the Final Third. The intention is to attack the ball to gain an advantage in the first steps, guiding it into an optimal position to finish, while adjusting the body positioning.show more

Transfer Game⚽️ • Complete 4 passes before you can... transfer the ball to the other side • Must play into the middle player before you can transfer, they can set you back to then pass into the other side🎯 • If the defending team regain the ball they can score in the mini goal Rotate players around so that they all get an experience of being in possession and pressing players, highlight specific players to be the transfer player in the middle which helps them work on their development or strengths🗒️ Coaches' Voice Sport Session Planner The Sporting Resource The Coaching Family SessionShare @_otlfcshow more

🎉 Beat the Press to Play Out (4231) |... 97-P9! Key Coaching Points: 🔵 FB’s must provide width 🔵 Recognise space to play through or around press 🔵 Effective angles to receive passes 🔵 Off the ball movement to receive passes 🔵 Focus on body shape when receivingshow more

⚽️ Receiving to Play Forward SSG ⚽️ Simple design... encouraging players to overload the middle of the pitch - creating opportunities to receive on the half turn & play forward! Key: - Timing of Movement - Body Shape to Play Forward - Attacking Principlesshow more

I encourage attackers to drive at the hips of... defenders for a few reason; — 1v1 is a duel of footwork (momentum) & angles, the avenue to space is through an angle which can disrupt the opponent’s footwork (momentum) — It offers big-space players a reference to be successful in small spaces — Directly confronting the defender (driving/touching the ball towards their hips [centre]) means you’re moving into their ‘personal space’, which naturally makes humans uncomfortable, increasing the probability for the defender to make an impulsive reaction to your action. • We know Garnacho’s relationship with the ball isn’t watertight, a consequence of his narrow footwork, which reflects in his dribbling & shooting actions —> more specifically, his inability to make many multi-directional touches in his stride + his loose connections with the ball. Because of this he’s more likely to pose threat in bigger spaces, as he’s a willing goal-getter & has fair speed, but struggles to manufacture big enough space for his key actions when the opponents congest space deeper. • What trumps all of this is Garnacho lacking methodology in his dribbling, which would help him maximise his strengths & minamise the affect of his weaknesses. Garnacho drives towards the goal with the intention to cut inside and open an angle on his strong foot, but this angle of approach keeps the defender parallel to the ball (good momentum & maintain footwork) and closer to the space inside that Garnacho wants to take If he had driven at the hips (squared his man up) he could’ve; = pushed the opponent’s momentum onto back foot = reduced the need for sharp COD touches to access the inside angle (his weak point) & maintain his own momentum = kept open bigger space either side of him If you want big space, you have to make it. Targetting the defender’s central point within their personal space can support this.show more

Aberdeen Press / Off-the-ball shape 🔴 Hard to tell... if the positioning of Aberdeen here was just due to an attack just ending, but: • If Cameron is high, then the rest of the team has to have a strategy to block the centre of the pitch. • Armstrong can see Gilmour is free, get across and leave your man to Keskinen - shut off one side of the pitch. • Milanovic can also this progressing. Interpret what is more dangerous, Gilmour driving through the centre or Gilmour passing back towards your man at fullback? • Shinnie is so deep, almost in the back line, spacing between the units makes it so easy for Gilmour to progress up the pitch.show more

How to pick up with the roller when the... ball is next to the wallshow more

These are the situations we need to exploit. Everton... are forcing us wide & maintaining their pressure on the ball. Play there, invite them to bite & target the spaces behind Gueye once he engages.show more

Don’t be like this player. So many players still... don’t use boost efficiently, even though boost management is the most important skill in the game. A good guideline is to save boost for when you’re making a play on the ball and use your movement to get to the ball. Here is a player who uses all of his boost to chase the ball, and when he ends up low on boost, he keeps chasing anyway. This leads to him bumping his teammate and giving up an easy goal.show more

Playing through the Thirds Game. ⚽️ Created On: Sport... Session Planner #SundayShare #SundayShare 🟩 Set Up: ✔️ 56 by 30 yard pitch split into thirds. 👕 Teams: ✔️⚫️ vs 🔴s 🗣️ How to play: ✔️ Teams have to play through the thirds to score. ✔️ Game starts in the build up zone. Two players build up against one and progress into the middle third. ✔️ Teams must make at least one pass in the middle third then progress into the final third to score. ✔️ Four players can join the attack and four players can recover to defend. 🚧 Constraints: 🏆Reward: if a team played through the thirds and scores - they get to keep the ball and have another go. 👨‍🏫 Review: In the middle third can you receive, turn and be forward facing? 🚫 Restriction: Two touch limit in the middle third. Temisan Williams @FootballTwenty5 Lloyd Owers Osku Partonen 205 Academy Conor Edwards Breakthrough Soccer TheBeardedCoach The Sporting Resource Felix Lehmann @ExchangeCoaches Brett Godwin Mo Hicham Souisse 🇺🇸 🇲🇦 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Jamie Birch Coaches' Voice The Coaching Familyshow more

DON’T COACH THE MISTAKE. COACH THE INTENTION. ⚽️ A... line to reflect on. Of course not always, but more than not often. There’s a powerful coaching lesson in something Pep Guardiola speaks about. During one difficult period for him the season before last, his approach was to demand more. Demand better. Challenge errors. Hold players accountable. But later, last season, the Pep Guardiola message evolved. As seen in this dressing room footage he told his players: It’s okay to lose the ball. It’s okay to make mistakes. There was just one condition: Make the mistake with conviction. In other words… If you’re going to attempt the pass, commit to it. If you’re going to make the decision, make it with 100% intention. Because there is a huge difference between: ❌ A mistake caused by hesitation, fear or lack of application. and ✅ A mistake that happens while a player is fully committed to doing the right thing. That distinction matters enormously for coaches. Too often we see the outcome: “He gave the ball away.” But before correcting the player, ask: What was the intention? Was the player trying to break a line? Trying to find the free player? Trying to play forward? Trying to exploit the space we’ve coached them to recognize? If the intention was right, the solution might not be changing the decision at all. The decision may be correct. The execution may simply need improving. And those require completely different coaching interventions. If we punish every mistake, eventually players stop taking responsibility. They stop experimenting. They stop seeing possibilities. They start choosing the safest option available, not necessarily the best one. QUOTE THIS FROM KEEPITONTHEDECK..... "Great environments give players freedom to fail with purpose." #pepguardiola #guardiolashow more

DETAIL IS LEVELS. Monday night’s title race clash in... Ireland between Shamrock Rovers and Bohemian FC showed how defensive details decide huge moments. Bohemians conceded directly from a throw in, the most basic goal you can imagine. The ball travelled past three defenders, none able to intervene because they got too close too soon! Watch the contact, not just the finish. The first defender Todd is unbalanced by Lopez’s subtle right arm nudge. The second is pinned, unable to adjust his feet. The third is similarly fixed as the ball reaches the scorer. We hear it constantly: “Get tight. Lock onto your man in the box.” But proximity is not always control. Commit too early and the attacker can brace, lower their centre of gravity, use their arms, absorb your pressure or draw a foul. Meanwhile, you lose the freedom to move. You'll see some of it in the clip. The detail? Distance, balance and timing. Touch tight does not mean physically attached body to body. Use an arm as a legal reference to judge distance. Keep your feet active, your weight balanced and your body free to adjust. The arm prevents you being pinned. Then time your engagement when the ball’s arriving!. The attacker is naturally judging the balls flight, speed, their receiving surface and their next action. Their weight may shift onto one leg, their hips open or their centre of mass move in preparation for that action. Well timed, legal contact from a defender can shift that centre of mass enough to force a balance correction during the forwards technical action. That's intelligent defending! It's way more detailed than simply "get tight!" Now in that scenario a forward must recover balance! The forwards, ankle position, hip alignment and first touch can all change from the timing of that contact being correct. A touch or header intended to travel six inches can suddenly travel eighteen. There is a cognitive detail too. A forward anticipating contact on arrival must have some attention to the defender as well as the ball. That added demand can compromise execution. The key is not how close you get. It is whether you can still move, and when you choose to engage. At the highest level, detail is the difference. Interestingly FC Barcelona include this detail in their pre match heading actions. Not always the most physical side, but one often the most intelligent educated in the fine details when it comes to the art of defending.show more

Ajax U14 Session Plan (Everything in this for creativity)... 🔹 Focus on movement to receive and strong back foot receiving 🔹 Improve effectiveness in 1v1 duels within a directional setup 🔹 Central 1v1 game with neutral players supporting the team in possession 🔹 Creates a 2v1 advantage in the active zone 🔹 Attacker creates space to receive and progress the ball 🔹 Must pass to the opposite neutral player inside the end zone 🔹 If defender wins the ball, roles switch immediately 🔹 Emphasis on quick decision making 🔹 Positive and confident 1v1 play 🔹 Quality first touch under pressure 🔹 Sharp movement and awareness 🔹 Fast transitions when possession is lost or regainedshow more

⚽️ 8v6 Phase of Play | Attacking Wide Areas|... Cutbacks + Crosses Created on: TacticalPad® ☑️ Aim: ✔️ Combine in wide areas and create scoring chances using crosses or cutbacks. ☑️ Space and Set Up: ✔️ Half pitch: Funnel pitch toward mini goals. ✔️ 3 Mini Goals in a line centrally 🥅. Approx 5-8 yards from centre circle ⭕️. ✔️ Attacks are alternate ⚽️1️⃣: ⚫️s try to combine and score in large goal. ⚽️2️⃣: 🔴s build up and score in mini goals. ☑️ Play the Game: ✔️🔴s defend the large goal and score in any of the 3 x mini goals 🥅. They line up in a 1-4-3. ✔️ ⚫️s score in the large goal and defend the 3x mini goals 🥅. ✔️ ⚫️s line up in a 3-3 but they have 2xFB operate on the diagonal lines of the pitch. The FBs are behind the attack to recycle the ball ⚽️ for the ⚫️s. ☑️ Notes: ✔️ Encourage ⚫️s to use 2 and 3 player combinations to get behind the 🔴s defence. ✔️ Playing wide is a preference but if the 🔴s offer a clear central route to goal then use it. ✔️ Wall passing, Set passes, Overlaps and Underlaps are great moves to help players create chances. 🔁 Flip the roles of the players to allow them to practice attacking and defending. Temisan Williams @TheCoachesArea Lloyd Owers @FootballTrnng Brett Godwin The Sporting Resource Felix Lehmann @ExchangeCoaches The Coaching Family @RJPcoach TheBeardedCoach 205 Academy Tom Skeath Breakthrough Soccer 𝗙𝗖𝗖 𝗛𝘂𝗯 | 𝗙𝗼𝗼𝘁𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗖𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵 goTeam! Sports 🇬🇧 🇺🇸show more

3 Team Tactical Possession | Build Up Play in... Wide Areas Created on: TacticalPad® @become_excel Tactical ✭ Competitive Tender.  Lloyd Owers @FootballTrnng @205_Sports The Sporting Resource Felix Lehmann TacticalPedia SessionShare Drills4Football ⚽️Coaching Drills⚽️ CoachesTrainingRoom⚽ ☑️ Ball ⚽️ starts in an outer 1/3. ⚫️s and 🔵s combine until they can play wide and then through to the other outer 1/3. ☑️ If the path wide is blocked 🚫 a ⚫️ or 🔵 from the opposite outer 1/3 can drop into the middle 1/3 to help transfer the ball ⚽️. ☑️ 🔴s must win the ball and score in the mini goals they are facing. They are allowed 1 player in outer 1/3s and 2 players in the central 1/3. ☑️ When 🔴s win the ball ⚽️ they can go anywhere. 🔁 Switch up the teams regularly.show more