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No. 47 February 2011

Pepijn Lijnders FC Porto academy W W W . S O C C E R C O A C H I N G I N T E R N AT I O N A L . C O M

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Contents

Cover Story

Pepijn Lijnders further implements his vision at FC Porto

Training sessions

Tactics

Small sided games in football (6): 6v6

Youth academy

MySoccerExercises.com

Iddo Roscher, Youth academy NEC Nijmegen

Finishing, Speed of play, Defending

Software

Youth Coaching

Enderson Moreira, SC Internacional U23 coach

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Brazilian Corner

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No. 47 February 2011

SoccerCoachingInternational is an e-magazine for soccer coaches all over the world from the publisher of TrainersMagazine, the Dutch magazine for soccer coaches. The magazine publishes 10 Issues per year. Chief editor Paul van Veen Beatrixlaan 21, 2811 LZ REEUWIJK THE NETHERLANDS paul@soccercoachinginternational.com Publisher Sportfacilities & Media BV Visiting address: Steynlaan 19 B-D ZEIST THE NETHERLANDS Postal address: P.O. Box 952, 3700 AZ ZEIST THE NETHERLANDS info@soccercoachinginternational.com Phone: +31 (0)30 697 7710 Fax: +31 (0)30 697 7720 Project Manager Floris Schmitz f.schmitz@sportfacilities.com

Managing Editor and Translations Maaike Denkers maaike@soccercoachinginternational.com Copy Editing Michael Francis Pollin Graphic Design Anton Gouverneur Tania Dimitrova Rumen Krastev Monica Terziyska studio@sportfacilities.com Editorial Staff Bruno Camar達o, Artur Capuani, Maaike Denkers, Pepijn Lijnders, Hanne Meijers, Michael Francis Pollin, Erik Stekelenburg, Paul van Veen, Jan Zoutman Copyright All rights reserved. Contents may not be reprinted or otherwise reproduced without written permission of the publisher.

ISSN 1571 - 8794

From the Editor

Welcome to the 47th issue of SoccerCoachingInternational! I would like to take this opportunity to introduce you to our new copy editor, Michael Francis Pollin. Michael is the Coach of Andover Youth FC and presented his academic paper in 2010: ‘Independent Learning in Youth Football Coaching’. His Coaching Philosophy of Independent Learning was published in issue 41 of SoccerCoachingInternational. We are pleased and proud to welcome Michael to our team! Besides this great new addition to our editorial team we are also working on some great new features and product additions. We will soon publish our second eBook; U13 training and are looking to launch our new and improve Player Tracking System within this year. Furthermore we will have an updated database of exercises available on our website in March. Besides all the work on our website we also have magazines to publish and issue 47, is now a fact! This issue starts with an article by Pepijn Lijnders, who further implements his vision on talent development at FC Porto and shares this process with us. From FC Porto to the sixth and final part of our Small-sided games in football series, this times around featuring an in-depth look at the 6v6.

From small sided games to our re-occurring 'Training Sessions' section, which is divided into 3 zones again: 'The Finishing zone', ‘The Speed of play Zone and ‘The Defending Zone'. The fourth article features Iddo Roscher of the NEC Nijmegen youth academy. About eight years ago, in one of the first releases of SoccerCoachingInternational, we talked with co-directors of the NEC Nijmegen Youth Academy; Iddo Roscher and Wim Rip. Both are still working at NEC, where Roscher is still involved with the Youth Academy. SoccerCoachingInternational visited him and looked back on the developments of the past eight years. From Holland to Brazil where our friends from Universidade do Futebol interviewed SC Internacional U23 coach Enderson Moreira on transitioning U23 players to the Transitioning to the Professional level. And last, but not least we have the Brazilian corner. Another great issue, which I hope you enjoy reading as much as we enjoyed making it! Yours in soccer, Maaike Denkers - Managing Editor SCI

No. 47 February 2011

PEPIJN LIJNDERS FURTHER IMPLEMENTS HIS VISION AT FC PORTO:

“Visão 611: talent development” In June of this year (2011) we will finish the FC Porto Academy project that we started four years ago. In that time we have created a vision to further the developmental potential of talented young players within the Academy setting. In previous years, I have tried to implement my coaching ideas and notions to development potential talent, as well as embed this as a philosophy into the culture of the football club. This has required flexibility and adaptability to accommodate creativity and application of all coaching aspects. I have experienced much of this aspect during my time with FC Porto, which is a club of strong character, with a depth of culture; typical south European in nature. I strongly believe that the individual should serve the team, and the team should serve the individual. The reciprocal objective is to banish insularity and individuality, to empower and promote the team and to create cohesion and togetherness; a true culture of sharing. This is also the objective of the department for which I am responsible, namely; the development of individual abilities. Text: Paul van Veen & Pepijn Lijnders Edited by: Michael Francis Pollin

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As a trainer/coach you can be responsible for the future of sixteen to twenty two individual talents, as the team or squad within an academy of one hundred or sometimes even two hundred potential talents. This is a demanding responsibility that should not be underestimated. Our influence, and therefore responsibility as an academy to accommodate and realise the potential is enormous. It demands total commitment to the vision, encompassing

the planning, preparation and delivery in training, which should not be interfered upon by the outside world, but prevail as the exclusive opportunity of your own talents. Continuous observation and reflecting upon every aspect and detail within the academy, day in and out, will help ensure that the objective goals remain in focus and achieved. Success within your academy is ultimately determined on the field, this is where you as the coach really inspire your potential talents as players. As much as possible, players should encounter real game situations that pose challenges as possibly unpredictable scenarios, which they have to problem-solve. This should happen both as a collective (team) and also individually (player/s). Players and the team should be able to encounter this aspect without fear of getting it wrong and to accommodate and anticipate the progression of the task and develop its permeable solutions. For this I use the following rule: The team training session (cooperation) helps the individual to develop and the individual training session helps to develop the collective.

"GREAT THINGS HAPPEN WHEN YOU GIVE THE RESPONSIBILITY TO THE POTENTIAL TALENT"

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Style Every player, as an individual will have their own way of fulfilling their potential development; to become a more complete player. Very often good players can only play on one or two positions, whilst the player who is more adaptable to different positions can sometimes be the ideal substitute, as an auxiliary player. Specific football applications like mobility, stability, strength, explosiveness, coordination and technique, may never be exclusively classed as objectives, but they are aspects of talent development as they vary from player to player. It is important to

remember that every player is different, and therefore the conditions applied in coaching should reflect that fact. In my opinion you should position players within the team formation as a permanent position. This will accommodate the opportunity of the players to develop their own style, thus optimizing their play within that position. This happens far too little, and that is the reason why there is a lack of positional specialists. It may appear a very logical method with that which occurs within many academies; trying to make all players complete and competent in the

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same way. Being decisive as a coach, you can give the responsibility and the opportunity to the talent, and most of the time more potential talent is realised. Developing could be understood in this context as; accommodating the opportunity through the responsible actions of the young player under the decisive input of the coach. Or to put it another way; it is about allowing the player to develop. An analogy of this could be; when as a child in the playground you would play a pick-up game, you would have a good idea which player was really good, and what you had to do against them to gain the advantage. Ask a player who's the best and why? Ask a player if that trial player on trial might be a good addition to your team? They will know and will also be able to substantiate their answers. Giving them this responsibility can only be done if they are accommodated and coached within an environment that permits this type of opportunity.

"REPETITION AND EXPERIENCE YIELD SUCCESS"

When you coach in large areas and with (possibly abnormally) large numbers of players, efficiency does not give a valid indicator about the players’ potential. Also, it certainly says nothing when trying to

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train players through the developmental ages, where very often two teams become one, as we, as coaches are deciding on the potential direction and future of these players. It does not surprise me that more players who are born between January and June remain in development programs, than those who are born between July and December. For me, potential talent can only be identified if you work with all your players in their potency of development, but remembering that some may have different strengths and potential. I am sure there is more talent out there than is readily identified; it just knowing how to spot it and how to accommodate maximising this potential. Talent yields itself in many different ways and is a direct result of developmental opportunities. In the past there was an excellent ‘street academy’ on every corner of the street where young people were free to play and develop; they were not judged by their birth month. The opportunity to playing freely, every day, for three to four hours, fashioning your own game area with your own rules and conditions decided democratically amongst friends, of varying ages and indeterminate numbers – odd and even. Younger players or siblings having to play against bigger boys or those not at the same level of physical maturation, develops a player to play smart and be physically strong on the

ball. There is evidence to show that a number of top players have developed through these circumstances, but also where they regularly mixed age-groups, played against siblings or more physically matured, in the garden, in the street or in the local park, developing in the ‘street academy.’ That confirms that talent must be permitted to develop as well as being coached specifically, and maybe as a coach this is something that should be conducted more consciously than subconsciously. “How do you create situations that bring youth players as close as possible to street academy again?” A number of activities that we organise regularly (daily or weekly) to give the players street instinct: - 2V2 foot volley and playing small sided games in the dressing room (winner stays on) - 2-2 extra 5V5 fields with “boarding” where the players can play before, during or after the training session - 3 hours of 6-a-side indoor competition on a Sunday - Challenge Thursday tournament with hierarchy list - Mutual Matches (U14’s V U15’sagainst for example, because we have Casa Dragão, where 40 players across the ages from U14’s to U19’s live, these are events that they talk about all week).

To achieve these goals, we must establish more academies to accommodate these players and create the opportunities to identify the talents and potential, so they can be nurtured in the appropriate way. As well as providing for those players who are born in the last six months of the year, it could be inclusive to all birth months, and even across the years. This environment requires lots of inspiration on a daily basis, positive feedback to aid self-esteem and confidence in the players. Planning and preparation are imperative, with accommodating delivery, observing and evaluating performance. Give players the freedom of expression with positive modeling as core values that are very

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important, but whatever you do never inhibit the potential talent. By limiting and inhibiting players in academies you can stem the development of potential talent, and this sets a negative example of how â&#x20AC;&#x153;notâ&#x20AC;? to educate players. I think that every practice you deliver as a coach should permit; freedom of expression, anticipation, cooperation and improvisation. The inclusion of anticipation and improvisation incorporates decisionmaking, and for optimal development these aspects must have a high frequency. This also means freedom of expression and the development of the complete individual process in every exercise:

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observing, positioning and (technical) movement. Every part of the training session has 6 phases (in each subsequent phase there is more cooperation and more pressure). I endeavour to use new exercises every day and also adjusting the old accordingly to accommodate the following: - Difficult situations - Direction of the goal - Relation to team principles and team organization. - Cooperation - Freedom of expression - Maximum repetitions (Periodisation)

Making difficult situations easier For this season I am working specifically with all age groups, twice a week with 40-50 minutes (average) sessions. Every age group has a first, second, and some even a third team. For the first 2 weeks we concentrate on a wide variety of aspects. - Session 1 focuses on inspiring, learning and creating routines. - Session 2, most of the time the day after, focuses on performance: implementing and connecting the learned accents.

On the first day, I often stop the game to give further instructions, and on Day 2, we continue with repetitions of tasks from Day 1. These aspects are covered further by our coaches and expanded upon or progressed where appropriate, and through repetition; experience and success are important motivators for the players. Session tasks become easier day by day, as players get the chance to consciously repeat and perfect the acquired skills. There are four different parts in my training session, with each part consisting of 6 phases. The exercises constantly change because of development and inspiration. The first three parts eventually blend together in later phases: - Connecting play (turning away, combining, quick give and go's, turning through and trapping) - Individual creativity (surviving in difficult situations and penetration) - Scoring capacity (crossing combined with feeling for the net) - Conditions (technical coordination/ mobility)

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For 16 weeks I concentrate on each aspect for two weeks, all in combination with conditioning. The next six weeks we differentiate with midfielders, strikers and defenders in terms of emphasis and the aspects of the skill, technique and gameplay, and also their individual development within these areas. We combine these training sessions with the individual goalkeeping training from Wil Coort, and also before each session we do extra coaching on a specific theme. During one recent month, we coached to improve heading techniques for 15 minutes each time. Connecting play, turning away and trapping Learning to connect play by positioning (and conditioning) players by facilitating the ideal positional play, or to play the ball to an area where the opposing team has fewer or fewest players (creating an outnumbering situation). This can exploit and/or create space for yourself and your team mates; creating an advantage with as few as possible touches; first touch or with a direct pass through anticipation and vision can immediately give you more options. This is an action where the player is required to act or react, anticipate and improvise with vision and good decision-making. I always train ‘turning away’ and taking the ball forward,’ under pressurised conditions, this way the player must be developing ‘turning away’ in different situations.

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Then, progress by adding a team mate, so now you must not only create space for yourself, but also for their other players. Therefore, not only does the player need to anticipate the opponent, but also the position and play of your teammate/s. Player will need to develop an understanding of what happens under pressure, but also how that affects those scenarios, your team mates and that phase of play. Timing of actions is crucial to what happens, and to what situation the player/s might find them in. Maybe you could ask yourself why Xavi does not tend to find himself in many pressure situations as 2V1 or 3V1, but instead he has free space or possibly a 1V1? Why does he seem to exhibit so much anticipation and control during phases of play? The answer is a combination of conscious selection of position, vision and technical application. This incorporates anticipation and decision-making, for clever positional play, good vision and applying the football skill also. This is all coached through practice repetitions, conditioning, timing, amount of space and increases of pressure. When we are working specifically with defenders in the warm-up that means we are working on passing with power through the lines in combination offensively. We try to let our defenders play with the thought that; if the opponent is not well organised then we can penetrate through the lines

"EVERY PLAYER IS DIFFERENT, SO EVERY SITUATION IS DIFFERENT"

and zones. If they are well organised, we then have to play through or round other zones, or find space in other areas. With one through pass, you can beat 4, 5 or even 6 opponents, effectively taking them out of the game, or that phase of play at least. The central defenders become more important in offense, creating opportunities through open play, learning how to adjust and improvise play to implement these aspects, even if opponents are well organised. Success rates for defenders attempting to play ‘offensive through passes,’ may bring a focus for coaching. Principally, within our team, principally defenders are classed as supporting

players, with the midfielders as the playmakers, this way we always have support from the back. We analyse our defenders’ ability of; interceptions, anticipation, being smarter and being fast. During the summer we bought Otamendi, a central defender, and he has proved that quality as a defender is not just about height. Creating individually Creating individually contains two different situations; maintaining possession in a difficult situation and penetrating offensively (possibly from supportive positions). In combination with becoming

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open to receiving the ball and having the vision to use it, it must be noted that if you do not have players who can take on the opposition as 1V1, 1V2 or other combinations, following the initial pass if a difficult situation arises then team play through that phase may not be fully efficient. For example, Arjen Robbenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s technical skills that include â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;taking and receiving, and dribblingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; are exceptional, but I try to make our players aware how Robben creates space for himself, whereby he consciously positions himself, creating space to receive the ball and what he does with it, and how this effects team mates during that phase of play. That comprises a player like Robben, dropping out at just the right moment, thus optimizing your skills within that game situation. So, whether it is holding, moving, dropping, accelerating etc. it is all about timing, Scoring capacity (crossing combined with feeling for the net) When we are perfecting that feeling for goal, it is about being able to find the goal in any unpredictable situations, and without losing sight for the strikers (and their movements) as other opportunities or how they affect play. The aim for the supporting player is to provide the telling pass, ideally as an assist, to penetrate with that pass as much as possible and taking thus taking opponent player/s out of that

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phase of play. If that is not possible, the player may need the ability to take players on, or open-out, take a touch to create space and ultimately have a shot themselves. Again, within these combinations of the unpredictable game situations; practice, repetition, and allowing for freedom of expression with real game-like pressures will optimise individual creativity. Following on from this, the next step is to be able to score or to give an assist from the side zones, possibly as; get to the byline, move in front of your opponent, to open-up without the ball, heading, shooting or volleying. Of course the strikers focus more upon this than the defenders.

Conditions (technical coordination/mobility) Training the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Conditions of technical coordination and mobilityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; is an ideal ingredient for the warm-up, as it is suitable for implementing mobility work comprising coordination. It is an ideal preparation for individual creative aspects that may include connective play or maximizing capacity to score, as well as being apt for team or individual recovery training sessions. Your muscles must recover in as many ways as possible, which is only possible in football related situations. Practices and/or warm-ups could be designed to revise crossing, volleying, turning and accelerating, or conditioning phases such as scoring with a cross 60 times in 15 minutes, which is perfect for a rapid technical reactions.

With training these conditions you can think of: - In Series; accelerating on the ball - Combinations of movements and simulations - Quickly changing direction - Keeping the ball short, quickly turn and simulating - Tricks to get open-up/create the space; without the ball and counter movements - Cutting and turning, holding back, simulating and accelerating - Beating your opponent and dribbling - Technical coordination exercises and ball control - Heading, crossing, volleying and shooting with 8 flat goals and 4 normal goals.

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PJE

Besides team training sessions the head coaches and I, also coach the notably talented players from the U14’s and U17’s. We call these talents Potential Jogadores Elite (Potential Elite Players or PJE). These training sessions are an ideal way to coach the key aspects of talent development to a higher level. Our best young talents get the chance to learn to play together as a unit or team, and also widen the experiential scope with the opportunity of

If you ask anybody who is the best player at Barcelona, Arsenal, Ajax or Bayern Munich, many will answer with the name of one of the shorter players. It is also worth remembering the legs of Cruijff or Van Basten, exhibiting pure technique and strength. Within my practice sessions, I try as often as possible to involve older players to create more role models on the field with very positive effects. For example, one U15 player, that works with five U11 players, but sometimes also an U14 player gives

playing with and also against older players. For example, we work with the strikers of the U15’s against the defenders of the U16’s and the goalkeepers of the U17’s. In other combinations we pit two dribblers and the central midfielder of the U14’s against four defenders from the U16’s.

examples to the U17’s. In my opinion quality is not about age. Within every top team there are (older) role models, who are often influential and positive upon young talent. Think about Scholes, Giggs and Van der Sar at Manchester United, Xavi, Puyol and Iniesta at Barça, or even Rijkaard and Blind a few years ago at Ajax.

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Training Overall, in all the training sessions within my section it comes down to this to simplifying difficult situations. In other words, make difficult situations look easy by developing total control over random combinations or situations. Every player is different, so every situation is different. Because situations constantly change the imperative for the quality to improvise is of great important. Of course the application of improvisation must be constructive to the situation and the process of development. Knowing and understanding the role of anticipation and improvisation is fundamental to cater for the unpredictability of open play, through all zones and positions. Having technical control in every situation can makes a player more independent from the coach. For me it is about the comprehensive process of development for individuals, and to be able to realize the next two objectives: - Maintaining possession and being able to (individually) ‘create’ more individually, develop own individual style and optimizing that positional play with consistency at a higher level; transferring this to match situations. This always depends on the playing style and the cooperative rapport between players, but in my opinion; every exercise within the planning must

be based on developing this individual process (in relation to the time, the team principles and team capacities). This allows players to problem-solve difficult situations both independently and collectively. - Above all, it is about ‘total control’ in nearly every situation. Total control in the positioning and through anticipation, where the application of the technique is more important than power. In training and to a certain extent in matches, if a player has a go and it does not quite work, then praise is still given, and to coach that point later. Whatever happens, for the individual or the team; it is imperative to create confidence, increase confidence and maintain confidence. It is important for players to develop effectively, to play clever; to make any game situations easier with a complete level of efficiency. Then as a team you are looking for a cooperative and collaborative ethos. This is a function that needs individual technical ability and technical plus tactical interaction collectively. This reflects actions such as; passing at the right moment, playing out of pressure, creating space by choosing position at the right moment, support behind the ball, etc. This inclusion of cooperation becomes a more central tenet in every part of training sessions, as it is the key to technical and

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tactical interaction of the team. The difficulty of ‘one touch’ or ‘turning away forward’ is not in technical acting, it lies within the combination of choosing position and watching in advance under pressure. This needs to be practiced competitively, with real resistances and pressures to make it realistic; with the anticipation and improvisation being developed. Without the real pressures, it does not recreate what happens in the game, this is also the case with overloading conditions and non-directional practices. We must develop players individually within the team ideas in all relevant contexts, so they can realise playing opportunities at the highest level. We lay claim that our players should know what happens in front of them, behind them and all around them. The best

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developed and technically adept players are constantly open, move into space, they know what is going to happen around them. They see everything and are technically capable of performing their role with consistency within the team principles and its organisation. When you are constantly able to ‘open-up’ for a pass and able to ‘drag your direct opponent’ with you, then ‘shaking them off,’ you will ‘create more space’ between you and your direct opponent. More space means more time and less opportunity for your opponent to intercept the ball, leaving your opponents chasing you and the ball. This is a visible aspect of practice and the game, giving the individual/s and the team more control.

Coach development As a coach, you are as good as the leadership, resources, materials and the structure around you. This is the path to developing better, stronger and more cooperative players. It is reported that companies can gain 30% to 40% more efficiency by effective leadership. Efficiency is a direct result, and in short; a better result depends on better leadership. At the highest level it is imperative that players cooperate, and at an academy this could mean 20 players or more! So cooperation is the objective, and from cooperation is born a level of efficiency which represents the ‘attempts and successes’ ratio. If these developments can result in 30% to 40% more efficiency that would equate to a notable and profitable return on the basis of a 10 year academy plan. So understanding the balance of winning and development within the academy structure will surely be a good investment, creating; models, successes and other ‘somewhat’ profitable returns, and will do no harm to the structure of your academy. By giving ownership to the player of their learning and development and making the objectives clear after being negotiated and agreed, a level of cooperation is instilled and provides a concrete basis for conveying the technical and tactical cooperation on the field. When the

objectives are clear for the players, they will be more critical. Transference to the game will provide feedback to you the coach and also to the players, and from this you can decide your action points and future strategy, planning and preparation as aims and objectives. All this reflects players’ ability to be independent and creative to the situation, both as problemsolving and technically. The development and role of the coach is equally important. Coaches at academies

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are probably working on a 2 to 3 year plan to get the maximum out of a team, but inspirational and successful coaches will positively influence many players. It is also a progressive for coaches working through the youth system to possibly be aiming for senior squad positions. The development of coaches within the academy is fundamental in the development of players; by inspiring six coaches you may possibly indirectly inspire ninety potential talents.

"HAVE THE FREEDOM TO SOLVE NEW SITUATIONS IN NEW WAYS"

For me, technique is about actually performing what is in your head and having the ability to think ahead. It should be emphasized that training on ‘technique’ is something totally different than training ‘on-the-ball’ control, but still a lot of ‘technique’ coaches only coach ‘on-the-ball’ control, which is more of a conditioning practice. Technique in play (and practice) will depend upon the other players’ aptitudes and abilities and situations will vary greatly, with a level of unpredictability. It will be about the creating opportunities in the context of, ‘what, when, where and how’ as a team and individually. Improvising, anticipating and thinking ahead have become more

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important than ever, and for developing these aspects the academy is crucial, where players experience daily immersion of all these elements. Creating an accommodating culture and a comfortable climate are key aspects to fulfilling the vision and mission of the coach, academy and the club, leading to greater faith and belief which can only be positive. I think that FC Porto prove that when you look at the amount of prizes they have won in the past ten years and how much money they have made with the sales of their developed players, this equates to 20 top prizes in the last 10 years and a total transfers of more than 300,000,000 Euros in the last 6 years.

Level Whether a player is suitable to progress to the higher ranks, is dependent upon the players around them, and also the experienced opinion of the coach. I do not believe in bad players, and for me every player can handle a certain standard in which they can be a valuable addition any team, and also an asset. Many would say that in the most difficult moments during a match, you must be able to rely on your technique and intelligence when it comes to positioning and anticipating play. But how many players get the chance to consciously work with this every day?

Focus Our sessions demand total focus of our players (focus for me means: knowing what you are doing and just as importantly why), but without diminishing the opportunity of creativeness and pleasure. I demand from every player ambition and effort to invest in their development and playing. So in every training session we coach different aspects just above our players' level; in combination with explanation, giving examples, models and

demonstrating but always providing a challenge. What became clear to me is that you as a coach must not expect players to improve, if they are not given the challenge to achieve and progress. Players of level 8 must train at level 8 and be challenged with guidance to achieve level 9. In my opinion you can obtain the focus in two ways; by playing to win, or by empowering players to become stronger. In addition to this, I always make players fully aware of their development.

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Chances

Ultimately, as it is what all players pursue, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;I train to win.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; The objectives of technical application and tactical deliverance (positioning), maintaining possession individually and as a team, to be creative on a progressively higher level. We accommodate every player to have the opportunity to be creative, individual, cooperative and progress to their potential. Every day, I work to prepare players for the day they get the opportunity to impress the first team staff. Every season the scouting system delivers four to six top purchases, which means that a player must be quite exceptional to join as a potential talent. Sergio was just 17 years old when he made his first team debut during last season making him the youngest player of all time. Another example is Kadu (goalkeeper), he was 15 when he first trained with us. Players often have so much more potential talent than is

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initially apparent, and personality with an understanding nature are as important in their professional progression as that lends itself to good relationships with those around them. Love football and maintain the will to succeed, a player should understand that others are also playing with him, but more importantly that he also plays with others.

Future The project covered herein is to be concluded this year, so it is important that the vision and mission are followed in the future. This vision and mission are also written in the plan I made for the academy department. It eventually became five DVDs that contain my vision and mission of the use of small-sided games, with all content performed by the players. This must be the guide to follow for all the coaches for the coming seasons. It has always been my aim to leave a permanent legacy of my coaching, as well as a record of inspiring talent on a daily basis.

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Tactics

SMALL-SIDED GAMES IN FOOTBALL (6)

6v6

Using variations of small-sided games in training form an important part of the total-football coaching experience. Not every coach has the opportunity to work with 11v11 at the training ground, nor is it always appropriate to coach specific aspects of the game. So the use of the small-sided game utilised properly can simulate real 11v11 match scenarios, although it requires a certain level of coach understanding and management. Therefore, it is still possible to coach game objectives with fewer players (8v8, 6v6, 4v4 and variant overloads), and in many cases is actually easier to manage and recreates the game objective; delivering a rich focus upon the specific game-related objectives. This can also be linked into the skill and technique practice as precursors, which provide the basis of better football conditioning sessions for the real game. Text: Jan Zoutman Edited by: Michael Francis Pollin

No. 46 Januari 2011

The ‘real game’ situation is the prime objective for the coach, to create gamerelated scenarios, to practice themes from different aspects of play, then potentially the small-sided game can offer the best training opportunities there are. The smallsided game can be implemented in various formats; it can coach to improve the principles of defending, offensive themes such as counter-attacking, or combining these two as turning defence into attack. So the small-sided game practice can be the perfect way to do this, to condition and prepare the players for a match, which also gives you the coach the opportunity to analyse and evaluate the developmental progress of individual players and the team. The implementation of the small-sided practice should, however, fulfill certain criteria. Firstly, you as the coach should give the players (individuals and the team)

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specific tactical tasks. Within training sessions, whether it is 8v8, 6v6, 4v4 or a variant overload, it is about coaching one team [A] with specific instructions on technique and skill, and also developing those aspects within the game scenario, and managing the other team [B] with conditions to properly simulate the practice objective to optimise the developmental opportunity for all within the small-sided game. So, whilst continually coaching the tactical objectives (technique, skill and/or position) with team A, you assign conditions to team B to facilitate the developmental needs of A to ensure maximum progression of all objectives and optimising coaching opportunities. An example of this structured practice could see coaching to improve ‘link or combination play,’ possibly for the left side of the team; with the advancing left wingback in combination with the left

midfielder and the left winger. The more players there are, the more realistically you can simulate the match situation, especially the tactically aspects; as players effect the scenario with position and movement â&#x20AC;&#x201C; both with, and without the ball. Coaching, instructing and practicing these objectives through repetition and the differentiated progressions will develop players to a level of autonomy. This increases automacity throughout the team, thus conditioning players and better preparing them for matches. As coach, you can adjust the conditions and restrictions as the smallsided game develops. For example, if you would like to see your midfielder play the ball forward sooner; so you can place the condition upon that player not to pass backwards. Also, as an individual target plan; if one of your players has a love for dribbling the ball as much as possible, possibly missing good alternative playing

opportunities, you could restrict that player to a maximum of three touches, or you could accommodate a winger to further improve ability within 1V1 situations. By implementing conditions, restrictions and specific rules you can ensure that the small-sided game accommodates the developmental and learning objectives that you want to coach, allowing players to improve understanding and ability. Small-sided games can be very effective in conditioning the players to improve aspects of play, this should incorporate; movement and position when your team is in possession - without the ball, as well as, with the ball, and similarly; movement and position when not in possession. Adjustment to the numbers of players (as equal balanced teams or overloads) within the practice further enhance the scenarios you wish to simulate, it can create more repetition for the team being coached

No. 47 February 2011

which also potentially creates more success, and also it can implement progressions that alter the intensity of the coaching session. The combination of changes to player numbers (balanced or overloaded) within the implemented tactical objective coupled with the inputs of the conditions and rules of the practice, means, you as the coach remain in control, as long as you do not permit them to just play, this will ensure your training sessions are effective and efficient.

No. 47 February 2011

Rules and materials The rules for competitive matches are predetermined and set, and these provide the parameters for the restrictions (conditions) that outline the rules of the small-sided game as a practice session. As you want to improve certain elements of the game during your training session, it is always good to repeat those things more often, and you can adjust your rules to accommodate and facilitate game aspects within the small-sided game.

If you are coaching to improve ‘build-up play from the goalkeeper,’ play should commence from the goalkeeper (being coached) from within the team’s own half (being coached). The ball could be played (by a neutral server, the coach or opposing player) to the goalkeeper; therefore, instantly creating the circumstances that necessitates ‘build-up play from the goalkeeper.’ A note to add here, is that if you are serving balls to start play; in order to maintain flow and pace to the session – ensure there are plenty of balls (in appropriate areas). Certain aspects could of course be performed as a repetition or rote drill within separate tactical training sessions, but you will not be able to recreate the reality of the real game situation. Potentially, this could result in some players becoming passive and not as active as they could be in the properly managed small-sided game. Through playing a small-sided game with appropriate conditions and restrictions that ensure the correct scenarios are created and recreated; tactical and technical objectives are automatically covered with learning and player development embedded within the game, no matter if it would be 4v4, 6v6, 8v8, 11v11 or other variation. Another good example to improve aspects of play through adjusting conditions and rules is to ‘increase loads.’ For example, in

coaching to improve the (attacking) corner kick; by applying a rule that all corner kicks should be executed twice, instead of just once, you practice that game aspect twice per scenario (double practice = increased load). This is just one of many other examples of how increasing loads upon; individuals, the team, a group of players or indeed a scenario, can be applied. The coach is required to be precise and accurate in the selection and application of the objective elements to be covered. Coaching points need to be accurate and purposeful, with concise knowledge, clearly communicated and demonstrated. Also, the coach should not try to cover too many other aspects, or to attempt to coach everyone, as this will; confuse players (and yourself as the coach) and also interfere with the flow/reality of the game scenario. This flow will change depending upon a number of factors, but to coach, or allow development of the more conditioning elements, you should ensure the game pace is high.

Formations All practice games that you play which are smaller than 11v11, means you have to make some concessions. As the coach, this means that, depending on your objective of the training session, some choices need to be made in order to accommodate; the numbers, the coaching

No. 47 February 2011

objective/s and how practice might relate to match play. In the next example there are ten outfield players and two goalkeepers available. Firstly, you need to take the system (within training) of play into account and how this relates to your system used in matches, so, if you play with three strikers and you want to improve the offensive cooperation, then this is an aspect that you could bear in mind, and could accommodate with the numbers available. However, what could possibly happen is that players from different lines play get drawn into another phase of play. This could result in the play becoming; condensed up the pitch, or narrow across the pitch. Within the former of these two aspects highlighting condensed play that reduces depth; as the coach you could also allow the left side to

No. 47 February 2011

1 5

Diagram 1

1 2

3 11

10 8 6

9 4

5 1

Diagram 2

be supplemented by adding two players from the central axis, and then play against the right side with two players from that central axis. This should help to develop ‘maintaining depth,’ and ‘covering’ as changing and taking over of positions. In the following diagrams you will see a couple of possible formations that can be used in 6V6 small-sided games.

Role of the opponent The opposing team [B] has an important role in the small-sided games. You could choose to give both sides the same task, instead of managing team B and coaching team A, but will this create sufficient game scenarios to coach the aspects as tactical objectives, and is it totally manageable and effective? The concurrent task of A and B will mainly happen in a small-sided game with a conditioning objective, intensifying pace for example. To improve a specific aspect of play of the team, it is important that the opponents [B] play the most appropriate role, so an aspect in opposition such as ‘applying pressure’ in certain areas might be imperative to forcing the coached team [A], to ‘support in pressured areas’ or ‘switch play.’ If you aim to coach to improve ‘build up from the back’ and the strikers of the opponents [B] do not apply pressure, then the question is, ‘are you really coaching what you want to coach?’ Another example could represent coaching ‘the wall pass (one-two)’ between your

striker and your number ten, but the opponent [B] closes down the striker every time. This will not accommodate the creation or recreation of the ‘wall pass’ scenario to occur, thus limiting the coaches’ opportunity to actually coach or exemplify good play. This is why it is imperative that, you as the coach manage the opposing team [B] in order for the conditions of play to permeate through and accommodate coaching inputs. This can also be done through the planning of the session and how you set the teams up; numbers, overloads, formations, conditions and restrictions. Players’ behaviours and agendas will also vary depending upon their experiences and conditioning of game play situations. Therefore, it is important that the coach should explain clearly the ‘why’ of what they doing. Explanation is crucial to prevent players from introducing their own objectives and exhibiting other behaviours, that could potentially distort the whole coaching session.

Football condition The small-sided 6V6 game is a perfect tool to improve football conditioning. The practice area must be adjusted to the number of players, and for a small-sided game 6V6 including goalkeepers, the standard area measurement (as an average) is approximately 50 meters long (10 meters for every player) and 30 meters wide (5 meters for every player).

No. 47 February 2011

If you make the area any smaller the game becomes too intensive, and if you make the area too large, there may be too much space and consequently decrease the intensity of the game. With a 6V6 smallsided game, an over-arching aim is to condition and coach your players to improve their continuous play ability. In context, this means that the players need to improve on their ability to deal with the ball with more frequency; to act upon any situation, and also improve the ability to recover quickly. Intensity and frequency are both higher in a small-sided game,

No. 47 February 2011

with increased levels of difficulty, more pressure and higher demands on decision making. So incorporating these factors, along with knowing the limits and abilities of your players; you as a coach need to take the work/rest ratio into account. To measure the exertion of the players, you as the coach could use; 4 blocks of 4 minutes at the beginning of the season, with 2 minute rests in between. Age, maturity and ability dependent of course, this will be longer at the Adult level than with an U17s team for a comparative example. This differentiation is to prevent

result than a build-up that is too quick. A progression could be to increase to 4 small-sided games of 5 minutes with 2 minute rests between games. The games are quite intensive, so it would be sensible to increase the duration by 30 seconds every time. It is also smart to repeat the previous stage each time, before you increase the duration. This provides a steady conditioning base for the players and will minimise the chance of overloading the players. Of course, there is an upper limit to this training method, and research points out that the maximum for professional players is 6 small sided games of 8 minutes with 2 minute rests. But only a few teams in the world are actually capable of doing this.

the players becoming exhausted too quickly, and requires constant monitoring throughout the session. If you know that the team (at a good level) is able to maintain the practice for longer and the type of session is appropriate; you could do accommodate time periods that include 4 small-sided games of 4.5 minutes each with 2 minute rests. You could also use 3 small-sided games of 6 minutes each with 2 minute rests, but practice proves that a gradual build-up can lead to a better and more sustainable

You can apply these methods of ‘increasing football conditioning,’ starting with U17s, but do not do this if you do not have sufficient information on conditioning, build-up play and periodisation in football. The same applies if you do not know the players that you are coaching, because there is the potential of ‘detrimentally overloading’ the players, which is different to a technical overload. Detrimentally overloading increases the chance of injuries, especially with younger players that have not physically or psychologically matured fully. If you use the small-sided game as a part of the football conditioning training, it is important that the pace is kept

No. 47 February 2011

as high as possible, but still appropriate to aware that all players of differing ages, the players you are coaching; considering physique, ability, experience and that the conditioning level that you are trying to some are not used to these types of achieve. This means; planning and methods. Also, it is not just the work preparation, appropriate equipment, periods that may need adjusting but also enough balls strategically placed, clear the rest/recovery periods too. If you explanations and making sure the rules are consider all these factors mentioned understood before the session starts. If herein, it will help you to safely and this is all correctly done, then you should responsibly implement the small-sided create a coaching session that flows under game as a very effective and successful the conditions that you have implemented; coaching method. that exhibits the ‘aspects to coach to improve’ (in a concentrated form) from the themes you aim BUILD-UP INTENSIVE ENDURANCE TRAINING: to practice, and also coach to Repetitions Work Rest improve. As a real game Step 1 4 4 min 2 min situations are further simulated, practiced, coached and improved; this becomes more and more relative to the match. This will demonstrate continuous repetition of the aspects to be coached, with subsequent opportunities to practice and improve via the inputs of the coach. This principle represents ‘technical overload,’ and it is important for the coach to constantly monitor this. It is, above all, imperative to individualise the implementation and intensity of the coaching session; understanding and being

No. 47 February 2011

Step 2

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MySoccerExercises.com is an online application, which we developed for soccer coaches. This application will allow coaches to easily draw their own diagrams, exercises and training session, archive them and most importantly save and print them. There are lots of programs like this available and most are designed to make diagrams, but they often lack the flexibility in adding text. This program has been designed to allow you to make complete exercises and training sessions. You are not bound to a fixed template, you can design your layout any way you want. Whether you want to make a single diagram, a complete exercise or an entire training session, this program allows you to do so. Whether you want to print 1, 2, 3 or 4 exercises on 1 page, include 1 or 2 diagrams in 1 exercise or add lots of text or little text? Anything is possible with MySoccerExercises.com. You design your own templates, so the choice is yours? Furthermore, all your diagrams, exercises, training sessions and templates are saved online, which allows you to access your own library from anywhere. MySoccerExercises.com takes care of all storage and back-ups, so no more worries about a computer crash. The best part of this application is probably the price. All current SoccerCoachingInternational subscribers (November 15th, 2010) will receive this new features as part of their current subscription. So, you don't have to do a thing. From now on when you login to www.soccercoachinginternational.com you will see the 'Start editor' button below your profile. This will take you to www.MySoccerExericses.com. Your subscription to this feature is directly linked to your SCI subscription, so you will have access for as long as you remain a subscriber. This includes all future updates and new features! Not a SoccerCoachingInternational subscriber: no problem! You can still gain access to the editor. Non-subscribers pay â&#x201A;Ź29,99 / year.

No. 47 February 2011

Important features in diagram editor: • Easily make your diagrams with 'real' players or symbols (in various colours) • Add text anywhere on the diagram, i.e. player names and numbers or pitch sizes. Wide variety of text colours, sizes and fonts to choose from • Easily undo mistakes with the undo and redo function\ • Zoom in to work more accurately or zoom out to get a better view or the entire diagram • Use a grid or ruler to work more accurately • Export diagram in JPG or GIF format

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Choose the area of your paper you wish to use; 1/4, 1/3, 1/2 or the entire page Create you own exercise layout with text boxes, colours, diagram area, etc. Save your layout Easily place a diagram in a diagram-box, you can zoom to show only part of the diagram Save your exercises in folder (you can make new folders)

Important features in training editor: • After you have made your exercise you can easily make your own training session. Say you made 3 exercise, each on 1/3 of a page. Simply add 3 equal exercise boxes to you training page and load you exercises. • Easily add a clublogo or other picture to your training session • Easy to print, what you see on your screen is what will be printed

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Training Sessions

TRAINING SESSIONS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

Finishing, Speed of play, Defending ZONE 1:

Finishing Scoring goals can be one of the most difficult tasks in football, yet it is ultimately the number one aim in the game. Goal scorers need to possess striking ability with either foot, remain composed under pressure, exhibit determination with physical strength and implement anticipation and improvisation to the potential goal scoring opportunities. Confidence has to be maintained to take on chances, time after time, regardless of the outcome. Until a team can possess and understand the principles of possession such as playing away from pressure, or until they are skilled with the necessary technical aspects of the game such as; dribbling and passing and receiving, it may be better not to focus on finishing. However, once a team has those abilities and show an aptitude and attitude to score, then they should be coached on how to score properly, thus optimising every coring opportunity. In order to provide players with the opportunity to become goal scorers, it is important that, we as coaches offer a multitude of practices that promote positive finishing attitude. This session will help players to improve their ability to find that opportunity and the enhanced skill of finishing; in different situations; accuracy in first touch finishing, the short build-up, combination play, timing, crossing and finishing.

No. 47 February 2011

Training Sessions

- Set up two equal lines of players on each side of the goal posts - Place two cones a meter outside the penalty area (as illustrated) - All players in 1 line should have a ball, the players in the other line do not have a ball - Player 1 starts by performing a quick run to the cone in front of his line and rounds it - Player 2 passes the ball into his run - Player 1 finishes on goal in 1 touch - Next player (4) make the run and receives the ball from player 3 - Etc.

- Create small teams of 3 players - Place 4 cones, one on every corner of the penalty area - Place 4-5 balls near two of the cones - Place two wingers at each side of the penalty area

- The wingers (1 and 2) dribble the ball toward the cone that is located in line with the goal - Just before the cone player 1 (or 2) crosses the ball into the penalty area - The players inside the penalty area finish the ball with one touch - The team with the most scored points wins

- Allow players to receive the ball before they finish on goal - Restrict players to use only the inside of their foot

U9 U11 U13 U15 U17 U19 A

VARIATION

OBJECTIVE

- Improving finishing abilities

PROGRESSION

3V3 WITH WINGERS

ORGANISATION

U9 U11 U13 U15 U17 U19 A

VARIATION

OBJECTIVE

- Improving accuracy in first touch finishing

ORGANISATION

FIRST TOUCH FINISHING

PROGRESSION

- Restrict the players inside the penalty area to only use their head

No. 47 February 2011

Training Sessions

ORGANISATION

- Separate your players into two equal teams (see image) - Divide the teams in two different lines - Add one cone in front of each line in front of the penalty area - Make sure you have enough balls

Player 1 runs backward to the cone Once he reaches the cone player 2 passes the ball to him Player 1 performs a quick turn and then finish on goal After player 1 finishes the attack, player 3 from the other line starts his backward run

U9 U11 U13 U15 U17 U19 A

- Allow more touches - Act as a passive defender yourself inside the penalty area

COMBINATION PLAY, CROSSING AND FINISHING

U9 U11 U13 U15 U17 U19 A

- Improving the short build-up, combination play, timing, crossing and finishing 1 4

- Use the attacking third of the field, including a full size goal - Set a training stick on each sideline about 4,5 meters in the field, they provide an obstacle for the winger to run around - Set two cones about 9 meters from the each corner flag towards mid-field. This will be the starting point of the wingers - Create a grid 11-14 meters from the penalty area that is about 14 meters wide and 9 meters deep. Each of these cones will be the starting point for the players to perform the combination play - You will need enough balls just outside the grid on the midfield side - Player 1 starts with the ball and passes into player 2 who passes the ball in the direction of player 3 - Player 2 then makes a run around player 3 and runs towards the far post - Player 3 then passes a firm ball into the corner of the field into the space of player 4, and makes a run around player 2's cone and runs towards the near post

No. 47 February 2011

VARIATION PROGRESSION

PROGRESSION

ORGANISATION

OBJECTIVE

VARIATION

OBJECTIVE

- Increasing turning and finishing abilities with a maximum of three touches

PROGRESSION

QUICKLY TURN AND FINISH

- Player 4 makes a run around the outside of the training stick towards the corner flag, and then crosses the ball into the penalty. The forwards should work together to finish on goal - Repeat the crossing and finishing drill in the other direction for a right footed cross - Players may only touch the ball once. Allow the crosser to have 2 touches

Training Sessions

OBJECTIVE

- Improving possession when it comes to switching, attacking, passing and communicating

ORGANISATION

POSSESSION PLAY WITH SWITCHING, ATTACKING, PASSING AND COMMUNICATING

- Field: depending on level and age - Divide the field into 2 thirds using cones - A goalkeeper and 2 defenders versus 2 attackers in the defensive third - In the middle third have 4 attacking midfielders and 3 defensive midfielders - The play starts with the coach on the side line

PROGRESSION

- The coach on the side line passes the ball to player 1,2,3 or 4, depending what side heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s on - Player 5,6 and 7 penetrate and attack immediately - When player 1,2,3 or 4 passes the ball to player 8 or 9 in the attacking third, he follows his ball into the attacking third creating a 2v3 (in the attacking third) - When the defending players 10 and 11 win the ball, they play keep-away from the attacking team

- Timing of counter movements; creating space for midfielders; playing off the other central striker; linking and connecting with wide midfielders; finishing technique and composure - Field is a third of a standard field, with one standard goal and two small counter goals - Position attacking team A (two central midfielders, two central strikers and two wide midfielders) and defending team B (four defenders and a goalkeeper)

PROGRESSION

OBJECTIVE

6V4

ORGANISATION

U9 U11 U13 U15 U17 U19 A

1 7

2 6

VARIATION

- Instead of making passers step into the attack, make the furthest player from the ball step in - Increase or decrease the number of players - Change the numbers to focus on offensive or defensive shape

U9 U11 U13 U15 U17 U19 A

- Play begins with Team A attacking 6 v. 4 on the large goal - If the defending team wins the ball, they counterattack on either counter goal - Teams play until a goal is scored or the ball goes out, then start over

No. 47 February 2011

Training Sessions

ZONE 2:

Speed of Play training 44

This session will help players to recognize their own position and the shape of the team as it relates to speed of play, as in; playing the game faster. This takes into account field awareness and vision, as well as physical speed, technical speed and tactical speed. The following exercises pay close attention to improving the passing and the technique of receiving the pass, intelligent movement with head up, preparing to receive the ball, whilst surveying the area, identifying their target early with anticipation, to ultimately pass with accuracy and the correct pace. This takes in to account the appropriateness for individuals and group shape, and also the direction you are playing in or facing. With the addition of neutral players, this will develop better and faster decision-making to eliminate pressure and successfully maintain possession. Here, individual position and team/group shape is crucial as well as maintaining the integrity of individual/ team/group attacking shape while playing under the pressure of even numbers. Talk to your players about the tactical speed of the attacking players and coach their attacking shape as it relates to the thirds or halves of the field. Teach the goalkeeper to coach the team shape from their vantage point.

No. 47 February 2011

Training Sessions

- Improving the inter-change passing

- Position your players in groups of 4 on a part of the field - Make sure every group of 4 has a ball

PROGRESSION

ORGANISATION OBJECTIVE

U9 U11 U13 U15 U17 U19 A

- 3 of the 4 players form a triangle shape with approx. 12 meters apart - They pass the ball back and forth to each other for a couple of times - Meanwhile the 4th player is positioned centrally approx. 25 meters away - After 5 to 6 passes the long player asks for the ball - The ball is played to the long player - The outside 2 players move quickly to support the long player (thus forming the triangle shape on the other side)

VARIATION PROGRESSION

DOUBLE INTER-PASSING IN 4â&#x20AC;&#x2122;S

- The deepest central player stays where he is - The same passing sequence continues on the other side of the field

- Only 2-3 passes prior to the long pass - Increase or decrease the time limit

U9 U11 U13 U15 U17 U19 A

- Improving the inter-passing

- Position your players in two groups of 4 on a part of the field - Make sure every group of 4 has a ball

- Same as the exercise above, but with two groups of 4 playing on the same field and playing through each other (yellow and blue groups) - Each group has its own ball and is not allowed to touch the other groups ball

VARIATION

PROGRESSION

OBJECTIVE

INTER-CHANGE PASSING IN 4'S

ORGANISATION

- Only 2-3 passes prior to the long pass - Increase or decrease the time limit - Add 1 or 2 neutral players to steal the ball

No. 47 February 2011

Training Sessions

ORGANISATION

6V6, 7V7 OR 8V8 MATCH - Field size appropriate to age and numbers - Play 6v6, 7v7 or 8v8 with goalkeepers - Free touches

PROGRESSION

- Each team defends the zone behind them and attacks the opposite zone - A team cannot enter the zone it is defending - A team can enter the zone it is attacking - A point is awarded to a team that successfully dribbles the ball into the zone or makes a well-timed pass into the zone as a teammate arrives to receive it

- Put pressure of time on one of the teams, for example; with 5 minutes remaining in the game, the red team is winning by a goal; the yellow team needs a draw to advance into the championship round of the tournament.

- Limit the number of touches - Increase / decrease field size

No. 47 February 2011

U9 U11 U13 U15 U17 U19 A

VARIATION

OBJECTIVE

- Position your players in 2 teams of 6 players on a field that is 36 meters wide and 55 meters long - Make 2 zones at each end (9 meters deep and the full width of the field) by using cones

PROGRESSION

- Improve offense and defence

VARIATION

6V6 ZONE GAME

ORGANISATION

- Describe a scenario and put time limits on the game to speed up play (it is a tie game with 2 minutes remaining, or the red team must win the game to advance into the play-offs

U9 U11 U13 U15 U17 U19 A

Training Sessions 4 V 4 + 4 TARGET PLAYERS - Play 4v4 - Positioned 4 target players in the four corners areas (5x5 meter made of cones)

- The ball must be passed into a grid to a target player and back to the team that passed it in - Every time a team regains possession they must pass short first (pass within that half of the field) - After completing a short pass, the attacking team must complete a long pass by passing from the far half of the field to either of the other two corners on the other side of the field - This completes the sequence and a point is rewarded - After two goals the winning team stays on, while the other two team switch roles

PROGRESSION

ORGANISATION

VARIATION

U9 U11 U13 U15 U17 U19 A

COOL-DOWN: JUGGLING GAME -

3 players in a group Player 1 can only juggle with his feet Player 2 can only juggle with his thighs Player 3 can only juggle with his head

VARIATION

PROGRESSION

ORGANISATION

- Two sequences are 1 point

U9 U11 U13 U15 U17 U19 A

1 2

- Each player in the group has a maximum of 5 consecutive juggles - A, B and C must try to juggle as many times as possible as a group - If they drop the ball, they must start again

- Limit the number consecutive juggles by each player - Increase / decrease distance between players

No. 47 February 2011

Training Sessions

ZONE 3:

Fast break attack 48

There is no doubt that Modern day football has become faster. Recent, top-class tournaments such as; 2010 World Cup and Euro 2008 are testimony to that fact. The modern day game features; quick one and two touch passing, immediate pressure after conceding possession, direct play forward and fast transition from defence to offense. This session will feature how to coach these techniques and develop your team’s ‘speed of play transition.’ The faster the team can make those transitions (from defending to attacking), the more scoring opportunities it will generate, hopefully with more goals as a result. It is also key to have more of the possession and control of the game.

No. 47 February 2011

Training Sessions

1 ORGANISATION

- Groups of 5 players in a 20m x 20m grid - 5 cones positioned as illustrated

PROGRESSION

WARM-UP: ANTICIPATION & PASSING

- Players pass to each other (in numerical sequence) and follow their pass - Players must ask for the ball

ORGANISATION PROGRESSION

COACHING

U9 U11 U13 U15 U17 U19 A

2V2 GIVE AND GO WITH SHOT ON GOAL

U9 U11 U13 U15 U17 U19 A

- 2v2 - Field size: 30x20m - Attack (yellow) vs. defence (blue)

Attacker 2 dribbles towards defender 2 Attacker 1 makes a diagonal run behind defender 2 Defender 1 follows attacker 1. Attacker 2 passes to Attacker 1, and runs around defender 1 deep along the flank - Attacker 1 turns and one touch passes diagonally to the flank - Attacker 2 is now free to dribble into the penalty area and finish on goal

A1 D1

- This drill will require patience by the coach and players because of the difficulty of the precision required in

No. 47 February 2011

Training Sessions

ORGANISATION

6V4 PRESSING AND COUNTERATTACK

U9 U11 U13 U15 U17 U19 A

- 6v4 - Half a field - Attack (yellow) vs. defence (blue)

PROGRESSION

ORGANISATION

- Defenders win the ball and try to counterattack on 2 small goals at half - Closest attacker challenges the defender on the ball and second attacker covers right behind in support - Other attackers close in on ball while taking away passes to other defenders

7V7 TRANSITION PLAY WITH GOALKEEPERS -

7v7 Half a field Attack (blue) vs. defence (yellow) Divide half field into 3 equal zones

- Team in possession must have all players at least in middle zone before they can score - In own defending zone, players have to play twotouch until ball is out of the defensive zone - Free play in middle and attacking zone

No. 47 February 2011

U9 U11 U13 U15 U17 U19 A

Training Sessions

PROGRESSION

ORGANISATION

PROGRESSION

ORGANISATION

6V6 TRANSITION PLAY WITH GOALKEEPERS

U9 U11 U13 U15 U17 U19 A

- 6v6 play possession game - Half a field - Attack (yellow) vs. defence (blue)

- On command by coach, team in possession breaks across half to score - Other team tries to win ball and score on same goal - 2 points if attacking team scores, 1 point if defending team scores

6V6 TRANSITION PLAY WITH CROSSES

U9 U11 U13 U15 U17 U19 A

- 6v6 play transition game - Half a field - Attack (yellow) vs. defence (blue)

- Attacking team tries to quickly counter once in possession - Other team tries to win ball, and when they do, quickly counter to the opposite goal - Teams must pass or dribble through cones before they can cross and score on goal

No. 47 February 2011

Youth academy

IDDO ROSCHER, YOUTH ACADEMY NEC NIJMEGEN:

“We still especially look at the role of the individual” About eight years ago, in one of the first releases of SoccerCoachingInternational, we talked with co-directors of the NEC Nijmegen Youth Academy; Iddo Roscher and Wim Rip. Both are still working at NEC, where Roscher is still involved with the Youth Academy. SoccerCoachingInternational visited him and looked back on the developments of the past eight years. Text: Paul van Veen Edited by: Michael Francis Pollin

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What is your current position at the academy? Roscher: “I coach my own team, I provide guidance to the other youth coaches, and now that Teun Jacobs is the director of the academy, I am also responsible for the progression of youth players to the next level. Furthermore, I'm responsible for scouting and along with some other coaches I evaluate who will be accepted into the academy.” “So I'm not youth academy director anymore. About four years ago I spoke about the fact that, I have been the academy head for ten years, and now maybe we should take a look at another structure. At that moment Wilfried Brookhuis was pushed forward as head of the youth academy, and they asked me to remain responsible for scouting and I agreed. As head scout I built a database of all players we have scouted in the past, which players were invited for training, from where (and by whom) they were scouted and what was the status of the player. I invited players for trial training sessions and I was responsible for the entire scouting department. Before, I was doing a lot of work that could easily be delegated to the excellent volunteers we have here, so I created four or five tasks and delegated them. This saved me a lot of time and energy, which I could then use to coordinate the other work and spend on scouting. This

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way we were able to raise the quality of the academy to the next level.” “After two years of building on the organisation, it was well structured and the biggest challenge was achieved. Wilfried had meanwhile also learned how hectic and extensive the task as a director of the youth academy could be, and he asked me to take over some of his tasks. My official title was Football Technical Manager. In practice, that meant delegating tasks among the coaches and the coaches to their allocated post. Within that, we tried to improve on the things we had already developed, and that is not an easy job, because from the moment you start to improve and reach a higher level, it takes a bigger effort to keep making steps forward every time. You want to continue the improving consistently and continuously.”

What have you achieved in the past eight years? “It is difficult to look back eight years. A lot has happened in that time: intensifying and expanding the scouting department, improving the cooperation with the school, training during the day, improving the quality of the training sessions and coaches. We started to work with two trainers on one team (co-trainers), preparing and administering training sessions and plans. Those are all things that we worked on in recent years, and this may sound simple, but it had been an enormous task. Once you start working on these things, you continuously find more things that can be improved or intensified. Besides that I think we have focused more on the technical football aspects and psychological side of the game.”

“We do this in the form of trainer meetings. This has really developed into an informative coaching forum where all kind of aspects of the game are discussed, like the different ways to play, tasks of players in certain positions, exercises and coaching during training sessions. But we also talk a lot about the individual coaching of players. These aspects will be different for all players so to meet these needs we have really invested in control and education of the coaches.” Is that an open discussion or is there a real course leader? “This varies. When there is a course leader, it is either me or a Sports psychologist. But it can also be an open discussion. We sit down in small groups and talk about certain subjects, such as exercises. The outcome of these discussions will eventually be reported back to the relevant personnel. These discussions are not just important for the end result, it is also important that the coaches talk about exercises and learn from each other. The way of training and the way we want to do things is a large part of what we do, all decided by the club. But if someone has good points for discussion, then we will consider that also.” Where does the club want to go? “That always starts with a mission. If you decided what the mission is, you are going to determine the vision, and how you are

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going to achieve that mission. Here at NEC we work on training players to progress to the first team, but we do this in our own way. We continue to do what we stated eight years ago: we want to look at the individual.”

Has the club changed their objectives and how they want to get there? “No it has not, well not any big changes. But some things have been developed further, and we have also gained more knowledge. As it is not a one way process, you rise together when it comes to knowledge and competence.” And if you look at yourself, which things have you noticed in the development of football? “In general I think football has become more professional, everyone seems to think things through more. If I look at our organisation, that is a continuous process. You are always looking for knowledge and improvement and people that can guide and help you find your way around. One of the examples is the mental aspect. When you talk about mentally, people often think about it as a heavy subject. That is a shame, because it depends on what you mean with mentally. We have tried to make it very tangible, so that everybody understands what we are talking about. We have done this by separately naming different roles that a trainer/coach has.”

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Can you elaborate on that? “You can define the tasks of a coach in the following roles: Firstly, he is the trainer who conducts the training sessions, besides that he coaches during matches, but he is also team leader and individual coach. Those are the four main aspects of the trainer/coach. As a coach you work with players and that is where these roles are used.” “The first two are very evident and a lot of attention goes out to these roles during any

“You as a team leader, have to know which styles of leadership there are and really try to gain an understanding of them. You do not have to master all styles of leadership and there is nothing wrong with having a favorite style, but you must understand them all.” “What we did at NEC, is combine the different phases of team development with the different ways of leadership. After all, in every phase, another style is demanded and every situation within that demands measured work (situational leadership). If you want to get through that team development phase, you must give more responsibilities to the group every time. In the beginning you will have the responsibility and you slowly give bits and pieces to the players. Eventually the group must work with it independently, with your way becoming their way.”

coaching course. The last two are less evident, but just as important, and that is why we at NEC pay a lot of attention to these areas. As a team leader, you try to make your squad into a team. In order to accomplish that, you must realise that there are different phases when it comes to team development. You start with the 'familiarising phase' (getting to know each other), then you get to the 'conflict phase', than to the 'norm phase' and eventually you get to the 'performance phase'.”

Can you give an example of this? “We once had a new U11’s team who came together for the first time and were going to play a match. The coach said: I will first just observe without interference. That sounds very logical and it is something a lot of people would do. In the beginning it went well, Then they scored a goal and led, but once they themselves conceded one, the players became insecure. The kids did not know what to do anymore and what was expected of them. Eventually they we were totally outplayed and lost 10-3.”

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“We talked about this situation after the match. This team was in the familiarising phase and in this first phase of team development everybody is observing each other. They are positive and everything is new. The leadership style that best applies to this phase is the task style. You as a coach do not explain why, you just tell them what you want them to do.” “Two weeks later that U11’s team played against the same opponents, and again we used the task style. In the warming-up we played a 6V6 small-sided game, and in the form of tasks at their level, we clearly told them what they had to do in possession and likewise when the opponents had possession. We also coached very intensively during that match. They won that game (which was less important) but played very well. They knew what they had to do and they executed it well.” “Another example is a team where, the coach is sacked and a new coach stands in front of the group. In that situation the confidence of the team is often low and insecurity is an issue. The new coach will arrive and will be clear on what he expects from the players. You will often see the team performing better, because they have temporarily returned to the familiarising phase, as the team needed a coach who gives tasks and was clear in

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his leadership style. Even though, after a couple of weeks the team gets into the next phase. Players will start to rebel against the tasks, as they believe the coach thinks he is more important than the players. This is called the conflict phase. As a coach you must recognise this, and adjust your leadership style to the situation, as, if you do not adjust you will find trouble.” “In the norm phase you will go from; demanding, through explaining, to deliberation. Of course this is an average style. If you are in the norm phase and a player shows behaviour that cannot be tolerated, you might have to correct him. But in the end, it is about choosing the right style for every situation or phase you are in.”

“You want the group to be independent and be able to go from deliberating to delegating (the performance phase). You can only reach this end phase by choosing the right form of leadership for a phase/situation. For example, if you always keep telling the players what they should do, they will never reach the performance phase. Than you must hope that you will remain in the familiarising phase and not get into the conflict phase, because in this phase they will not agree with you. You can be very strict and that may work, but that is not the way to do things in our opinion. We do not want players to play for the coach, we want them to play for themselves.”

“Especially in the Netherlands, where players like to think and provide their own input, the feeling of 'we are in this together' is very evident. The players should feel it is our thing, our objectives and our values. We, as an academy, believe in those and stand by them, and when the players do this as well, you have done very well as a coach.” “We talk a lot about team development, instead of the much used term ‘teambuilding.’ With team-building, a lot of people quickly think about a survival tour through the Alps. That can be very effective and fun, but that is not what it is about: this is about systematically developing a team: how does a team work and how do they treat each other?”

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Photo: Vi Images

The fourth role of the coach; the one of individual mentor, what does this mean? “When we talk about the role of individual mentor, I think about the relationship you as a coach/trainer have with the individual player. Thus, working with the players in all aspects and creating and keeping an eye on the personal development of the player. We started to work here with the principals and core qualities. This is a simple method to look at a player, your relationship with the player, the relationship between the players, and also the functioning of the players on the pitch. Different systems have been developed for this and we chose for this one. It is a great system that encourages coaches to think about their relationship with the players.”

Edgar Davids Wim Jonk

Photo: Vi Images

“The principle of core qualities is a way of looking at people. Every human has certain character traits and that is no different for football players as they have certain characteristics. Some not so positive, whist many are. It is important to note that there is no real hierarchy of qualities, but that they are just different. For example, the quality of Edgar Davids is his aggression. That is an aspect that proved positive for him, as he progressed to the top of the game. If he did not possess that quality, he would have still been a good player, but not the great

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player he became. A player like Wim Jonk is very calm, and that is also a great quality, because when he was in possession and his direct opponent would run towards him, he would calmly ‘cut and turn and progress’ by passing the ball 50 meters to another player. Davids would not do that very quickly, and in that situation he would still be busy working through the situation, but by applying his qualities. These are actually two opposite qualities, with one aggressive and one calm, I and can guarantee that Davids was frequently told to calm down, and Jonk to be more aggressive.” “Coaches should, however, realise that players will have different qualities, and with that quality players sometimes accentuate what they have to offer. So Davids sometimes commits fouls, of which you ask yourself; how he could do that? The unnecessary red and yellow cards of Edgar Davids is testament to that! So he would have an aspect to improve on; calm down in certain situations.” “The problem is that most coaches will view these aspects as negative, when they are necessarily not. Here we are putting these aspects into context as qualities. So it is not for the coach keep telling the player about their characteristics in a negative manner, or trying to make them cease being like that. This is akin to saying; that is

no good, or; you are not any good. Like the ‘self-fulfilling prophecy’ they will start to believe it, and if the comments are negative, that is not what you want from your players/talents.” “It turns out that we sometimes coach players too much on their trap and thereby we don't let players function in the way that suits them. Take a player who is intuitive, dominant and motivated. That is someone who doesn't think about things, he just does them. That is a quality, because at the moment he gets the ball, he doesn't know what he's going to do yet (think about Robben), so surely the opponent doesn't know either. Those players are very hard to stop, especially when they are also quick and technically skilled. That is great and also being very motivated is a great quality, but it means that if you want to let that player play in a system and give him tasks, it might be a bit more difficult. So you must know that when you position such a player on the right wing and tell him that he must keep wide and long, and also that he can't pass his opponent on the inside; he will have some trouble with that. He is dominant in nature and because of his motivation he will not intuitively think about remaining on the flank. This player will automatically start moving inside and closing the gaps on the field. The coach will respond by shouting at him from the sideline and

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Photo: Orange Pictures

reminding him of his task. The result will be that the player's performance drops, because he is being confronted with something he is no good at. He cannot function within his qualities anymore, so if you have such a player, you must let him play within his qualities, or have a lot of patience, or not let him play at all!”

62 “The concept of core qualities is a way to understand players, but it is not an excuse. If for example an intuitive player is constantly unable to function within his given tasks, the conclusion can also be that he is not going to control it, and that he is simply not good enough. He may never score high on task awareness, but he should be able to do it.”

Jeremain Lens Arjen Robben

Photo: Orange Pictures

“We are satisfied with this system of core qualities. Because of this system, coaches quickly notice that there are different characters with different characteristics (as qualities). I'm very glad that we have a ‘task aware and motivated coach,’ who has players in his team who are intuitive and motivated and able to work with them effectively. That is admirable, because these characters often clash. But despite the fact that we know how to handle these players and the fact that we see the results of this method, we still see players bloom under one coach and perform less under others. You will always get that.”

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How can you improve the weaker aspects of a player? “Certainly you can. Someone who is very calm will do a number of things well, but there will also be things he will not be good at; he isn't aggressive in duels, he's not open to receive the ball, etc. With such a player you first work on that aggressive opening to receive the ball. Of course you must also work on the things in which he can show his qualities. If he's going to aggressively be open to receive the ball, then he will have more possession and therefore play on his qualities. If he notices when he does this, he can play more on his qualities, then you're on the right track. But you must be realistic about the level of improvement.” Can everybody learn this role as a team leader and individual mentor? “First of all you must understand that it is just a method. It can improve the qualities of a coach, but it's hard to make someone, who is not that good with children, suddenly be good with children. You can't even get that done with these kinds of things, and I think that someone who controls this, is indeed a better coach. I think that Guus Hiddink is a master in being strict and alert, to say how we're going to do it and then, if needed, also correct it in a very disciplined manner. But I also think that he knows very well, when he must give the group more space to ‘create’ and do their own thing.”

“The same applies to being a teacher in a school. You can learn about it, read about it and work on it, which ever way you can, but to some extent you have to have this aspect within you already. The way coaches work with individuals, the way the coaches work with the team, and the way the team works with each other; is highly influential on the results of the team and the development of individuals, so as an academy you have to pay a lot of attention to this.” “This is all very important, but of course the game cannot be forgotten. Your allocated time must namely go into your role as a trainer and as a coach during the matches, but even here there must be a good balance. That balance has always been there, but during the last eight years it has drawn a lot more attention. In the past the scale was tipped more towards the work on the pitch, but surely not unimportantly, off the field (in training) things are equally, if not more important?” “We have separated the different roles, but of course all those roles are intertwined. When you are working on the pitch, you're also working on your role as team leader and individual mentor. But by separating the roles, you distinguish the differences between them but also give clarity to how they function together and what the effects are.”

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This is also what you see in businesses? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Yes, and something else I noticed in businesses is that application procedures are sometimes enormously extensive. I believe this is something that we should pay more attention to in football. Too often, you will see that when a club needs a coach, someone within the club/s will know an available coach/trainer and put them forward for the post. I think that in football generally, we should be a bit more careful with this process of recruitment, or the way we go about it in this manner. To know what you are looking for, and then start the search for potential applicants, and although this doesn't guarantee a successful match, it is a step forward.â&#x20AC;?

â&#x20AC;&#x153;We often invite applicants to come in for a trial training session. This way we can see how the coach works with children and how he gets his message across. We also give former players a chance to develop themselves as

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youth coaches if they are interested, an the advantage with former players is that, we know that they have certain qualities (and what they are), we also have the opportunity to shape this coach from the start.” How did you as a club get to this information? “We have used a sport psychologist, someone that had this information. But besides that it's necessary to read a lot of things, go to seminars, but also learning from your past experiences. You try to teach other coaches this, but also discuss it with them. I don't have the illusion that I will tell the coaches how they should all do it, but I can transfer my knowledge and experience. It's also a dynamic unity, in which we learn from each other, as I can also learn from them. They may look at this differently and by discussing that you are able to rethink this and any other aspects together.” What are your thoughts on the future for the NEC academy? “There are a lot of regional football academies and the provincial clubs have noticed that fact more than the city clubs. In the province the population is less, and therefore there are fewer players to choose from. Clubs like Vitesse, FC Groningen and Willem II are really having a hard time to keep their first team at a constant and consistent high level. This is due to the

lack of youth players in their region. Some clubs like Heerenveen and FC Twente, who also had this problem, have resorted to scouting youth players from abroad and also acquiring players from other academies. This, however, costs money, so the bigger clubs can do this, but the smaller ones cannot. A third solution is to see if you are working together with other clubs to extend your catchment region. We are also dealing with this issue right now, and it is difficult, but you have to do it to survive at the highest level. The academy of a club is first and foremost an agency to connect and interact with your community, and by doing this the club attracts more supporters and sponsors, thus increasing revenue, which can only be good for the club. At NEC we pay less attention to this aspect and more to progressing youth players to the first team. This means we have to work together with other clubs around us.”

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Youth Coaching: U23

ENDERSON MOREIRA, SC INTERNACIONAL U23 COACH

Transitioning to the Professional level Many of the SC Internacional players who competed in the FIFA Club World Cup 2010 in the United Arab Emirates, played for Enderson Moreira at some point in their career. Enderson is the coach of the SC Internacional U23’s, as part of an eminent club within South American club football. The U23 squad consists of many players who have not quite make the cut for first team selection, as well as younger players who are still in developmental stages, yet to reach their full potential and maturation after progressing through the youth categories. Text: Bruno Camarão, Artur Capuani and Thales Peterson Edited by: Michael Francis Pollin

Inter B, as they call the U23’s at Internacional, won the U23’s Brazilian Championship title, after a 3-0 victory over Corinthians. Midfielder Oscar, who scored a goal and got an assist in that match, is a fine example of a young, maturing player at Inter. He was duly rewarded by head coach Celso Roth, who selected him for the team who competed at the FIFA Club World Cup 2010. For the successes that were achieved there, Enderson Moreira was congratulated for his work.

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A Graduate in Physical Education, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Moreira served in the armed forces of his state before moving on to coaching. As a coach, he worked at several clubs across the country and gained experience in concepts of strategic planning and organisation.

Upon arrival at the Internacional, he was faced with a reality very close to what he believes about the sport. "Some other clubs also believe in football, but are sometimes very concerned about the physical structure, training opportunities, which are also important, but the essence of the game is still about the player. It is the players’ development that is a key tenet to the development of the team, and in the process of selection, Inter is different", Moreira said.

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First steps ‘I was able to work at four big clubs who all have developed excellent youth academies, but Internacional is ahead in this area and in the way they think about football. Their way of thinking is very closely linked to the essence of football, which in my opinion is ultimately about the players.’ Moreira goes on to say, ‘the managers are always looking for talent, and when they arrive at the club, there is a comprehensive and logical structure to induct them and maximize their development to their full potential.’ The formation of a B team at Internacional reflects their way of thinking. In order not to lose talented players, the club also added an U23’s team. This group plays at a high level, with the same training and

organisation of a professional team. The club intends to show those players who excel in the youth category and other teams, what it takes to make the transition from the U20â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s to the first team or a professional level.

Concept of a "B Team" in Brazil Unfortunately, not all clubs think this way in Brazil. Many of them think of a B team as an additional expense, rather than an investment. Here at Inter, the methodology is well established. Many of their players were too old to stay at the youth academy, but they were not quite ready to progress to the first team. The first step was to loan these players to smaller teams, where they were not given the same attention that they got at our club. So, the idea of the B team was born. We see it as a preparation for younger players to get more experience playing the first team football. This is something that is very common in Europe, but in Brazil it was, until recently, unheard of. We believe it is important to have a B team with players that have the potential, and whom we can use at short notice, if needed. The intention is to provide a mature adult game for those players who excel through the youth ranks.

Methodological approach One of the interesting things in football is creating a system of play that works for your team. You have an idea, you look at

your players and their abilities, and you create a system that suits that team. In the past, when Jorge Fossati was head coach, Inter B would have their own system of play, but now with Celso Roth as head coach, we have decided to start using similar systems for both the first team as well as the second team. Of course, the focus and details may vary, as they depend heavily on the characteristics of your players, but the essence of the system is the same for both teams. The reason we did this is because players may play for either team at anytime, and when you use the same system you have a lot more flexibility with using your players for either team.

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Integrated working at Inter We have bi-weekly meetings with all coaches, in which we discuss our strategies and evaluate the previous 2 weeks. At Inter we have developed an integrated methodology for the entire academy and every team works according to the development plan. We look at the process as a whole, not at individual teams, with some things needing to be improved and adjusted as we are trying to contribute by using our experience at other clubs.

Project Aprimorar Project Aprimorar is a project we implemented, in which we look at what we need to improve in players. Aprimorar means â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;improveâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; in English. We use this system to select players based on what they need to improve on, and subsequently work with them on an individual basis and in small groups. Working this way has resulted in significant

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improvements. With the B team, we would take certain players and plan special sessions for them. For example, we took the strikers aside for half an hour before the training session and worked with them on technical skills and coordination exercises. That is the basis of project 'Aprimorar.'

Analysis It is also important to seek ways to thoroughly analyse players and matches. Analysis is an important aspect of coaching, as it allows you to make a competent and careful analysis of each aspect. If a midfielder passes ten times; of which five are wrong passes and five are good passes, I want to know this. It tells me something about this players passing ability and about the game. Football goes beyond just being a sport. Nowadays, it is big business, as a branded product itself, huge sponsorship deals and in its own right and through affiliates; it is worth an absolute fortune in the markets.

Club culture and style There are cultural differences from club to club, and every club is different, even if they come from the same region. In Minas Gerais (a Brazilian state), Cruzeiro is a more technical team, they play with the ball on the ground and play a supportive game, comparatively Atlético play forward more. For people who work in football it is

important to identify these aspects. What exists is a characterisation that fans admire. Cruzeiro is more of a technical team, and Atlético are more aggressive. I noticed this in Parana and Rio Grande do Sul too, where the game is more physical, but in Rio de Janeiro, the game is more rhythmic. In the Northeast, the transition from defence to offence is very quick. The big teams, however, have a tendency to play a more compact game.

Relevance of the national Brazilian team for clubs ‘I believe that the national selection can serve as an example.’ Moreira said, ‘the way the team play influences coaches and clubs, not just within your club, but in these examples, across the country. The national team then becomes a benchmark for clubs who wish to see their players in the national squad, but that is just my belief!’ Mano Menezes (Brazilian national team coach) has the potential to create any system he wants, because of his ability to choose the players who can perform the task best. This is evident to everyone and will result in a cascading effect on the development of new players with this type of profile.

Indoor soccer A lot of indoor football training techniques can be adapted to simulate the outdoor game. The benefits of this training are best

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ORGANISATION

PROGRESSION

seen in youth players, with even the U13â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s level; I believe that indoor football is a great training method, because of the technical, skill and real game development it offers. First of all, the goal used in indoor football is smaller, which creates a positive effect on accuracy conditioning. The ball also bounces less on the floor which helps with developing basic skills. It is also great to use indoor football for tactical and situational aspects (1V1, 2V2, 3V3). Players at the age of 13 are in a transition phase, so it is a great time for the players to get both indoor football and outdoor

NEUTRAL CROSSES -

9V9 Half a pitch Maximum 2 touches Make 2 areas on each side of the field (as illustrated) with 1 neutral player. These players are located on the defensive part of their team's half - The opponent may not enter the neutral area of the opposition player - Neutral players are included in possession - The outfield players must try to pass the ball to the neutral player, once the neutral player has the ball, all outfield players must run forward to try and finish from a cross into the box from the neutral player

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game practice. At the age of 15 they should clearly choose between indoor and outdoor football, as the coaching required for this age group becomes more specific. Many indoor football techniques have been implemented in the outdoor game and can now be clearly seen; the slidetackle to intercept or delay the action of the attacker, or runs off the ball to shake off an opponent. In terms of concepts, team sports have a number of coaching similarities, some which I have touched upon here.

U9 U11 U13 U15 U17 U19 A

ORGANISATION

10V10 WITH 4 GOALS

U9 U11 U13 U15 U17 U19 A

- 10V10 - 4 goalkeepers, 4 goals - Pitch size: from penalty area to penalty area, complete width of the field - Divide the field into 3 areas - Maximum 2 touches

PROGRESSION

ORGANISATION

- Both teams defend and attack two goals - For a goal to count all players from the attacking team must be across the first line (no players in the defensive zone) - Objective: transition, playing compact in possession, long passes

11V11 WITH 4 GOALS

U9 U11 U13 U15 U17 U19 A

- Pitch as illustrated - Divide the playing field into 4 areas, each area has a defender - Goal with goalkeeper - 3 attackers try to score a goal 5

PROGRESSION

- The 3 attackers must try to beat the defenders in each zone by passing the ball to one another - No back passing (always forward) - Maximum 2 touches (control and pass) - Objective: improve passing lines, finishing for attackers and zone marking for defenders

This article is a contribution from Universidade do Futebol Edited by Michael Francis Pollin

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Edited by Michael Francis Pollin

'The Spy' leaves SC Internacional after 13 years SC Internacional's rivals and for preparing thorough reports on their opponent's characteristics. Recently he chose to leave Internacional’s coaching staff to further his career as a Head coach himself.

SC Internacional's assistant coach Guto Ferreira earned the nickname ‘The Spy,’ because of his famous role in analysing

Guto commented, ‘I had a great time at Inter but will now follow my new career path. After some consideration, I thought it was time to move on when this great opportunity presented itself.’ Guto leaves Inter after 13 years of service, in which he has accumulated many great achievements, including the title of the regional competition.

Ney Franco sees 'transformation' of athletes on Under 20 strategy The newly positioned Coordinator of CBF’s Youth Academy and coach of the Brazilian U20’s National Team, Ney Franco, has implemented a variety of changes in the way he coaches his team. He believes that his players will further realise potential and reach a greater level of maturity through accommodating more opportunities to train with the first team.

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‘A lot has changed in the way we manage and organise the U20’s section. Fifteen years ago players of this age would not have the opportunity to progress into the first team. Nowadays, there are even younger players that can get called up to debut for the senior squad. This has had some really positive effects, as players grow and mature as accomplished footballers much faster,’ Franco said.

Brazilian Corner

Former wingback becomes Scolari's trainee Franco, who was chosen by national team coach Mano Menezes to coordinate the Youth Department, revealed the new structure that places value on the integration of the younger groups with the first team. ‘The presence of Mano has a really positive effect upon many of our activities. This motivates the players and makes them realise what they can achieve and how they can progress, even at their age,’ Franco said. He goes on to add, ‘by working closely with all Brazilian national teams, incorporating the young players, they are able to see that there is a real possibility that they could soon wear the senior team shirt.’ The sharing of specific information about the performance of the U20’s is one of the tools used to promote and unite the work throughout the teams. Franco liaises with Menezes, imparting the details of the training, especially the specifics of technical and tactical aspects. Franco stated ‘we exchange our ideas about the positional play of individuals within the team; whilst in possession and whilst not in possession, accounting for players both, with and without the ball.’

One of the most notable players in the history of Paraguayan football is wingback Chique Arce. The legend has recently participated in a special training course at the Academia de Futebol, Palmeiras with coach Luiz Felipe Scolari. After eight years of being away, Arce, former right wingback of the late 1990's, returned to the club for a few days to learn from Luiz Felipe Scolari. The former player was happy to be back, saying ‘it felt nostalgic,’ as he revealed a desire to one day work as coach at Palmeiras. But Arce admitted that before anything like that can happen he needs to gain more knowledge and experience. Right now he feels more than content at his current club Rubio Ñu, who play in the first division of the Paraguayan football league. According to the player, ‘experience with great coaches can only help in starting a career in coaching and management.’

No. 47 February 2011

Edited by Michael Francis Pollin

Brazilian players unite to demand change in the calendar number of players from all clubs and to strengthen participation in the Union of Professional Athletes of the State of São Paulo (SAPESP). To these ends, a letter with the demands of the group has been prepared and is ready to be sent to the institution.

Unhappy with the current context of Brazilian football, players from SC Corinthians, led by the defender Paulo André, began a move to ensure their greater participation in top level management decisions within football in Brazil. One of the main points of criticism was levied against the competition calendar, which, as it stands, prevents adequate preparation for the matches and places the players (athletes) under unnecessary pressure and presents inappropriate conditions to accommodate preparation. The aim of this move, and the motion it could carry, is to; unite the largest possible

No. 47 February 2011

"Last year we discussed the issue at great depth with Corinthians. We also held forums and focus groups, asking 40 to 50 players from other clubs to contribute, and then we put the thoughts down on paper. The idea is to be as supportive as possible to the union, whilst proposing ideas and suggestions to how some things (such as the football calendar) could be changed,’ said Paul André. Currently, Brazil’s (absurdly long) football year starts in early January with the State Championships which runs until May. Almost simultaneously, in February, the Copa do Brasil kicks off and that finishes in July. The Campeonato Brasileiro (Brazil’s national league) starts in May and goes through to December. To add to the congestion are the Libertadores (the equivalent of the European Champions’

Brazilian Corner League) and the Copa Sul-Americana are, in our opinions, unnecessary additions to the South America football calendar. To add to this, the Brasileiro is intruded upon by the European and Asian transfer market windows, which often depletes teams during the first half of the championship. The idea that players propose for season that starts in 2012, is to change the football calendar so that it will allow the players a longer period for pre-season preparation. Currently, teams from São Paulo have only about 15 days

of pre-season training before the start of the season. ‘The question of timing is crucial. We know that for this year it will be difficult to bring about a change as all sponsor and media deals have already been signed. But we sure do want to make our dissatisfaction known, and remain hopeful for a change next year. If not, we will take a stand by protesting but will remain resolute against this lack of understanding and respect for consideration of match and pre-season preparation of players,’ Paul André said.

Corinthians U-18’s coach celebrates integration with the staff of senior team José Augusto, coach of the Corinthians U18’s team, who won the World title (U18’s) in 2010, has attributed part of the success to the fact that he was able to work so closely with the first team and its staff. With a similar game model used by Mano Menezes, who coached Corinthians in the 2009 season; a last line of defence with four players, three midfielders, two wingers and a central striker. José Augusto does not only play the same system as the first team, he is also continuously communicating and collaborating with the

first team staff to make his group ready for the next level. José Augusto commented, ‘my relationship with Mano was very good, and from the very beginning when Mano arrived we have been discussing at great lengths about the Youth Academy. The same level of relationship is being maintained with Tite (Corinthians’ new head coach). It is proving to be a fantastic partnership that greatly facilitates our work.’

No. 47 February 2011

In the next issue:

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Fred Rutten, PSV Eindhoven

"You have to be flexible in how you view the game " Fred Rutten talks to SoccerCoachingInternational about his vision. A vision he sticks to no matter what. "I may adjust a little here and there, but I remain true to my vision, even if the results are temporary disappointing".

...Other features: - Jean-Paul van Gastel, Feyenoord U19 coach - Rafael Vieira, Performance Analyst Brazilian National Team - Training sessions

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No. 47 February 2011