We’ve written about how watching soccer, both pro games on TV and live games local to you, can help you become a better player.

This article will dig a little deeper into one specific position that requires the combination of many advanced techniques and dispositions as a player: central midfield.

Why Is Center Midfield a Hard Position in Soccer?

Center midfield is often considered one of the most challenging positions in soccer. CMs are often referred to as the engine room of the team, responsible for orchestrating both the offensive and defensive aspects of the game. Their role demands exceptional levels of stamina and awareness, as they are required to cover a significant amount of ground, tracking back to defend and pushing forward to create scoring opportunities. Even more difficult is the fact that due to their position in the center of the field, they must stay aware of and play the ball in all 360 degrees.

What sets central midfielders apart is their ability to set the tempo of the game. They must make crucial decisions about when to control the pace and when to be aggressive, all while maintaining composure under pressure. Any loose touches or sloppy passes in the center of the pitch can lead to turnovers and dangerous counter-attacks. Center midfield requires a well-rounded skill set, including fitness, positioning, defending, passing, and attacking prowess.

So knowing this about the position, what specifically can you look for when watching more experienced center midfielders play?

1. Constant Movement

One of the key aspects to learn from watching center midfielders is their ability to maintain constant movement throughout the game. Central midfielders are constantly on the go, covering vast areas of the field. Their movement isn’t aimless; it’s purposeful. Observe how they shuttle between defensive and attacking positions, seamlessly transitioning from offense to defense and vice versa. This constant movement serves multiple purposes: it helps them create passing lanes, provide support to teammates, and disrupt the opposition’s game plan. Pay attention to their off-the-ball runs, how they position themselves to receive passes, and their agility in evading opponents. By studying their movement patterns, you can learn how to stay engaged and effective throughout the game, ensuring you’re always in the right place at the right time to make an impact on the pitch.

2. Being Aware of Your Surroundings

One of the most valuable lessons you can glean from watching center midfielders is their remarkable awareness of their surroundings. These players have a knack for keeping their heads up and their eyes constantly scanning the field. As you observe them, take note of how they frequently look over their shoulders, not just to check for nearby opponents but also to assess the positioning of their teammates. This 360-degree awareness enables them to make quick decisions and maintain possession even in tight spaces. They rarely have their heads down, and this allows them to anticipate pressure and incoming passes.

Additionally, pay attention to how center midfielders use their peripheral vision to track the movement of players in their blind spots. This skill enables them to receive the ball under pressure, knowing where to distribute it next. By emulating this awareness in your own game, you can improve your ability to maintain better control of the ball, spot passing opportunities, and avoid unnecessary turnovers. Being aware of your surroundings, just like elite central midfielders, can significantly elevate your effectiveness as a soccer player.

3. How They Take their First Touch

The best central midfielders excel at perfectly-weighted first touches that keeps the ball close, minimizing the risk of losing possession. Be sure to watch how they open up their body and receive passes with their back foot, allowing them to quickly assess their options and maintain a wide field of vision. This also enables them to pivot away from pressure and distribute it efficiently. Learning from their first-touch mastery can enhance your ball control, composure under pressure, and versatility on the field, making you a more reliable player with a greater ability to create space and time during matches.

4. Playing Simple vs. Risk Taking

Watching center midfielders can teach you the delicate balance between playing simple and knowing when to take calculated risks. These players have a remarkable ability to read the flow of the game and make decisions based on the situation. Pay attention to how they often opt for short, accurate passes to maintain possession and keep the team’s rhythm. However, they also recognize when the opportunity arises to make a more ambitious pass that can break the opposition’s lines or create a scoring chance. Studying this aspect of their game can help you understand the importance of adaptability and decision-making. Learning when to play it safe and when to take calculated risks will make you a more effective and versatile midfielder, capable of influencing the game in various ways.

5. Communication and Coordination with Teammates

Center midfielders excel with communication, constantly providing instructions and support to their teammates and fostering cohesion within the team. They use verbal instructions and gestures to guide positioning and movements and also possess a deep understanding of their teammates’ tendencies, enabling them to efficiently link up play between different areas of the field. Their ability to establish a passing rhythm and dictate the tempo of the game enhances teamwork. Learning from their communication and coordination skills can make you a more effective player, promoting better synergy with your teammates, both on and off the ball.image credit

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One easy opportunity lies right there in your own community: watching local high school and college soccer games.

By going to these games and paying attention to the action on the field, youth players can gain a wealth of knowledge of techniques, strategies and other soccer concepts which can make a big difference in their own development as a player (especially when a parent or coach talks with them about the action on the field).

These benefits are actually backed up by research, as a phenomenon called “nonconscious behavioral mimicry” means that individuals unwittingly imitate the behaviors of another.

This article will outline a few specific things to look for when watching games.

Watch for Technical and Individual Skills

One of the most noticeable differences when watching older and more experienced players are their technical skills, sharpened by years of practice.

Encourage younger players to pay attention to the players’ first touch, passing accuracy, control when dribbling and shooting techniques. They might see a player try a feint or cut or other move and become inspired to try to learn it themselves. And on the other side of the ball, they may be impressed by a defender playing lock-down 1v1 defense to stop an attack in its tracks.

Watching for these skills and related skills can inspire youth players to keep practicing and honing their own fundamental skills.

Essentially, it helps them learn the how and why of their own team practices by seeing it applied at a higher level.

Tactical Awareness and Positioning

High school and college soccer games also allow youth players to sharpen their sense of tactical awareness and how players position themselves on the field.

Watching how players move during different phases of the game can provide valuable lessons, including how they create space, move into threatening positions, and coordinate their positioning with teammates. How long does each team try to pass the ball around before they try to move forward into the attacking third?

On the defensive side of the ball, see what positions each player takes in relation to their teammates. Take note of their decision-making processes, their ability to read the game, and how they adapt to changing situations.

Studying different defensive formations, pressing strategies, and counter-attacking styles can provide youth players with a deeper understanding of the game’s intricacies.

Game Intelligence and Decision-Making

The pace and intensity of high school and college soccer games provide a great opportunity to view soccer IQ in action and learn about the importance of quick decision-making.

Watch how players assess their options quickly, anticipate movements, and make split-second decisions. Take note of their ability to recognize space, exploit mismatches, and execute passes or shots at the right moment.

Youth players can learn to think ahead, develop better field vision, and improve their decision-making skills by analyzing the choices made by more experienced players.

Focus On a Player Who Plays Their Position

For all of these concepts it’s a great idea to identify and focus on a player who plays the same position (and if the youngster(s) play multiple positions, they can choose one at a time). See what they do when their team is on offense, on defense and in transition moments (when the ball has just been won or lost).

For example, midfielders play a pivotal role in controlling the game’s tempo, distributing the ball, and transitioning between defense and attack. Youth players observe how midfielders distribute passes, maintain possession under pressure, look over their shoulder before receiving the ball, and more between different areas of the field.

Taking Your Eye Off the Ball

A big part of the value of watching soccer comes from taking your eye off the ball; seeing how players make runs, drop back or push up, track their mark on defense, and more helps players of any age gain a fuller understanding of how to play at a higher level.

As you watch, try to identify ways in which players can impact the game even when they don’t have the ball.

This is a major benefit of watching soccer on TV to get better and games in person are even better for this because you can see the whole field instead of just what the TV camera decides to show (which is the ball and the area immediately around it).

Sportsmanship, Leadership and Learning from Mistakes

In addition to technical and tactical principles, youth players can also draw broader lessons from their watching experience. Observing how players conduct themselves on the field and interact with teammates, referees, and opponents, can serve as valuable lessons. Point out times when players help each other up, speak to the ref politely, and other small moments of mutual respect. Encourage young players to learn from positive role models who exhibit sportsmanship, respect, and teamwork.

Similarly, some young players might be afraid of making mistakes, which can sometimes discourage them from trying new things or being confident in a big game. Show how even high school and college players make mistakes, but don’t let it get to them and instead keep

Age Appropriate Lessons

The details of how to point out and discuss these concepts with your youth player(s) will of course depend on the level of game you’re watching and their age. A U-12 player aged player watching a high school game will be much closer to the level of play than a U-10 player watching a D1 college game. The lessons learned can be more specific and technical for older youth players and more general for younger ones. Similarly, older youth players watching high school games should be able to much more closely identify with the game being played compared to their team, which can help them gain confidence that they can one day soon play at the same level.

Finally, this same strategy can certainly be used for watching professional games as well. We focused on high school and college soccer because these are likely already close by in your community and are free (in the case of many college programs) or low cost. Families likely already have an older sibling or friends playing at the high school as well.

If you are lucky enough to live close to a pro team, you can certainly try these same things out with youth players too! And if you have a semipro team like USL League Two, it’s likely to feel somewhat similar to a college environment although of course the level of play will be higher.

If you watch high school or college games with youth players, how has it gone?

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While height and physical stature play significant roles in many sports, soccer is a unique game where players of various sizes and heights can excel in different positions.

In this article, we will delve into the world of soccer and explore how the height and size of players can impact their performance, debunking the notion that bigger is always better.

The Myth of Height

One of the most fascinating aspects of soccer is how certain positions, such as midfielders, often prioritize agility, quickness, and technical skills over physical stature.

A prime example is Lionel Messi, who, at a modest 5’7″ (170 cm), has defied expectations with his unparalleled dribbling, creativity, and goal-scoring abilities.

Messi’s low center of gravity and agility give him an edge on the field, allowing him to navigate through tight spaces and evade defenders with ease.

Different Sizes for Different Roles

While midfielders like Messi demonstrate that size is not the sole determinant of success in soccer, there are positions where height can be advantageous.

Center backs, for instance, are often expected to win aerial duels, provide a physical presence, and defend set pieces effectively.

Players like Virgil van Dijk, standing at 6’4″ (193 cm), epitomize the importance of height in these roles, combining physicality with excellent defensive skills.

Let’s look at a few other specific well known players from recent years who exemplify how sizes can vary depending on the role of the player:

Xavi Hernandez: The diminutive Spanish maestro Xavi Hernandez, at 5’7″ (170 cm), showcased the power of intelligence, vision, and passing accuracy as a midfield orchestrator during his career. Despite not having the height advantage, he dominated games with his precise distribution and remarkable understanding of the game.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic: On the other end of the height spectrum, Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic towers over opponents at 6’5″ (195 cm). His height provides an advantage in aerial duels, making him a formidable presence in the box and a target for crosses to allow him to score more goals.

N’Golo Kanté: The tireless French midfielder N’Golo Kanté, standing at 5’6″ (168 cm), exemplifies the effectiveness of smaller players in midfield. Kanté’s relentless energy, exceptional tackling ability, and intelligence on the field have earned him widespread admiration and numerous accolades.

Soccer celebrates diversity in size and stature, allowing players of all heights to thrive in different positions on the field. While some positions may favor taller players, the game also rewards agility, technique, and intelligence, making size less crucial for success.

As fans, it’s important to appreciate the varied talents and contributions of players across the size spectrum.

So, the next time you watch a soccer match, remember that greatness comes in all sizes, and the true measure of a player lies in their skills, passion, and impact on the beautiful game.

Soccer Player Heights vs. Other Professional Sports

On average, soccer players tend to be shorter than athletes in sports like basketball or American football, which often prioritize height and physicality.

Professional basketball players, especially those in the NBA, are known for their exceptional height. The average height of an NBA player is around 6’7″ (200 cm) or taller. This is significantly taller than the average height of professional soccer players, which ranges between 5’9″ (175 cm) and 6’1″ (185 cm).

In American football, height also plays a crucial role, particularly for positions like quarterbacks, wide receivers, and tight ends. These positions often require players to have the height advantage to catch passes and have a broader field of vision. Quarterbacks, for example, are typically over 6 feet (183 cm) tall, with some even exceeding 6’5″ (195 cm).

Compared to these sports, professional soccer players are generally more compact. However, it’s important to emphasize that soccer’s focus on agility, speed, and technical skills allows players of varying heights to excel in different positions. While there are taller players in soccer, especially in positions like center back or goalkeeper, the sport embraces a diverse range of body types and skill sets.

Ultimately, the height disparities between professional soccer players and athletes in other American professional sports reflect the distinct demands and strategies of each sport. Soccer’s emphasis on finesse, quickness, and tactical awareness provides opportunities for players of various sizes to make significant contributions on the field.

The post True Size and Height: How Big Are Pro Soccer Players, Anyway? appeared first on Soccer Training Solutions.

The most important skill to develop at this age is their dribbling skills. Passing is not a concept that players understand quite yet, so they are mostly limited to stealing the ball from their opponent and dribbling.

In general, you want kids to learn how to dribble in a zig-zag pattern, so they can dribble around defenders.

The following drills will help players improve their fundamental skill of dribbling and become more confident while having fun and enjoying the game of soccer.

These drills can also be used as a practice plan as well. For the first practice, do just two to three drills. Then add a new drill each practice, so the kids will get into a routine and know what to expect.

Coaching points to develop kids dribbling skills:

-Keep the ball close, so don’t kick it super far ahead.
-Change of pace and direction
-Go slow and then fast while dribbling in a zig-zag pattern

Warm-Up Drills/Activities

Free Play

One of the best drills is to just let the kids have free play by scoring in one goal and then getting the ball out of the net and going to score in the other goal. Kids will naturally be creative and try new moves. As a coach, there are a couple things you can do to encourage creativity as well as develop their dribbling skills. You can be chasing kids encouraging them to go score a goal. You can be in the middle of the field to act like you are playing defense so kids have to dribble around you. As you do both these, say your coaching points (see above).

Simon Says/Soccer Gymnastics

Another good warm-up drill is Simon Says, but don’t say “Simon Says” and try to get kids out. You want everyone dribbling and working on their soccer skills. Have the players dribble around while you call out skills to do. Call out “dribble slow.” “dribble fast,” “change direction.” Then “FREEZE.” Have them stop the ball with the sole of their foot. Then continuing having them dribbling and stopping. Every time you have them stop, have them perform a skill. Here’s a list of skills to do when you stop the players: Perform a stretch, toe taps, pendulum taps (kicking the ball between your two feet), touch the ball with a body part, jumping jacks, squats, balance on one foot, hop on one foot, etc. This is also a good time to take suggestions from your players.

Games/Activities

Red Light Green Light Game

For this activity, have the players start on the endline with a soccer ball. When you say, “Green Light” the players need to dribble as fast as they can to the other endline. When you say, “Red Light” the players need to stop the ball by using the sole of their foot. Keep saying “Green Light” and “Red Light” until each player makes it to the other endline. To spice up the game, throw in a “Yellow Light” which means they must go slow. This will help the players with their change of pace.

Coach, what time is it?

This game is great because the coach gets to chase the players like they were during free play. The players start at half field or on the endline and then the coach starts towards the opposite endline with their back to the players. The players shout, “Coach, what time is it?” The coach says a number like “3 o’clock.” The players must take the number of dribbles the coach said towards the coach then stop the ball with the sole of their foot. The players shout, “Coach, what time is it?” and the coach responds with a number. This cycle continues until the coach turns around to chase the players back towards their goal.

The Crab Game

In this game you will NOT be moving like a crab, but instead the coaches and guardians will be the crabs with pincers spread out vertically up the field sliding laterally across the field trying to “pinch” the players trying to dribble in a zig-zag pattern from one goal to the other. Remind the players to keep the ball close and not just kick it and run after it. As the players feel more comfortable, then they should try to dribble faster but not kick the ball too far ahead.

Lightning McQueen/Racing Car Game

This game is great because the kids will naturally practice cutting the ball with the inside of their foot. Additionally, they will need to keep the ball close to them to make it around the circle faster. Have the players start inside the pits (the goal). The players need to start their engine by doing a specified number of toe taps. Say, “Start your engines.” Tell them the direction and how many lap(s) they are doing. (Start with one lap.) Then say, “On your mark get set GO!” As the players make their way around the circle track in the middle of the small sided soccer field, make sure the players don’t dribble through the middle. As they close in on the finish, have the players come back to the pits. If you are going around the circle counterclockwise like NASCAR, then encourage the players to use their right foot to keep the ball close to the inside lane. *Make sure you change direction so they work on cutting the ball with their left foot.

Sharks and Minnows

This classic game keeps all players involved and as there are more sharks, the players need to keep the ball close so the sharks don’t get it. Start with one or two sharks depending on the number of total players. Bring the sharks to the middle of the field. Here you can ask the players what kind of sharks and have them show their shark teeth to the minnows. Have the sharks yell, “Minnows, are you ready?!?!” The minnows should be spread out on the endline and respond by yelling, “YESSSSS!!” If the minnows don’t yell loud enough, then have the sharks say, “I can’t hear you. Minnow, are you ready?!?!” The minnows will yell a really loud “YESSSSS!!” Then the coach should yell, “GO!” The minnows are trying to dribble to the other endline without getting their ball kicked out of play by a shark. If the minnows ball gets kicked out of play by a shark, then the minnow gets added to the sharks. As more minnows become sharks, the remaining minnows must dribble quicking in a zig-zag pattern around the sharks keeping the ball close. Once your team has mastered this fun game, then your team is ready for Dino Egg Snatch.

Dino Egg Snatch

The game really teaches your players to try and win the ball back once it’s lost. The game is very similar to Sharks and Minnows. However, instead of the shark just trying to kick the ball out of play, the dinosaur is trying to get its stolen egg back and return it to its nest, which is their attacking goal or the goal that they are facing. The players with the eggs are trying to keep the egg and dribble it to their attacking goal or the goal that they are facing. If one of the players gets their egg taken by the dinosaur, then they need to try and get it back before they get “scored” on. If the player’s egg gets stolen and put in their defending goal, then the player becomes a dinosaur.

Other Games

Volcano Game
1st – Dribble around the volcanoes
2nd – Plug the volcanoes
3rd – Ice Cream Cone
Pick the cones and put them on your ice cream cone.

There are endless ways you can make dribbling skills fun for your young soccer players. We hope this article has given you some good ideas, and let us know any questions or comments you have below!

The post Best Practice Drills for Kids Ages 5 and Under appeared first on Soccer Training Solutions.

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At Soccer Training Solutions, our focus is on individual training and showing players what they can do to improve their game outside of the structured environment of team practices and games. This motivation and work-ethic is vital for players aspiring to unlock their full potential.

But there’s another element to continuous improvement that we also recommend: learning some soccer tactics.

Your individual training will give you lots and lots of touches and to develop your fundamental soccer skills like dribbling, receiving and touch.

These skills serve as your building blocks, but the way you put these blocks together to be the best player you can be requires knowledge of how they all fit into a larger whole in the context of real competition.

And it’s important to clarify that I’m not talking about getting deep in the weeds on theoretical philosophies or a bunch of complicated Xs and Os diagrams.

I’m talking about the basics: common styles of play and how different teams (including yours) go about trying to win games.

Like with individual training, your team’s practices and games aren’t totally sufficient for developing the tactical knowledge you’ll need to thrive.

For one, your coach will usually be teaching just one particular style of play (and depending on your age and level, your coach may be more of a motivator/organizer and not even have much tactical experience themselves outside of putting the best players in the game or making sure everyone has fun).

Your coach’s style may be at odds with what you yourself need to thrive. We of course recommend you always listen to and obey your coach, but you also want to be able to identify where they’re coming from in terms of how they set your team up and how that fits into universal soccer strategies you see in high school games all the way up to the English Premier League.

So what are some of these tactical concepts that are important for any player to know about?

At it’s core, we’re talking about what a team does to try to win?.

Do they try to possess the ball for long periods of time and gradually build up attacks? Or do they try to quickly spring forward and attack their opponent’s goal?

Do they press the opposition and try to win the ball, or sit back deeper and stay disciplined?

This involves the formation (like 4-4-2, or 4-3-3, or 3-5-2) but it’s also much more; any of those formations could be trying many different things tactically and put the players in different roles.

For example, in the team’s midfield, is one player positioned farthest up the field and lead the attack? (A classic number 10). Do the players more or less equally push forward to attack and drop back to defend? (a number 8) Is there one or two midfielders who largely stay back and anchor the defense and start passing sequences? (a number 6)

When the team has the ball, does a forward try to run in behind the defense to receive a through ball? Or do they check back to receive it farther from the goal?

Does the team as a whole try to attack down the middle, or attack the end line from out wide? If the latter, who is it that provides the width and pushes forward? Outside backs? Wingers? (And who is ready to drop back immediately if possession is lost?) Do they mainly utilize quick, short passes or longer, more direct passes? Are any players a big part of the offense for their dribbling ability?

And in response, what strategies does the defense do to try to counter these strategies?

You can discuss soccer tactics with a ton of advanced terminology, but at the end of the day it’s these types of questions that we’re talking about.

So thinking about them in terms of your own team, and looking for them when you watch soccer on TV can make sure you have the larger soccer IQ that will serve you well throughout your playing career.

As a caveat, I’m not talking about burdening the youngest players with this additional requirement (although watching soccer on TV and in person is a great habit for players of any age to build). But by U-13 or U-14 or so, this type of thinking should be happening. (Some more good discussion in this article.)

To take the next step, you can read some of our tactical-related articles, start here. and/or let us know if there are any particular concepts you’d like us to talk about

If you want to take a deep tactical dive, take a look at our list of recommended books on soccer tactics.

The post Why Every Soccer Player Should Know Tactics appeared first on Soccer Training Solutions.

Before you get started with a strenuous training session or a game, you don’t want to go from zero to sixty without any preparation. The way you prepare yourself is with a warm up.

Warming up for soccer helps you improve your range of motion, raise your heart rate and activate your cardiovascular system, which allows for peak performance.

And crucially, warming up also significantly helps you avoid injuries.

Another benefit is that by preparing your body in this way you also are preparing your mind by allowing you to focus on the upcoming tasks and eliminate distracting thoughts.

However, one common mental image we have of “warming up” is sitting around in a circle stretching.

Stretching is an important part of warming up, to be sure, but you want to prioritize dynamic movements which are more in line with what you’ll actually be doing later.

Let’s look at some ideas for how to best warm up.

What Activities Should I Do When Warming Up?

First, it’s important to warm your muscles up before stretching them, so be sure to start your warmup with some jogging.

Jogging 2-4 times back and forth on your half of the field is usually sufficient.

After jogging, many teams like to circle up and stretch. This can be good for group camaraderie and to allow everyone to set their focus together while the coach gives some instructions, but research has shown that static stretching (meaning where you simply sit or stand holding a pose for a set amount of time) can actually hinder performance.

If you’re training on your own, or have the freedom to plan your own warmup, doing more dynamic stretching is preferred where you perform controlled sport-specific movements targeting key muscle groups.

Dynamic stretches for soccer can include walking lunges, leg swings, torso twists, hip circles, and many more.

An even better option is to incorporate dynamic movements into your jogging for a better warmup.

For example, jog across the field and back once, and on your next trip, instead of jogging normally, do high knees, butt kicks, and side shuffles. There are endless variations you can try in addition to these.

Warming Up with a Ball

The next phase of warmup involves ball work. The main things to keep in mind is that you want to get lots of touches and in the case of pregame warm-ups you want to make your work as “game-like” as possible.

A tried and true method to start with is partner passing.

Start by standing just a couple of feet away and playing firm passes back and forth. I like to start with two touch and then progress to one touch. Make sure you are using both feet and both the inside and outside. To help with preparation and getting your heart rate up, keep your feet moving.

A good partner passing progression is to gradually move back several yards as you continue and end up hitting some long balls to each other, both chips and driven balls.

Another partner passing warmup you can try is more dynamic: jogging back and forth across the half-field and working on volleys and receiving.

To do it, the two players stand 2-3 yards apart facing each other. The player jogging backward holds the ball and throws it to the player running forward, who does each exercise and tries to play the ball back to their teammate’s hands.

Work out a progression including volleys back with the laces, chest traps and volleys with the inside, thigh traps and volleying back, and headers.

For one trip across the field, work on one exercise, and players switch roles before coming back. Then move on to the next exercise.

Building a Complete, Technical and Fun Routine

You can still achieve these goals with a warmup even if you’re training solo. Instead of partner passing, can you use a wall or rebounder to do the same passing exercises?

Beyond these ideas for touches, it’s important to incorporate some fun into your warmup as well.

If you’re with a team, possession drills are one of the best ways to warm up in a game-realistic way with some competition built in.

4v2 (or 5v2) drills with players on the outside keeping possession and two defenders in the middle who switch out when they win possession (to be replaced by the player who lost the ball) is a classic.

With an even larger number of players, you can play larger possession games (ie. 5v5), perhaps with two  “all-time-offense” players to give the team in possession a numbers up situation.

If you’re warming up solo, one idea for competition could be to do a round of juggling and see how high of a number you can get.

You also can achieve the same goals of passing and moving with a dribbling exercise through cones or other objects) combined with passing off of a wall or rebounder and then dribbling back the other way after you receive it.

Finally, you want to make sure the warmup doesn’t exhaust you right before the start of a competition. Make sure all the previous exercises are short and sweet, with rest time built in.

Instead of sprinting before the game, for example, work on your change of pace and acceleration with short sprint bursts of just a few yards. (This is a good exercise for right before the game to get you physically and mentally prepared.)

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The post Best Ways to Warm Up for Soccer Training or Pre-Game (Solo, Partner, and More) appeared first on Soccer Training Solutions.

It’s a more complicated question than it might initially appear.

The booming popularity of the soccer tactical analysis can make it seem like all managers are chess masters expertly moving their pieces in just the right ways to unlock the opposition and emerge victorious.

But this isn’t always the case, as we’ve explained that there are problems with treating tactical analysis as the be all end all for what influences a result.

Beyond that, some managers rely much more on their motivational skills than their Xs and Os acumen. This can make us wonder how effective these different approaches are, and whether either actually can mean more than simply assembling a team with the best players.

Soccer Tacticians vs. “Man Managers”

One major distinction we hear about regarding managers is that of the “tactician” vs. the “man manager.” If the former is exemplified by the image of Pep Guardiola’s endless tactical drilling and preparation, the man manager category is quite different.

As one source put it, “a man manager may not necessarily have a strong tactical understanding of the game, but they excel at building relationships with players and creating a positive team environment.” These managers succeed by knowing how to fire players up in order to play at their best (attributes that are also often linked to national team managers who have less time overall with their players).

The man manager category is also often populated by former players given roles largely due to the weight of their name, like Ole Gunnar Solsjkaer with Man U and Frank Lampard with Chelsea and Everton, both of whom ultimately failed when their limitations became increasingly apparent.

Because of this, and the cult status behind such revolutionary managers as Guardiola, Klopp, and even Mourinho, combined with the genuine soccer ideas they pioneered that revolutionized the modern game, seem to strongly suggest that the tactician is the most successful.

But on the other hand, if pure man managers can hold their own at least for a while, without much actual nuts and bolts coaching acumen, then is tactical instruction really that much more important?

Which Managerial Type Reigns Supreme?

In our opinion, a strict dichotomy between the two categories doesn’t really exist in the real world, and the best managers must employ a combination of the two approaches in order to succeed.

For one, soccer’s tactical evolution has has developed to a level at which just about every pro team has applied most of the major concepts into their strategy and teach them to their players. Even the most pure of a “man manager” who may lack tactical aptitude will rely on their team of assistants to drill the players on positioning, patterns, and other tactical ideas.

One source has argued that “elite tacticians are those who are not afraid to do what has not been done” and routinely “rewrite the concepts of the game.” But at the same time, “elite tacticians are not exactly elite managers.”

These innovative managers come up with major advances, but they often do not translate that into major success themselves; instead, other coaches take their new ideas and improve upon them. To give some examples, Marcelo Bielsa is cited as a major influence by almost every top manager, but he has never even managed one of the world’s top clubs and most recently flamed out at Leeds United in 2022. Ralf Rangnick revolutionized the press in German soccer, but didn’t reap the benefits himself; Jurgen Klopp did.

Because of all this, it’s the man management side that becomes even more crucial. Coach Julian Nagelsmann is one who has actually ventured a guess at quantifying the question, saying that “thirty percent of coaching is tactics. 70% is social competence.”

The most crucial role for the manager is to connect with players, and make them feel a sense of belonging and purpose. As another soccer writer put it, “one can have all the tactical knowledge, but if he can’t convince his team or motivate them or bind them in team spirit, they won’t carry out the tasks on field.”

Do Coaches Even Have a Major Influence on Results?

Some historical examples show us the big impact that the best managers can have.

In 2012-13, Manchester United won the Premier League but then longtime manager Sir Alex Ferguson, considered one of the greatest of all time, retired and was replaced by David Moyes. The following campaign, the club had all of its same players and was arguably even better, but they limped to a 7th place finish.

One observer said that Ferguson “knew the club inside-out. He was well aware of all its strengths and weaknesses, and would devise his tactics and strategies accordingly. He knew how to handle his players, how to train them, how to motivate them – how to get the most out of them. He knew what to do (and not do) when under pressure, what to do when in a comfortable position. David Moyes, unfortunately, didn’t have a clue.”

On the other side we can look at the early “Galacticos”-era Real Madrid, who made signing the world’s best players its goal but never fully meshed as a team, failing to win as many major honors as expected and burning through 4 managers. Many great managers have done more with much less, including Rafa Benitez in La Liga and England.

But beyond these anecdotal examples, the bigger picture is much more in question.

What Does the Research Say?

Several academic studies with more rigorous methodology have also tackled the question of the impact of managers, and their findings show that overall, soccer does not do a good job of valuing managers. Despite their often celebrity status, most managers fail to add much value at all. One study showed that there is a short-term boost when a new manager is hired, “due to the fact that players will be out to try to impress their new manager to ultimately keep themselves in employment” but that disappears after 12-18 games.

Another large-scale study discussed in The Economist compared team results to projects based on player skill and other factors and found that managers carry some impact, but the effect is small: “For a manager switching jobs after one year, we expect his new team to reap just 8% of his prior outperformance. Even after a decade of coaching, this figure is still only 45%, implying that the primary causes of a manager’s previous successes were beyond his control.”

Similar to our previous examples, however, they do make some exceptions for the best of the best: “A few bosses have beaten expectations for long enough to deserve proper credit. Despite lacking the star power of La Liga’s titans, Diego Simeone led Atletico Madrid to a Spanish title. And Jurgen Klopp turned mid-table Borussia Dortmund into two-time German champions. Conversely, Carlo Ancelotti has squandered resources. Although he has led the team with the best players in its league in eight of his past 12 seasons, he has won only three titles in that time.” (Not so special; Managers in football. (2019, January 19). The Economist, 430(9126), 85(US).)

Another article reaches similar conclusions: “For the most part, they are tinkering around the edges, their decisions and their choices and their approaches largely irrelevant to how their tenures will play out. Only the true greats, people like Alex Ferguson and Arsène Wenger, had a tangible, discernible impact. All the others were at the mercy of factors not entirely within their control: a club’s financial potency, the quality of player on the books, the strength of their opponents. It is only necessary to glance at Paris St.-Germain to know that, even with a high-caliber manager and a high-quality squad, sometimes the mix is not right; something has to spark, something between chemistry and alchemy, to make things work.”

The Bottom Line

Summing all of this up, tactician managers start revolutions and any successful team needs a solid tactical grounding, but man management skills are often even more vital. Simply looking at year-by-year lists of  champions reveals that although money can buy success to some extent, it’s not always the team of stars who win it all; you need those players to play with each other and buy into the bigger picture.

But this can’t always be traced to coaching: beyond some legendary examples, the overall managerial effect may be overstated. We can’t forget the often significant role that luck and randomness play in the results as well.

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In fact, if you’re taking this perspective, the crowning achievement in international soccer is likely the UEFA Champions League, which is of course played by club and not national teams.

So why is this?

The major reason is that national teams play together for much shorter periods of time (a few weeks at a time for friendly camps and tournaments) while club teams spend the majority of the year (August until May for European leagues) playing and training together.

This means that it’s club managers who have the time to implement more advanced tactical systems and take a longer view. National team managers, instead, operate on a shorter time frame and try to optimize their squad for smaller windows.

So how does this play out on the field?

Due to the less time they have with the players, national team managers aren’t normally able to establish complex tactical strategies like the ones seen in the biggest clubs. That might mean forgoing the complicated pressing patters and hybrid marking strategies when out of possession. It might mean using simpler patterns of play in attack and less positional switching when in and out of possession.

National team managers are all about coaxing the best form out of the players at their disposal, who are primarily motivated by pride. They can drill them on simple concepts that may make all the difference in the short bursts of the international game.

One such example is England’s Gareth Southgate heavily emphasizing set piece training ahead of World Cup 2018, which paid off when they scored several goals in those situations. One commentator concluded that “that sort of mentality- focusing on small things intensively rather than trying to implement a whole new system, is key to managing a national side.”

Relatedly, national team managers can’t always implement a system requiring high levels of intense pressing and constant positional switching on offense because they don’t have the time to build their players’ fitness levels and mold them into that system; they are very much at the mercy of each player’s club environment, which can vary significantly.

Team selection is also an interesting contrast. In soccer’s global market for talent, top clubs can acquire any type of player from anywhere who may fit their identity and playing style while national team managers are of course restricted to those eligible for their country, which means they can’t pull out all the stops in acquiring players from all around the world who will fit their vision.

On the other hand, however, club managers are constrained by limited financial resources (except the very richest clubs) while a national team manager has access to all their country’s best players (although competition for dual-nationals does of course exist) and does not need to wait for transfer windows and financial feasibility to make a personnel chance.

This plays out tactically in terms of national team managers rotating their team much more frequently and giving more players a chance. That leads to less cohesion among the group and furthers the difficulty of implementing a cohesive tactical vision.

Leading up to the 2022 World Cup, Gregg Berhalter of the United States was a bit of a counterexample as a national team coach attempting an ambitious system. One analyst called it “modern, innovative, ball-dominant team at the tactical cutting edge” and one firmly committed to positional play, “a style of play where the pitch is divided into zones and each player is assigned to a zone … creating pitch balance, natural overloads, lots of triangles and width.”

If these sound like the advanced tactics normally absent from the national game, you’re right: the best example of a team thriving with positional play is Manchester City, led by one of the foremost tacticians the game has ever seen in Pep Guardiola.

And Berhalter received some criticism for his ambitious scheme too–“Have you seen international football?” was one fitting response. Ultimately, the USA’s performance in Qatar 2022 was by most measures a success having advanced from the group stage. But the debates over trying to install a radical new vision versus simply playing to the strengths of the players you already have will certainly continue.

To sum all of this up, one journalist has offered a concise view of the differences between club and national team tactics: “Whereas the club game is inevitably weighted towards a faster and more open football – which becomes inherently attacking – the international game becomes ever more defensive. A solid structure has a much greater effect because the attacking football is less advanced and less quick.”

None of these trends are absolutes, but all of these intricacies give you plenty to think about when watching both the club and international game for tactics.

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The two top candidates that tend to surface as answers to this question are the English Premier League and Spain’s La Liga. In this article we will compare these two leagues, focusing specifically on their tactics and most common styles of play. Depending on your own playing situation, one may be more relevant than the other, or watching both may complement each other nicely and allow you to compare two different visions of the game.

Many comparisons of these two leagues focus on finances. It’s true that the English Premier League generates significantly more revenue, and clubs spend significantly more on players. But for our purposes, we’re more interested in how those factors actually play out on the pitch. And we’re also not focused on analyzing which league has more success in Europe or which has more or less parity.

Instead, what differences can we identify when watching a typical game in the league? What attributes do players tend to have? How do tactical approaches differ?

In general for La Liga, technical prowess is the most highly valued element of the game. Players are extremely skilled at passing and dribbling which results in supreme possession-based offenses. They typically enjoy more time on the ball and engage in slower, more gradual build ups. Just think of the popular term “tiki taka” to refer to an abundance of quick, short passes and smart offensive movement in order to strategically unlock defenses.

In contrast, the attributes prioritized in English Premier League tactics are speed and athleticism. Many teams are in possession, of course, but the play overall tends to be more fast paced, direct, and end to end in its action. Traditionally the game is rougher and more physical too, which often makes it more difficult for new players to adjust to the league after playing elsewhere.

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One of the best ways to get better at soccer is to learn from the pros, and with the recent boom in soccer streaming services there are more ways than ever to watch the best leagues from around the world on any device.

The English Premier League has always been one of the most popular, due to its storied traditions, rabid fanbases, and ambitious clubs keen on constantly putting together the best players from around the globe.

But as an aspiring player yourself, what should you be watching for to make sure you aren’t just entertained, but also educated? Following the movements and actions of a single player (ideally who plays your position), throughout the game is always a good idea, and has direct relevance to your own play.

Another important principle is to remember to “take your eye off the ball.” Although it’s tempting to follow whoever has the ball in their possession at that moment, shifting your focus elsewhere helps you identify

But to become the best player you can be, it is also useful to consider your own role in the larger context of the team and its general strategy. Here the Premier League

In this article we will look at some tactical trends from last year, how they may shape Premier League teams’ approach this year, and

Inverted Wingers as Goalscorers

Which players tend to be the primary goalscorer is another question that reveals a lot about a team. Are they banging in crosses to a physical number 9 striker? Playing through-balls to forwards or wingers? Do they defend and aim to steal a set piece goal from their big center backs?

One tactical trend in the Premier League in recent years has been the False 9 who drops deep to draw defenders out of position and initiate attacks. Because of this the space often opens up for wingers to make diagonal runs through or cut in themselves.

An added twist that we also have seen frequently is the inverted winger, which means that a left-footed winger lines up on the right wing and vice versa. This gives them an advantage in cutting inside and either crossing, dribbling or even shooting the ball. (As a bonus look out for the outside back on the same side to overlap when the inverted winger runs inside.)

For many Premier League clubs, these inverted wingers are expected to carry the bulk of the goalscoring load.

Last EPL season we saw two inverted wingers battle for the Golden Boot, Mohamed Salah of Liverpool and Heung-min Son for Tottenham. Look to see if this trend continues this campaign.

Rotating Positions / Positional Fluidity

The scenario we laid out in the last point, an inverted winger cutting inside and an outside back overlapping to maintain the team’s width, represents a larger theme as well in modern football tactics that we see in the EPL. That is of rotating positions or positional fluidity.

The basic idea is that players can interchange and take on different positions and roles from what one would “normally” expect from their position.

To identify this, look for shifts in positioning when a team transitions into attack, like a center back dropping deep in between center backs, or a winger coming inside. It could even be an attacking fullback not just pushing forward but also coming inside, like Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold.

The details vary by team, but often the goal is to create overloads and positional advantages and exploit them in the final third.

Manchester City recently have exhibited extreme fluidity up top due to their use of a False 9, often Bernardo Silva, and using Gabriel Jesus as a winger. One analysis called the side “extremely difficult to deal with due to them forever swapping roles and not staying in fixed areas. City have successfully destabilized defenses by firstly unbalancing them and then penetrating them.” Now with Gabriel Jesus gone to Arsenal and big striker Erling Haaland signed, it will be interesting to see how Guardiola shifts his tactics.

Another team to look out for for positional fluidity is Leeds United. A Leeds reporter explained some patterns in article about their preseason: “Although Marsch likes a 4-2-3-1, this is by no means fixed positionally, and in all three matches, Leeds rotated positions. This was notable in central midfield (namely new boy Marc Roca), with a player dropping either between or beside the two central defenders and acting as the quarterback. Roca dropped between right centre-back and right-back, and Crysencio Summerville, playing on the right wing, moved into the vacated central midfield space; Roca then broke the Palace press with a vertical pass to Summerville, who received on the half-turn and drove forward.”

Another example to look out for could be a center back who carries the ball forward and launches attacks, an especially effective strategy to counter the ever-popular high press: “Antonio Rudiger often did this extremely well for Chelsea but is now off to Real Madrid, and Erik Ten Hag also sometimes used Frenkie de Jong this way at Ajax, so it will be interesting to see if these or other clubs continue to utilize the strategy.

Counterpressing

This concept, known as “Gegenpressing” where it emerged in Germany, is certainly not a new idea in the EPL where it has been used to great success for years by some of the best managers including Jurgen Klopp. The idea is when you lose the ball to attempt to win it straight back as quickly as possible instead of falling back into your defensive shape.

High-work rate teams like Leeds will likely use this strategy frequently, as explained in the previously referenced article: “For Leeds to attack teams with vertical passes through the middle, they need space and a disorganised opponent, both of which are possible if you can quickly recover the ball. Critically, counter-pressing is a team activity, and Leeds often try to pincer press opponents by having multiple pressing players come from different sides of the ball. This cuts off passing options and hassles the player in possession into making a decision — and Leeds will hope it’s often the wrong one.”

As you watch this and other presses, ask yourself if the team is immediately pressing or waiting for specific cues. And since it is such a drain on player fitness and stamina, how long can the team do this effectively before they either become ineffective, give it up, or make substitutions for fresh legs?

Dominance of the 4-3-3?

The most popular formation in 2021-22 was the 4-3-3, especially among the top clubs like Liverpool and Manchester City, so it’s likely to see this trend continue.

However, there are plenty of others that will see wide usage too, such as the 4-2-3-1. One manager who have made another formation a big part of their identity, we can look to Chelsea’s Thomas Tuchel and his use of the back three in the 3-4-2-1 formation and its variations. With wingbacks who can drop back to make a back five when in the defensive phase, and two defensive midfielders to anchor the back line, it’s a strong base to start from. It wouldn’t be a bad bet to predict that more teams will use three at the back and wingbacks this year.

Another possible scenario is a return to more classic formations. It’s important to remember that tactical trends happen in cycles; that is, with constant tweaking and reactions to new ideas. Because of this we sometimes see teams return to older strategies, albeit with different context and reasoning than originally. One soccer analyst has theorized that “as defensive blocks become increasingly compact and more space appears both in behind defensive lines and in wide areas of the pitch, we’re likely to see sides adopt a more direct approach and return to formations like the classic 4-4-2.” He continued by touting the counterattacking potential against possession-based 4-3-3 sides, the potential for overloads on the wings, and the benefits of two central strikers who can run in behind.

All of these concepts, of course, are just a sampling of the wide tactical variety we are about to see over a long Premier League season with 20 very different teams.

To learn more about these and similar soccer strategies (as well as how they developed over the years) take a look at our recommended soccer tactics books.

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