In this article we discuss that perception is more than just looking for open spaces and seeking free teammates and direct opponents. As coaches, we should teach players what they should be looking for and thinking of throughout the game, depending on the episode and place they are playing in. And when being in a defensive phase, the team must already know what will happen and how they should reaction once they recover the ball.
In his very first season with FC Barcelona, Robert Lewandowski continues to prove that he is a world-class scoring machine. Lewandowski has been an essential player within Xavi Hernández’s system, while also demonstrating to be a role model and leader for his teammates. In this analysis, we illustrate the major striker principles Lewandowski exercises that allows him to understand the different situations of the game and therefore score many goals.
Getting it right when it comes to signing a player is very easy if you have a large amount of human and economic resources. In this article, though, we are not going to focus on this segment, but on the rest of the clubs, which we will divide into two categories: first and second tier clubs with no access to international competitions and clubs that do not compete in the highest national categories.
Today’s game of football is played at an impressive pace. Yet, decisive and paused moments such as set pieces have the power to determine the outcome of a match. In this article, we analyse and discuss the importance of set pieces and strategy in modern football. We will further explain how coaches can implement technical and tactical training in their teams to outsmart opponents.
The WEURO 2022, which ended last Sunday, has been the best in history for many reasons. The physical and technical level has been extremely high, with no team out of tune. The spectacle has been comparable to the games of the final phases of the WUCL and that is why the television ratings and attendance at the stadiums have been so high.
Coaches often prepare game plans as if they were chess battles, but reality shows that in many cases the situations that were anticipated don't occur as imagined. But why? In this article we will discuss about the reasons, and which premises you should consider as a coach when preparing a game plan, to be successful.
Olympique Lyonnais won their 8th UEFA Women's Champions League trophy against FC Barcelona (3-1) in the final played at the Juventus Stadium (Torino, Italy). The French champions based their game plan in a very well organized pressing that did not allow Barcelona have a comfortable build-up during the whole match. In this analysis, we will try to illustrate how Lyon structured their defensive structure.
In football, open skills are much more prevalent than closed skills. This means that when planning training sessions, coaches must take into account this specificity and work on specific content in their drills. The question most coaches ask themselves, though, is from when should they start working in these type of skills.
Ada Hegerberg is the all-time leading goalscorer of the UEFA Women's Champions League at the age of only 26. The Norwegian striker has lead Olympique Lyonnais to 5 straight Champions League trophies (2016-2020), scoring in three of the Finals. She has proved to be a world-class topscorer, as we could recently see in the semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain, where she scored in both games and help her teammates create many chances with her movements.
Soccer players need to master many concepts in order to play well in training and matches. We need to sort these concepts as players need to learn them from when they are children until they retire. Players go through different stages and in each of them there is content which is more appropriate to be taught than other.
