This is the most underrated skill to become a better player Consciousness is an underrated skill in development. Everyone talks about cognitive ability, grit, motivation, and mental toughness as the most important skills for a talent to become great. But one skill that is often overlooked but is important for talents is consciousness. Being able…
The UEFA Pro Course for ex-professional players Every year some coaches get accepted to the UEFA Pro course and a lot of coaches don’t come into the course. Every year the same discussion comes up about, who deserves it, and who should be allowed yes or no. Every country has different rules and the discussion…
The term scanning is not correct I HATE THE WORD SCANNING! It’s not correct. The definition of scanning: I don’t think this is the right use of words, in a match you don’t have the time to ‘carefully look at all parts’. I like the word head check way better. The definition of…
Is all that money going into data, money well spent? The data industry in football has become huge in the last few years. So many new companies get started that focus on ‘data’. Most people see data as numbers and statistics. But data is so much more. Video is data as well, I have for…
The wrong versus the right timing of making a foul There’s a time and a place for making a foul. But all too often I see players making unnecessary fouls, especially in the last 10 minutes of a game when players get tired. See for example the differences per league and team in fouls per…
This is the newest innovation in coaching I saw this video with Luis Enrique where he instructed his players through a walkie-talkie system. In this way, he could communicate better with his players and communicate with them individually. What I think is that by being able to provide players with live coaching during…
How to beat teams that park the bus In last week’s blog, we talked about how to beat a high press. But just as important is knowing how to beat the parking the bus strategy. Parking the bus is something that has been a popular tactic for as long as football exists. Defending is easier…
This is how you beat every press Pressing in football has become an important part of the game. You have teams pressing high and you have teams defending in a low block. There is no one best solution for pressing. But a lot of teams have strategies on how to press. As a player, this…
Never let defenders know your next move The thing I’m talking about is basic knowledge in Basketball, and it should be in football as well. But far too many players don’t use this or don’t even think about this. The thing I’m talking about is unpredictability. The way to be unpredictable is to always have…
The art of asking for the ball From a young age, we always hear our coach telling us that we have to ask for the ball if we want it. If the opponent is pressing well, they often tell their players to stop hiding and that they need to want the ball. But if we…