Eastern Illinois FCCOACHES MEETING 1/26/14

The Question….

Why Do Programs Fail?

Clubs/High Schools/Teams Lack…

Vision

Specifics

Clarity

Consistency

So basically…there is no established

TEAM IDENTITY

Vision

“The basic methodological concepts must be

instilled in both the elite and

the base. At Porto I regularly met

with the youth and reserve team directors to

explain exactly how all the different teams

should play. That way no player gets lost when

making the step up. Everything is already trained

into his mind”

Jose Mourinho, Chelsea FC

Vision

FACT – All teams win, all teams lose

Can you handle either result and still…

Develop players capable of playing at ‘the

next level’?

Play in a way that’s recognizable, regardless

of talent?

Vision

Programs need to clearly establish a (club)…

Philosophy

Objective(s)

Style of Play

System

Then break each down into specific details

Vision - Philosophy

Vision – Philosophy – What’s Ours?

Education

Life

• School

• Leadership

• Responsibility

Soccer

• Technical

• Tactical

• Physical

• Psycho-Social

Expression

Creativity

• Fearlessness

• “Flavor”

Passion

• Love of the Game

• “Own your own development”

Excellence

Building a daily EIFC culture of

• Respect

• Tolerance

• Effort

• Honesty

• Courage

Vision - Objectives

Program

Increasing Participation #’s

Fielding new teams

Increasing coaching quality and

benefits

Standardizing style-of-play

Team

Learning to build from back

X% of possession/game

“Playing short”

Goals scored/conceded

League championship

Tournament championship

Vision – Style of Play

Possession, Pressure, Positioning

Positive, attack-minded possession

Playing ‘through-the-lines’

Quick counters

Everyone into attack

Orchestrated pressing in opponent’s half

Develop team to eliminate weaknesses

Defensive organization and building from the back

Ball-oriented shifting (zonal marking)

Pattern Play

Vision – System

4-3-3 and variants

Why?

Best for youth development

Inspired by Total Football (Dutch), perfected by Spanish System

Recommended by US Soccer

Early age groups vs Older age groups

4 defenders, OB’s are attack-oriented

1 holding midfielder, 2 attacking midfielders

2 wing-forwards, 1 center-forward

Specifics

“I convinced Gullit and Van Basten by telling them that

five organised players would beat ten disorganised ones.

And I proved it to them. I took five players: Giovanni Galli

in goal, Tassotti, Maldini, Costacurta and Baresi. They

had ten players: Gullit, Van Basten, Rijkaard, Virdis, Evani,

Ancelotti, Colombo, Donadoni, Lantignotti and Mannari.

They had 15 minutes to score against my five players. I

did this all the time and they never scored. Not once.”

Arrigo Sacchi, Former Mgr., AC Milan

Specifics – Phase Play

4 Phases of the Game

In-Possession

Transition from In-possession to out-of-possession

(Just lost ball)

Out-of-Possession

Transition from out-of-possession to in-possession

(Just regained ball)

“5th phase” – Set pieces

Specifics – EXAMPLE U16/U19

4-3-3 In Possession

Play from the back with composure

Outside backs push up high and wide to provide width, overlaps, and crossing

Holding CM drops deep to receive ball and distribute/keep possession

Holding CM also acts as central defender once ball moves up, providing a 3-4-3 formation in attack

Attacking Mids create ‘windows’ to receive the ball on the half-turn and dribble/create

Wings stretch defenders and cut in for through-balls

Center Forward acts as false 9, coming back to receive, dribble, create

4-3-3 w/rotational movement video

Specifics – EXAMPLE U16/U19

4-3-3 Transition from “In” to “Out”

6 Second Rule/3 Pass Rule – person closest to the ball puts

immediate pressure on the opponent

Anyone close enough may double-team

Back 3 or 4 step up to form a high line and offside trap

Everyone steps within 1 yard of their mark/nearest opponent

All must happen IMMEDIATELY

If still out-of-possession after 6 seconds/3 passes, go ‘home’ and

settle into defensive organization and utilize ball-oriented shifting by

position

Barca 6 second rule video

Specifics – EXAMPLE U16/U19

4-3-3 Out-of-Possession

Organize back from 3-4-3 into regular 4-3-3

shape as quickly as possible, if necessary

Shift and apply pressure as a team in the correct

format

Maintain high defensive block (if possible) along

with pressing so as to shrink the field to one side

Ajax pressing vs barca video

Specifics – EXAMPLE U16/U19

4-3-3 Transition from “Out” to “In”

Outside backs and wingers get wide quickly to

stretch the opposition and provide outlets

Look for quick outlets high up the field to initiate

immediate counter-attacks

If no option, play 1-2 touch and find the safe

pass until we have proper shape and/or

opposition settles back from initial pressure

Guardiola counter-pressing video

Clarity

“The single biggest problem in

communication is the illusion that it has

taken place.”

George Bernard Shaw

Clarity

Expectations

Clarity

Player Roles, Responsibilities

Education

“Soccer Homework”

Matches on TV

EIU/CHS games or similar

Building the Culture

Focus and Effort at practice – How much? When? Why?

Accountability – positive and negative encouragement

From Coach?

Player to Player?

Clarity

Coach’s Roles, Responsibilities

Organization

Training

Game-Day

Correspondence

With Players

With Parents

Parent Manager

Attitude

Consistency

"We are what we repeatedly do, therefore excellence is not an act

but a habit”

Aristotle

“Under pressure we become our habits”

Unknown

3four3 development vs no development video

Mls jungle ball video

Consistency

The Rondo

Rondos (4v0,4v1, 3v1, 5v2, 7v2, 9v2)

Seen in England as ‘having a laugh’

Seen in Spain as the most important activity from U9 to 1st team

“Rondo, Rondo, Rondo. Every. Single. Day. It’s the best exercise there is”

– Xavi Hernandez

“If god wanted us to play football in the sky, he’d have put grass up there”

– Brian Clough

“In a small space a player has to be able to act quickly. A good player who

needs too much time can suddenly become a bad player” – Johan Cruyff

Barca rondo video

Bayern rondo video

AVB rondo video

3Four3 rondo video

Consistency

Rondo – On Field Application

The Importance of Overloads

By Kieran Smith, AD Alcorcon (ESP)Many people believe that players only have to be good technically and have some kind of support in order to retain possession or to play a possession style of play. The most commonly misunderstood aspect of the possession style of play is the need to create overloads all over the pitch.

An overload is when you have more players than the opposition in the particular area of the field you are playing in. This is one of the main reasons playing with only one striker has become popular, because teams want to overload the midfield.

Coaches and managers can set up their teams to have an overload in a particular area, like midfield, but you need to coach your players to have the tactical intelligence to know when to move “out of position” to create an overload.

We saw in the last slide how rondos can appear in match form and how we can create overloads in each area. These are not exhaustive solutions and players need to be able to understand when/how to create an overload anywhere

Identity

Vision

Philosophy

Objectives

Style of Play

System

Specifics

Clarity

Consistency

“With every kick of the ball, there must be a thought.”

Dennis Bergkamp, Current Asst. Coach of AFC Ajax, former player of Arsenal FC, AFC Ajax, Inter Milan