Filed under: Dave Clarke, Soccer Coaching, Soccer Fitness, Soccer News, Soccer Refereeing, Soccer Skills, Soccer Team Management, Soccer Training | Tags: attackers, bettersoccercoaching, Inter Milan, lucio, midfielders, www.youtube.com
When you are working with your defenders spend some time on ball control and playing the ball away with purpose.
If they are under pressure it is better to kick the ball into the nearest touch to give them some time to regroup. Simply hacking the ball up the pitch can be the wrong option because they don’t know where or how far the ball will go. This creates potential problems for the team.
Explain to your defenders the need to look for a pass to relieve the pressure to link with the rest of the team. They should be allowed to show off their skills with the ball as well as your midfielders and attackers.
The emergency hoof away from goal should only be used when all other options are blocked or impossible to perform.
Watch this compilation of Lucio at Inter Milan and how he puts the ball out or wins the ball and turns attack into defence. He doesn’t aimlessly boot it up the pitch, giving the ball back to his opponents.
Filed under: Dave Clarke, Soccer Coaching, Soccer Fitness, Soccer News, Soccer Refereeing, Soccer Skills, Soccer Team Management, Soccer Training | Tags: cannavaro, centre-backs, five best defenders, lucio, piquet, puyol, Thomas Vermaelen, vidic
How many professional teams won at the weekend due to a centre-back scoring from a corner? They do it so often because they are the players who practice outjumping their opponents when they are defending – hence they can do it when they are attacking.
A lot of youth teams keep their centre-backs covering on the half way line, rather than see them get up into the penalty area for a corner in case the defending team wins the ball and makes a quick break. But you don’t have to be so cautious, other players can cover, it doesn’t always have to be your centre-back.
When you are coaching attacking situations make sure you use your centre-backs to attack the ball as well as your strikers. They can learn a lot from positional play when they are attacking so they can understand how to defend the same situation.
My five top centre-backs to use as an example to your players are:
- Gerard Piquet, Barcelona
- Nemanja Vidic, Manchester United
- Carles Puyol, Barcelona
- Lucio, Inter Milan
- Thomas Vermaelen, Arsenal
Watch the clip below of Gerard Piquet scoring for Barcelona:
Soccer Coaching Blog | Professional Soccer Coaching Advice 