Tim Walter is a coach I have written about extensively already and is one of the most interesting, innovative, build-up specialists in world football. His ideas were so interesting to me that I wondered how I could coach his playing style or principles. So, I designed some sessions highlighting key...
In football coaching, many variables can provoke certain solutions and therewith impact the training effect. Besides the number of players, the pitch size and other rules, coaches can use different pitch shapes to indirectly affect the player behaviour. This training analysis depicts different pitch shapes and their influence on the...
Nowadays, many sides use a 4-3-3 formation. However, to press the opposition, there do exist a lot of different strategies that we can use in football coaching. Whereas some sides remain in their initial 4-3-3 shape to press, other sides change their setup with a clear intention. This tactical analysis...
Houston Dynamo has a good season so far since they fourth at MLS Western Conference. They recorded seven victories, three draws and three losses. Two out of the three defeats were ended with a 1-0. While the biggest loss was against LA Galaxy by 2-1. Thus they have not conceded...
An alley-oop is exciting and gets the crowd going like nothing else. A “saucer pass” is a brilliant piece of technique, whereby in Hockey the puck is flipped over the defender’s stick to a team-mate waiting to unleash a nasty slap-shot. A perfectly placed set is a gorgeous ball placed...
They say a rock-solid defence wins games. You know what else they say? Offence wins games for the top clubs. Or, if you like cliches, “the best attack is a good defence". What's the answer to that one? You guessed it: "the best defence is a good offence." Here’s my...
Coaches like Guardiola, Sarri and Favre impressed with their courageous philosophy of playing out from the back. Why one should follow this path in youth teams and how you can practice to play out from the back in your training sessions will be explained in the following. The concept of...
What Is Gegenpressing? Football has become a lot more dynamic over the last decades. As a result, the transition phases have become increasingly important. This rang the bell for a new concept on how to react after losing the ball: Gegenpressing. It is the concept of regaining possession immediately after...
Football is in the midst of an analytical revolution. Data and analysis are commonplace inside and outside of clubs. Clubs now employ entire departments of specialists in data collection and analysis alongside contracting out the assistance of stats companies. There is an overwhelming amount of information being churned out on...
There are plenty of different ways to set up a defensive style of play. You can mark individual players of the opposing team or you can perform collective man-marking like Atalanta do. You can use zonal marking or zonal man-marking. There is also the possibility to defend with a strictly...
What is blocking/screening? Blocking and/or screening from corners and set-pieces is a way to generate space in the box which should grant either the first-time shot or create an aerial advantage in your favour, but when should you use it and what is it? Blocking is when, from an attacking...
During the last decade, the number of teams pressing high up the pitch has increased significantly. Coaches like Guardiola, Klopp, Sarri, and Pochettino aim to regain possession as quickly as possible. Therefore, their sides often press the opponent with aggressive forechecking. Tactical Considerations “Defending is a matter of how much...
Pre-season. When you hear that word you probably think of heavy long-distance runs or high-speed intervals in the sun. Probably on a football pitch. But no balls are used. In a game such as football, where a ball IS used, I believe most, if not all, training should be done...
