Michael O'Neill
@alike_no
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Skip the trial & error! Click below to see how my 2 decades experience will elevate your coaching | First Team Head Coach @LPS_tiedotus | Founder @GameAlike
Manchester, England
Joined January 2019
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🚨 Coaching Micro Courses 🚨
I've put all my 20 years & upwards of 15,000 hours (on-field!) coaching experience into an easily followable program, broken into modules if you just want help with certain parts of the game
Everything is 50% off right now 😎
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If I was coaching an U7-9 team this year I'd work on:
- Ball Mastery (Footskills - Escape& Penetrate)
- 1v1s - Penetrate, Protect, Speed
- 2 Player Combinations
- Games 4v4 max
Focus on playing style - no kicking it away, players driving at space, using skills to beat defenders
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JAILBREAK - Unbelievably fun shooting game for any age group.
3 types of finish to save yourself & teammates. Score 0 and go to jail. The team with everyone in jail loses.
With summer approaching it's a great one to do in the heat with short bursts & rest built in
@TacticalPad
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The level of detail we had to go into for the USSF A License when planning sessions.
Carrying this into my every day coaching has been a game changer
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'Game-ifying' the rondo will make the realism & intensity go up.
3v1 World Cup Possession
-Players each have a #
-Teams pass & move
-Players defend other team on shout of their #
Teams or individual players can be signed & moved up for great attitude/performance.
@TacticalPad
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Here is a library of 1v1 activities that I put together. A bit of theory about why dribbling is so important then 20 or so activities to hello supercharge the session!
If anyone wants a copy, just retweet, give me a follow and drop your email 👍🏼
#SundayShare
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I heard a very depressing story today. I met a kid who was at a Premier League academy until last year when he was released.
The reason? He's too small.
He's 8.
Even today with all the knowledge about RAE, bio v chrono age & the fact Technique > Size, this is still happening
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Next is 4v2 which is where it gets really fun.
A good indication to move on from 3v1 is when moving to 'fix' the team shape and fixing their body shape becomes instinctive for the players.
Here I incorporate lots of fast and dynamic transitions
@TacticalPad
@tacticalpedia
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'Football Rugby' to encourage players to be assertive in possession by running with the ball & beating defenders.
Forward passes not allowed so the only way to get it forward is to dribble. 3 goals to dribble through allows players to dribble in any direction.
@TacticalPad
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Finally got this over the line 🙌🏼
Since the start of this course, I've moved clubs, moved country, moved jobs again...and the entire world's changed.
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Transition->Defend is about attitude & mentality.
Reaction to mistakes
Controlling emotions & frustrations of your team losing it
Immediate recovery to defend.
This game is very fun & high tempo with players directly accountable to their teammates
@TacticalPad
@tacticalpedia
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After 12 years here, last night I did my last session in America. Next Thursday I'm moving with my family to England to start a Master's in coaching, hopefully take my UEFA A and see what the coaching world holds for me in Europe...
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An activity to teach 3 of the 4 types of dribbling. Tons of purposeful touches on the ball in a fun, competitive environment.
- Dribble for Touch
- Dribble for Speed
- Dribble to Protect
@TacticalPad
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Following on from yesterday's 4v1 which is for the basics, once the players get comfortable finding their shape immediately & drawing the defender in, it's time to move on to 3v1 with a similar setup
@TacticalPad
@tacticalpedia
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Using a 1v1 Ladder to help develop a little genius.
We found attacking 2 goals as opposed to 1 increases the changes of direction & therefore use of skills to put the defender off balance.
90 sec rounds. No corners, no side outs. Winners move up, losers move down.
@TacticalPad
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The possession pathway I use goes 4v1 ➡️ 3v1 ➡️ 4v2 ➡️ 5v2 ➡️ 7v4.
Over the next few days I'll share the setup and coaching points I target.
Starting with 4v1, I set up like this
@TacticalPad
@tacticalpedia
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1v1 Thunderdome
Ball goes to the attacking team. 2 goals if the defense transition & score. First team to 10 goals.
Theoretically not my ideal game but kids absolutely love it. The built in rest make it a great hot weather/summer exercise, keeping intensity high
@TacticalPad
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Jail Game:
Nice and simple exercise. Two consecutive 2v1s with the defenders confined to their half of the field. Teaches:
- Executing a give-and-go
- Movement to create an overlap
- Using a passing option as disguise to dribble
- Defending when outnumbered
@TacticalPad
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A 1v1v1 setup to help develop a Houdini-like player in the 1v2 scenario, like Iniesta was or like Wynaldum against Barcelona.
Players score by dribbling through the other players goals. Continuous play so if they score, they keep it to score again & again.
@TacticalPad
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My
@SundayShare10
today is about scouting quite an interesting opposition for an U17 Academy game in the US.
After watching a couple of games it was clear they played a 3-6-1
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As a youth coach, especially coaching U12s or younger, there are only a few things you need to focus on:
- Joy
- Hard Work
- Dribbling
- First Touch
- Passing
- Movement
- Combinations
- Defending
- Finishing
It really isn't more complicated than that.
Anything to add?
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4v2 with Transition
3 ways to score:
- Set number of passes
- Pass to split the defender
- Defenders win it and successfully transfer back to their own team
3 minute games. Winning team moves up, losing team moves down
@ricky_powers3
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I'm reposting my complete Possession Progression after a conversation with
@EdgeOfPlay
on Friday and for any new followers. If anyone wants a copy, just retweet, give me a follow and drop your email 👍🏼
#SundayShare
Animations & pictures made with
@TacticalPad
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A staple of my coaching is a 1v1 Ladder.
I found attacking 2 goals instead of 1 increased the changes of direction & therefore use of skills to put the defender off balance.
60-90 sec rounds.
No corners, no side outs
Winners move ⬆️
Losers move ⬇️
@TacticalPad
@tacticalpedia
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I've never been a big fan of the 4 Corner Model because it never quite rang true to me with the symbology of them all being equal but separate.
Instead this is the model I've always had in my head, psycho-social literally being foundational to everything else.
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@StanleyHouseLFC
@CoachWilly1875
Everton won the league in 1985 & 87. Remind everyone why they didn't get any European games then... 🤔
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Receiving with back to pressure is perhaps one of the toughest skills to master. Great little exercise to develop that - you can coach checking, movement to rotate positions, movement triggers, first touch to receive, posting-up, pinning the back shoulder & more
@TacticalPad
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@JamieHComedy
Get up from your seat when the inspector is finishing up the carriage before yours, go to the toilet* or buffet carriage. Then when he's passed your seat go back. Easy.
*If in the toilet, don't lock the door as that will alert the inspector someone is in there & may wait for you
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Last week I took over as Head Coach of
@LPS_tiedotus
in Finland's 3rd Division
Everyone has been so welcoming so it was nice to start as we mean to go on with a 4-0 win over the weekend including giving debuts to 3 Academy players
I'm so excited to see where we can take this 🙌🏼
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Discussing Parent Education with
@jkokkoris8
. With the new season upon us it's vital to get parent buy-in - particularly educating then on their roles & on how your playing style ties in with the kids long term development.
If you want the full document, drop me your email
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@ryajones_
Here's how Sarri used his
#9
and one of his
#8
/10s to press out of a 4-5-1. Same principles apply when the ball is with the keeper as you see in this clip
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I'm in a fortunate position to have done both my UEFA B and USSF B Licenses.
I'm going to share my assignments for both and the body of work both required me to do and inspired me to do, then you can decide which course you'd rather take.
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Absolutely brilliant morning at United
Coaches who only give feedback to players to encourage dribbling & combinations, who don't argue with the referees and tell their players to get on with it when they get a decision against them.
It's a developmental nirvana 👌🏼
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Beautiful day for football 🥶
One of the boys just asked me, 'Do you think it was a wise decision to come to Finland?' 😂
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Right now listening to Anson Dorrance talk about his women players becoming elite by playing against boys. Yet when I suggested playing a weekly co-ed 4v4 street soccer type thing to a club recently it was shut down 'we don't want the boys and girls mixing' 🤔
American soccer eh
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Better than about 75% of the British coaches who come to America with those big companies like Challenger and UK Elite 😂
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Wow!
@Doug_Lemov
, all I have to say is thank you. What a phenomenal resource, dripping with value from every page for any coach at any level 🙌🏼
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In September last year I spent a week on the pitch with
@fredrikstadfk
First Team.
I got a front row seat into the workings of a high performance and what's more, a HIGH ACHIEVING environment.
It was one of the best experiences I've ever had
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My tax rate is what? 25%? You could raise taxes to 35% to pay for universal healthcare & my wife & I would be $6,000 better off per year.
Plus I would actually be covered.
And have access to more healthcare.
And have no co-pays or deductibles to worry about.
It's a no brainer
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How to create a culture?
Deemed to be the 15th player in a squad back in the day when U12-14s were 11-a-side and only 3 subs, I know exactly and painfully the feeling of being cast aside by a coach because you seemingly provide no value.
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FAO: Manchester based coaches
I am planning to run a Coach Education Session for grassroots coaches. It will be free and aimed at anyone looking to learn (some more!) good practice, games, and just generally share my experience and knowledge.
If you're interested...
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The (Hidden) Expense of Coaching Education:
$4000 - USSF A License
I don't have a problem with that. Great course content, beautiful hotel, delicious food, attentive & challenging instructors.
$1050 - Flights (3 meetings @ $350)
$60 - cabs to/from airport
And the more hidden...
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Time for a sneak peak...
At any level, Creating a Culture is all about 3 things for me:
1. A shared idea
2. Making everyone feel valued
3. Reinforce the behaviours
Once you have a shared idea, everything you do needs to become aligned to make that idea happen
I've had a few coaches asking about how I went about changing the mindset of a team and instilling a culture.
So, I started writing a Micro-Course on it. Simple, actionable things that anyone can read, take and implement right away!
I'll share a sneak peak tomorrow 🙂
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If they're underdeveloped, just go back in their development.
Obviously I don't know the situation, but it sounds like they need technical work.
So:
-Ball Mastery
-1v1s
-Two Player Combinations
-Rondos
-4v4-6v6 Games
-Juggling & Ball Striking
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Recently my time at Oldham Athletic came to an end and I'm incredibly proud to have worked for a club I've always had a special affinity for.
Every day I managed to walk through the stands and look over the pitch, I'd just smile to myself, loving working for this club.
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The activities I post get a few likes so I collated them all into a document in time for the start of the new season. Here's a little preview.
If you'd like it, retweet & leave your email and I'll send it along.
Videos made with
@AdobePremiere
& diagrams made with
@TacticalPad
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I've had a few coaches asking about how I went about changing the mindset of a team and instilling a culture.
So, I started writing a Micro-Course on it. Simple, actionable things that anyone can read, take and implement right away!
I'll share a sneak peak tomorrow 🙂
Despite finishes of 3rd (2022) & 5th (2023) the record in that time for
@LPS_tiedotus
away against the top 6 was:
P10 W0 D1 L9 F10 A29
On Friday we went into the 2022 league winners, who beat us 5-1 and 4-0 that season and won.
2-1.
It could and should have been more
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I've seen a lot of conversations on vision recently. But checking shoulders ≠ vision.
Vision is knowing what to look for:
1. Ball
2. Space
3. Opposition
4. Teammates
McTominay is clearly only referencing the ball & pressure, ruining what could have been a great opportunity.
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If Ronaldo dribbles straight at the goal the defender recovers into the space & forces him wider &/or blocks the shot. By attacking the defender directly he forces the defender to deal with him centrally, maintaining the space to explode into & finish
Made with
@TacticalPad
@alike_no
@CoachWilly1875
Does your comment mean to fake or feint directly at the defender so they don’t close the space you want to move into?
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@nocontextunited
To be fair, there was a stretch of games to start the 11/12 when him and Cleverley hit a level which if they'd maintained would have seen them go on to be United legends
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I'm looking for a young coach, possibly 2, who want a mentor to bounce ideas off, continue their development outside of a licence pathway & generally lean on someone with a fair bit of experience in the grassroots/academy game.
Please tag, recommend anyone or retweet. DM's open
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Once there's a good rhythm to 4v2 it's kind of vital to move on to 5v2/3
4v2 is a great exercise and will exponentially increase development from 3v1. But it has its ceiling because the play only happens between 90-180° of a player's field of vision.
@TacticalPad
@tacticalpedia
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Manchester United v Man City
This game exposed in 90mins what has plagued MUFC for a long time & what will continue to do so until it's fixed
In Build Out, the structure is getting better but the trust & decision making within it - both on & off the ball - are still sub-optimal
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@cainsmithMU
Of this sequence, that's the best combination of decision & execution of all the passes.
The weight leaves it perfectly playable in 1 touch and really it should have gone left foot out to Lindelof. Maybe there could have been a tiny bit more on it but I quite liked that from DDG
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U10 keeper.
August 24th: Too deep. Panic. Wild clearances.
Now: Composure. Playing high off his line. Recognising 4v2s. Seeing when to play through pressure.
My favourite part is the last clip-he disguises left to flatten the press & then splits them to the central midfielder
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So pleased to have gone through this with
@MBPSchool
9 months of hard work, incredible insight, categorizing football knowledge, diving into the minute details of the game, enjoyable assignments, great classes with instructors & fellow students...I can't recommend it enough👌🏼
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Coaches!! Are there any books, videos or podcasts that are so good that you go back to them periodically either to ground you, inspire you or because they're so good you get something new out of it every time?
Here's one of mine...
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One of the most neglected concepts in coaching football, 3rd Man Dynamics are absolutely devastating in all areas of the pitch.
Give yourself an advantage and coach your players to see themselves as the 3rd (and 4th!) Man.
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Something I've wanted to do for a while now but for whatever reason not publicized it. Having spent a fair bit of time on the phone with 2 coaches this week talking football and coaching, I realize I might have a bit of value to add to someone's coaching journey.
Soo...
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Also, Cat 1 Academies are rather sheltered places. The pitches, the facilities, the coaches are all top notch and pristine.
When we had players in at Oldham (Cat 3) released from Cat 1 clubs, they were often psych. 'broken' or they just didn't know how to put in the work hard...
Staggering stats. 97% of former cat 1 academy players now aged 21 to 26 never made an EPL appearance.
70% weren't handed a pro contract at an EPL or EFL club. And only 1 in 10 went on to make more than 20 league appearances in the top four tiers of English football.
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As if weeks don't get any better 😍
Big thanks to
@ritchiewils
&
@DougieAnderso12
for being so great through it all despite them being stretched in a million different directions 🙌🏼
#ScottishFACoachEd
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I've had many people ask me about 7v7 and 9v9 formations and seen it asked a lot on Twitter.
So between sessions the other day I threw some thoughts down into a document.
Download it for FREE here 👇
Scroll to the 'Free Content' section and enjoy!
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I moved apartment so I'm sorting through a load of things. I came across this which I used to headline my coaching philosophy I wrote in 2011.
It's still true today. Maybe even more so!
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With the new season approaching I dusted off the printer, brushed up on my computer skills & created 10 new levels of skills cards.
A lot of ink, cutting and laminating but I've never experienced anything drive practice away from practice like these in <U11 kids
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A type of scenario I see a lot. Blue have just won the ball on the edge of their box and are on the counter.
Plenty of options so I'm very interested to hear what decision coaches would want their players to make? A-B-C-D or another?
@IBarkerSoccer
@LeeDunneSoccer
@Smedley033
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Jail Game:
Nice & simple exercise. Two consecutive 2v1s with the defenders confined to their half of the field. Teaches:
- Executing a give-and-go
- Movement to create an overlap
- Using a passing option as disguise to dribble
- Defending when outnumbered
@TacticalPad
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Created these for my U19 boys primarily to help properly periodize sessions and tailor needs to players depending on their physical state that day.
I'm actually finding out a ton about them from the sleep, hydration & mood bits when they report low numbers & conversations start.
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@Sennesation
@TomBrownrigg200
Neville: 'Gerrard was a great player'
You: 'oh my God, Neville just said Gerrard was the best player ever. Debate over'
Nowhere in that video does Neville say Ferguson used to drop Scholes for Liverpool games 😂
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Easy 1v1 game called 'Ticking Timebomb' with this mixed ability 2010-11 group.
The 3 hardest working dribblers are 'rewarded' with bibs that are 'Timebombs',7 players have balls. They have to win the ball, drop the bib & get away. Don't be left with a bib when the time runs out!
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I don't often come on Twitter on the weekends so I always miss the brilliant
#SundayShare
But I'm in this time to give away a few freebies to celebrate the launch of my Micro-Courses & Mentoring which you can find here
@SundayShare10
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A passage of play showing how
#mufc
are still right now a 2nd tier European team & also the importance of packing - both player passing & receiving. What could have been a great attack fizzles out due to safe passes.
It's a very simple fix & where your money is made as a coach
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Our little club
@LPS_tiedotus
in the last 64 of the
@SuomenCup
drawn against a
@Veikkausliiga
(Finnish Premier League) opposition.
On a public holiday, mid afternoon kick-off, on TV, beautiful weather forecast, packed ground...I can't wait 😍
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Let me introduce you to a world where all the 'latest' football trends have existed for decades - PoftB, ball playing GK's, false9, rotations&interchanges, counter attack, overlapping CB's, 3rd man dynamics, playmaking full backs, combinations etc
It's called small sided games👍🏼
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@cainsmithMU
De Gea has played zero backwards passes in his United career. Imagine how good we'd be if he played in the
#10
position 👍🏼
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What's in my head when I see coaches going through how they'd press with the magnets and whiteboard
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@Malachians
'They must have a plan'
'They're businessmen, they know what they're doing'
'Wait and see'
These were all things we were told 2004-05 when we told the world what the Glazers would do to the club.
Some of us have never been since that day in 05. Others continue to fund it
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Bit late on the uptake with some of these but just got a new batch of books. This should last me a few months so I appreciate all the authors efforts 🙏🏼
@DavidEpstein
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Too many coaches blow smoke instead of being honest and giving clearly feedback and clearly defined roles to players. I love this story 👌🏼
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1v1 To a Ball
Quick, intense rounds with the added bonus that this exercise has built-in rest after a 'goal' as the players reset, organise and begin to play again. 60-120second games keeps it fresh as players can then rotate opponents.
#1v1
#ballmastery
@TacticalPad
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12 years ago my parents embarrasingly hung around check-in taking pictures as I left Manchester. Maybe they just knew I'd never come back!
Coached in 15 states, 25teams, 300+ players, 10,000+ hours, not played as much as I'd like, picked up memories, friends & even a wife & kid
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People see the big diagonal volley pass but as a coach do you see the instant movement after the initial pass, the intelligence to read the receiving player, 1 step fake to go in behind then check back giving himself time & space to execute...?
And do you coach that?
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If you're like me and coach multiple teams, weekends can be very busy and almost chaotic.
Since creating and using this GameDay Checklist for all my teams I feel much better prepared for games and more on point and effective with half time team talks.
Download link 👇🏼
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@IJaSport
@DavidGarciaHevi
As most have said 1-2-3-1 at 7v7. Get the wide players in a three overlapping.
At 9v9 you're just missing the
#7
&11 from a 1-4-3-3...or2&3 depending on how you want to present those wide roles to players!
Here's how my 9v9 teams look in a few different moments of the game
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Absolutely delighted for this kid signing with
@BlackpoolFC
yesterday
He came into Oldham at 14 with a great confidence combined with an incredible humility & respect which you can see from the text message he sent to me.
I'm positive he'll have a hugely successful career 🙌🏼
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I've spent a lot of time and money trying to improve myself as a coach yet one of the biggest improvements came from the impact of a single page in a $15 book
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Had a little tour of
@SportingKC
training ground during a course last week and I loved this bit about winning mentality.
I always tell my players, wanting to win and having a winning mentality are two very different things and can lead you in completely different directions.
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@EricLaurie
@TacticalThinker
The winds must be whispering '3rd Man' today or something...
One of the most neglected concepts in coaching football, 3rd Man Dynamics are absolutely devastating in all areas of the pitch.
Give yourself an advantage and coach your players to see themselves as the 3rd (and 4th!) Man.
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Everyone knows Klopp for the gengenpress but this 'regular' transition is also key. Alisson is so quick to see his options & get the ball out. Very underrated & under-taught quality of a keeper.
Sigurdsson even recognises how dangerous it is & moves to stop it late on
#EVELIV
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Also little mention and thanks for their Head Coach Bruno Romao who saw the BallBoys outside the changing room and kindly brought them a pizza to share 🙌🏼👍🏼
Very classy 😎
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There are 3 ways you can receive the ball with back to pressure:
1. On your back foot turned facing the defender
2. On front foot, back to pressure protecting the ball
3. Spin/roll/dummy the defender and penetrate with your first touch
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