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Ok, so here we are again. Firstly thanks for everyone's

continuous support. After watching another fantastic

premiership season unfold and reminiscing on what

could have been in South Africa, 2010 and in the build

up to the Euros where the Germans are held highly as

favourites, it was decided that this months issue would

focus on the infamous counter attack.

In this issue there are some fantastic articles, more

session plans, studies and some great case studies on

Counter Attacking football philosophies and the

structures of German football.

Again I hope you enjoy the magazine.

Dan Slaughter (Editor)

The Guardian

FEATURES

The Counter Attack Pg 4

@CoachPositive

The Decision Maker Pg 6

@liam_reggie

Book Review: Football For The Brave Pg 7

@CoachA95

Coaches Observation of both fields Pg 8

@Antwhite100

Attacking in Central & Wide Areas Pg 10

@DanSlaughter12

Cover Story: Lessons from The DFB Pg 12

@DanSlaughter12

Forward Passing/Counter Attack Pg 17

@DmitriHalajko

Counter Attack from Deep Pg 18

@MarkAsoulbuggin

Counter Attacking 3 Team SSG Pg 19

@MarkAsoulbuggin

U8’s Counter Attacking Pg 20

@Nickwadsworth

Book Review: The Road To Success Pg 22

@CoachA95

Is Counter Attacking, Productive? Pg 23

@mattynickels

Why Germany is the best … Pg 24

@The_W_Address

Counter Attack SSG Pg 27

@SCBrennan

EXCELLENCE Pg 29

Goal Keeping Coach Pg 30

@Simmsy76

Skills Coach Pg 32

@Karlsharman

Sport Therapist Pg 33

@GlennMorriss

Personal Trainer Pg 34

@NWPersonalTrain

The idea of soaking up pressure in order to attack the space in behind.

What is a counter attack?

The most obvious counter attack would be say.

In the champions league match between Chelsea and Barcelona (2012) where the Chelsea players sat back deep in their own de-

fensive third to deny creative space for Barcelona to play into.

Chelsea Won the ball back and exploited the space in behind Barca's defence. As you know it eventually won Chelsea the game.

They went on to win the champions league.

However a counter attack can happen anywhere on the field of play: When the defending team intercepts the ball they must attack

quickly in numbers in order to take advantage of the opposition being temporarily out of sync/defensive positions, and try to score.

Gideon Jackson

Coach: Gideon Jackson

Twitter: @CoachPositive

Clubs: Hampton and Richmond Bourough F.C U18s,

Mole Valley Girls u11s, Tooting & Mitcham u10s

Topic: Forward Runs

Theme: Attacking Play

Age Group: U10’s upwards

I've used a 45x65 in this case but you may wish to

start with a smaller area.

Divide the pitch into thirds. Attacking team (Red)

start with 5 outfield players and a GK. The defending

team start with 6 outfield players and a GK.

The game always starts by attacking the top goal that

the blues defend. Green servers take turns to pass to

the attacking team (Red) who then have to attack

blues goal. This is made difficult because of the de-

fending overload (5v7),this is important so as to cre-

ate as many counter attacks as possible but also

have a good degree of realism. For this part of the

practice reds are prohibited from entering their

defensive third.

When the blue team intercept the ball they are

encouraged to play quickly in to the space behind the

red defence. It's important to point out the the blues

must make forward runs on interception of the ball.

In the diagram below green server passes to red

number 8 who turns and tries to pass to red 10. Blue

4 intercepts, this triggers blue 7s movement into the

space behind the reds. Blue 4 passes the ball into

the path of blue 7 who then tries to score.

With young players it's important to attach scoring

success to the passage of play.

Progression 1:

Allow the red team to defend in their defensive third

once they are intercepted.

Progression 2:

Add the offside rule for older players

Coach: Liam Donovan

Twitter: @liam_reggie

Club: Wigmore Youth FC U9

Topic: 1v1, Counter Attacks Theme: Decision Making Age Group: U9+

Equipment:

- Loads of balls so you can keep it going

- 6 collapsible cones

- 4 pugg goals

- Bibs

- Flat discs

- Flat cones

Slide 1

Players make a decision of what goal they want

score in, but the rule is that you can only score in

the flat disced area (unopposed). As you can see

there are two scenarios on the slide (this is still

the setup though with players in different

directions) players can run in a straight line or

change direction and go diagonally to other goal.

Slide 2

Now place 3 cones in area and players have to

perform skill, trick, turn or go around the cone

acting as defender. Meanwhile players are still

deciding which goal they want to score in (still

only allowed to score in flat disced area).

Slide 3

Yellow starts, as soon as yellow shoots that is the

trigger for the red to attack, but yellow now has to

defend against red. Once red scores or ball goes

dead, that's the trigger for the next yellow to come

and attack the red that's just attacked.

It becomes a fast attacking/defensive 1v1 game.

I call this game "The Decision Maker" as the

whole way through the games the players are making the decisions.

Coach: Steve Phythian

Twitter: @CoachA95

Football For The Brave by John Cartwright

This is not a book of drills, exercises or practices.

This book is written by a visionary coach who invites us to see

the most important aspects of both playing and coaching The

Beautiful Game.

Using examples of exceptional players, John Cartwright

advocates individual skill as the absolute foundation of the game

and eschews the simplistic view that football “is a team game.”

“Football is a game played by INDIVIDUALS, who

combine when necessary.”

– John Cartwright

Cartwright targets the decline of individual skill in the English

game and provides direction on what can be done to redress the

balance.

The author clearly and concisely addresses all areas of our

national game which have given rise to concern for decades.

Through the use of good examples, useful analogies and specific

analysis he encourages us, as both players and coaches, to be

brave – not physically brave but psychologically and philosophi-

cally brave in order help develop individually skilful and creative

players, in ALL positions, for the benefit of our game.

This book will make you think differently about the game and how it is played and taught, in this

country. If you can take and apply its lessons, you too will be helping to develop Football For The

Brave.

NB. John Cartwright and Roger Wilkinson, through their company Premier Skills, have developed

a coach education and player development programme which underpins all the principles

contained in this book and which provides a method for delivery to coaches.

http://www.premierskills.com/

Issues around the game and the playing of it are discussed on Premier Skills’ blog, Keep The Ball

http://keeptheball.wordpress.com/

By Steve Phythian (16/6/2012) http://afanwithabadge.blogspot.co.uk/

Coach: Anthony White

Twitter: @antwhite100

About me:

I am a level 3 (UEFA B) and FA Module One qualified coach. I have worked with young people

from 5 years of age to adult in various grassroots and elite settings over a 15 year period. I

moved to Germany in 2003. During this time I worked with another coach with an under 12

grassroots youth side. Since my return to England in 2005 I have regularly returned to Germany

to observe their grassroots clubs.

Article:

At the outset of this article it’s important to state a key point. I am not an expert on youth football

within England or Germany. This article is an authentic ‘snapshot’ of my experiences within the

English and German grassroots environment. Firstly, let’s evaluate two experiences I have ob-

served as a grassroots coach in England and Germany. Choose which country matches the ex-

ample offered…

Example A:

‘The coach had arrived early to ‘bagsy’ a pitch. For the next 10 minutes the coach guarded the

goal with his life. When the children arrived the coach smiled briefly and began to set up his

working area. Immediately the children collected a ball and started hitting them as hard as they

could into the goal from a range of distances. All the parents watched. The children, in their indi-

vidually marked training top, continued this for 10 minutes. The coach commanded the children

to the practice area and began the session. At no point had the coach said hello or asked a

question to any of the children. Despite being part of a club the team trained individually as so

there was no support or other officials present. The content was a gym circuit, sprint session and

straight into a game.’

Example B:

‘The coach arrived before the children and set up his practice area quickly. On arrival each child,

in the club tracksuit or training top, approached the coaches and shook hands with them. All the

children shook hands with each other as they arrived. As groups were formed the children col-

lected a football and four cones and began a process of ‘person in the middle’. This was often 3 v

1 or 5 v 2. The coaches circled the children and asked questions to the children about their foot-

ball teams or what happened at school. The ‘keep ball’ was relaxed and fun. It lasted for over 20

minutes. However, practice was purposeful with each child demonstrating respect for the task.

Situated close by were the other teams from the same club who were carrying out similar warm

ups. Everything was performed with a ball throughout the session. Also the ‘elders’ of the club

were circling the various teams in a friendly but observant manner.’

For the record, (although I am sure the observation of example A should be familiar to most

grassroots English coaches) example A was England and example B was Germany.

So what’s my point? Well, let’s analyse the different points. Despite being in a far more socially

disadvantaged area than the English example the German example owned its own facilities. This

included dressing rooms, lights, grass pitches and winter pitches. An explanation of ‘how’ and

‘why’ this is possible stretches beyond the parameters of this article but a succinct reflection of

the impact does not.

In my observations club facilities in Germany created a multitude of positive benefits. The most

obvious is the welfare of the children from a health and safety perspective. In England the role of

Health and safety is still problematic from an external facility perspective. Furthermore, because

all of the different age ranges train at the same venue peer relationships were formed with chil-

dren who are either younger or older than each other. The shaking of hands across the various

teams illustrates this. Club traditions, standards of behaviour and community/club spirit were also

developed through interactions with each other.

Equally, coaches in Germany enjoyed the knowledge that they had the time and facilities to plan

a co-ordinated session and speak individually to their players. The ‘person in the middle’ exam-

ple illustrates this. The coaches can control the coaching from a distance unlike in the UK where

they have to set up on a public park or privately paid facility whilst players often do what they

want (see example A). In Germany the impact is the following. Firstly, players are developed

technically and taught the value of possession. The ‘keep ball’ activity over a long warm up pe-

riod also has no coach interruption. Secondly, the young person is made to feel valued by the

coaches through conversation throughout. Thirdly, peer relationships are given ‘free time’ to de-

velop before coach facilitation. The opposite in England is a one hour slot which costs a substan-

tial amount. Therefore, the session is rushed and far less of the above is achieved.

From a coaching perspective coaches in Germany are better supported. Equipment can be kept

on site, areas are designated and coaches can enjoy the process of actually working with young

people and young players, hopefully in that order.

Equally, observation of the German coaches’ work by the ‘elders’ provides both a support mecha-

nism and quality assurance check. It also ensures that the coaches’ work is transparent with a

club ethos. The benefits of a small clubhouse/ or hut provides an in built mentoring system.

Rather than pack up before the rain comes or hide under a tree like in England the German

coaches sit and discuss the session and other ideas over a cup of tea. This is because there is a

single site. In England, where facilities are much rarer, it seems there is much more of a closed,

individualistic approach to sharing of ideas within a grassroots club.

The observant reader will have noticed that I have hardly mentioned the technical differences be-

tween English and German young players. Equally I have avoided the coach education differ-

ences. I also have sidestepped the merits of analysing which nationality produces more effective

grassroots coaches.

Whilst these are all valid topic areas it is my belief from my experiences that for the topic areas

listed above to be effective they have to have an environment in which to thrive. Consequently,

this article is about the environment that grassroots coaches from England and Germany operate

in. From that perspective I am qualified to consider that the German environment is much more

conducive to a coaching experience that both young people and grassroots coaching volunteers

will enjoy, learn and progress from.

To conclude, I fully support the recent youth changes in England. There is much to admire about

Nick Levett and his work. However, what fundamentally undermines the future success of the

new youth proposals is a lack of appreciation of the social and cultural environment that the Eng-

lish grassroots coach works within. The FA needs to adopt a wider role in the overall regulation

and partnership building of grassroots football in England. However, that’s another article!

Coach: Dan Slaughter

Twitter: @DanSlaughter12

Club: Whetstone Wanderers YFC (London), Middlesex County FA

Topic: Attacking in Central & Wide Areas Theme: Counter Attack, Central & Wide Attacks Age Group: U9+ SHOOTING GALLERY Set Up:

(20x20 – 25x25) 10 Players

10 Balls (1 Per Attacker)

Activity One: Finishing (Tech) Attackers dribble to over half way line and take a shot and join back of second line. Can players challenge themselves to do a trick before the finish.

Activity Two: Finishing Under Pressure (Skill) As in activity one, attacker then becomes the defender, creating a 1v1 situation.

Progression: 2v2 or 3v3. Activity Three: Support Play (SSG) 3v2 + 2v3

1 of the 3 defending players feeds the ball into 1 of the 2 attackers and becomes a supporting player for additional points and to create a 3v3 in the attacking half.

Progression: a 2nd defender can create a 3rd man run for additional points.

ATTACKING IN CENTRAL & WIDE AREAS

Set Up:

(20x45 – 25x50)

20 Players (6 Attack/4 Targets)

8 Balls (1 Per group)

Activity One: Counter Attacking Runs from GK (Tech)

Attackers make 10 passes and break out in as minimal number of passes as possible.

Activity Two: Counter Attacking a Counter Attack (Skill)

B7 shoots to RGK and Plays forward quickly to set up a counter attack for the red team.

Must Have:

1 Player in each zone at any time.

1 Player in the ZONE at all times.

Only 4 Defenders and Attackers.

Activity Three: Wingers vs. Counter Attackers (SSG)

Team One to finish from crosses for additional points.

Team Two to hit team one on the counter attack to score additional points.

Or more commonly known as the German Football Association.

Key Words: Brand of football, Intelligent, Possession, Clever Movement,

Incisive, Counter Attacking Play, Youth Academies, Structure, Change,

Development, State, Infrastructure.

Background and Context

At World Cup 1998, in France and Euro 2000 in Belgium

and The Netherlands the Deutscher Fussball-Bund realised

that German football was at an all time low.

Major concerns for the DFB was the age of the players at

the European Championships which averaged at 31 years

old. With only 1 player under the age of 21 this led to a

review of the infrastructure of German football and then a

massive overhaul and restructure that would initially take 10

years.

Proposal for change

A study undergone by the DFB concluded that ‘increased

opportunity’ for all young German footballer - regardless of

geographical location, background and/or education status was necessary.

Malcolm Gladwell, author of the book Outliers, The Tipping Point and Blink suggests that success

comes from the opportunities that we are exposed to at an early age.

With this in mind the DFB started to develop ways of recruiting nationwide and considerably wider

than the metaphorical talent net had already been cast.

With Academies being individual entities the DFB looked to develop the relationships between the

DFB, Professional Club Academies and Grassroots Football Clubs, this proposal already starting

to sound a daunting task.

Part of this process would see the DFB share their vision and philosophy with the wider game,

detailing how German football would be played, so that this message could be shared amongst

those involved in Young Player Development.

German Football Records at

Major Competitions:

2010 WC South Africa: 3rd Place

2008 EC Austria/Switzerland: Runners-Up

2006 WC Germany: 3rd Place

2004 EC Portugal: Group Stage

2002 WC Korea/Japan: Runners-Up

2000 EC Belgium/Holland: Group Stage

1998 WC France: Qtr Finals

1996 EC England: Winners

The 10 Year Plan

After a poor showing at the 98 World Cup and 2000 Euro

Championships the DFB started to put their 10 year development

plan into action.

In 2001, all 18 Bundesliga clubs were ordered to operate a Youth

Academy. A year later 17 2nd Division clubs were also ordered to

start operation of their own Youth Academy.

In 2002, club investment into academies stood at 47.85 Million

Euros and by the 2009/2010 season this figure had risen to 85.70

Million Euros.

According to an article in FourFourTwo Magazine (Oct 2011, Pg 76)

the German FA restructure started in 2002/2003, Pro clubs had to

operate Centre of Excellence programmes and the DFB in turn would

run a programme of regional centres in areas where professional clubs

did not exist.

In total 366 Regional Bases were in operation come 2011, totalling

14,000 talented players aged between 11 and 14 years old.

These regional talent centres would provide additional opportunity for

quality training outside of the club environment. According to

FourFourTwo the DFB has invested 100 Million Euros since the

launch.

In 2008/2009 The German U21, U19 and U17’s had all been crowned

European Champions, off of the back of the successful U21’s

tournament in 2009, several squad members including Ozil, Khedira

and Muller were promoted to the German Senior squad for their World

Cup campaign in South Africa 2010, and we all know what happened

to the English at that tournament.

The amazing turn around for German football though was that 6 of the

world cup squad members were still eligible for U21 football and more

significantly the media were coining the German performances as

intelligent, clever and incisive. This of course is something that we

have not heard about from

German football before.

The same players are currently

representing Germany in the

Semi-Final stages of the 2012

European Championships in Po-

land and Ukraine.

1998 World Cup, France

1999 Initial Talent Promotion

Programme

2000 Euro 2000, Belgium &

The Netherlands

2001 Bundesliga Club

Youth Academies

2002 Bundesliga 2 Club

Youth Academies

2006 Elite Soccer Schools

2008 Certification of

Youth Academies

2009 Young Players promoted

from U21 Euro’s Team.

2010 16% of Bundesliga

Players aged U21

2011 - 80 Million Population. - 6M Footballers. - 1.75M Football aged U19.

- 26,000 Football Clubs. - 21 Regional Associations.

- 36 Professional Clubs. - 366 Regional Centres.

- 29 Elite Squads - 46 Youth Academies.

- 433 Youth Coaches. - 14,000 Players (U11-U14)

- 100M Euro Investment.

STEP 1:

Basic Training

(3-10 Years)

STEP 4:

Top-level Football

(18 Years Plus)

STEP 3:

Elite Promotion

(15-20 Years)

STEP 2:

Talent Development

(11-18 Years)

46 Bundesliga Academies

29 Regional Centres/Elite Schools

Southern Germany

1. Baden FA

2. Bavarian FA

3. Hessian FA

4. South Baden FA

5. Wurttemberg FA

Southern Germany

1. FC Augsburg

2. FC Bayern Munich

3. SC Freiburg

4. 1899 Hoffenheim

5. FC Nuremberg

6. VfB Stuttgart

19. 1860 Munich

20. FC Ingolstadt 04

21. Karlsruhe SC

22. Greuther Furth

South Western Germany

6. Rhinland FA

7. Saarland FA

8. Southwest FA

South Western Germany

7. FC Kaiserslautern

8. FSV Mainz 05

23. Eintracht Frankfurt

24. FSV Frankfurt

21 Regional Associations

26,000 Grassroots Football Clubs

36 Professional Clubs

366 Support Bases/Competence Centres/DFB Centres

How have Germany progressed?

Proposed starting line up according to FourFourTwo Magazines Euro2012 Guide:

2012 Euro Sqaud? Dual Nationality 2012 2010 2009

GK - Neuer No 30 Caps 3 Caps U21 Squad

RB - Boateng Ghana 24 Caps 4 Caps U21 Squad

CB - Hummels unknown 18 Caps 0 Caps U21 Squad

CB - Mertesacker No 81 Caps 60 Caps Senior Squad

LB - Lahm Unknown 90 Caps 64 Caps Senior Squad

CM - Khedira Tunisia 31 Caps 3 Caps U21 Squad

CM - Schweinsteiger No 94 Caps 74 Caps Senior Squad

RW - Muller Unknown 31 Caps 1 Cap U21 Squad

AM - Ozil Turkey 37 Caps 8 Caps U21 Squad

LW - Podolski Poland 100 Caps 71 Caps Senior Squad

CF - Klose Poland 120 Caps 94 Caps Senior Squad

*Information on Dual Nationalities was hard to come by so please do not read to much into this,

the point being made will follow.

“Eight of Germany’s U21 Euros-winning side

in 2009 could represent another country”

FourFourTwo - June 2012

The one who got away....

Another article from FourFourTwo magazine featured in July 2012, highlighted details of Lewis

Holtby. As cited by FourFourTwo, Holtby is the Germans next big thing and he is a young

scouser.

According to the same article, Holtby U21 captain, has already gained some full international

caps from the German senior side.

Reference List & Further Reading:

Insight: The FA Coaches Association Journal - Spring 2011 (2011) pg 28-31

Radnedge, K. (2008). Football: The History of the Beautiful Game. Sywell: Igloo.

BundesLiga.pdf (2010)

Bender, T. Et al. (2011). 10 Years of Academies: Talent Pools of top-level German football. DFL

Deutsche Fubball Liga GmbH

FourFourTwo Magazine. (Oct 2011) Youth Development Part 3: Germany

FourFourTwo Magazine. (Jun 2012) Why are Germany so good right now? Pg84-89

FourFourTwo Magazine (Jul 2012) Germany’s Next Big Thing Is A Young Scouser. Pg133.

FourFourTwo Magazine (2012) Euro 2012 Guide. Pg34-35

Schott, U. (2012) Moving Forward Together

Coach: Dmitri Halajko

Twitter: @DmitriHalajko

Club: FA Regional Coach Development Manager (5-11) East Football Development Division

Topic: Forward Passing Theme: Counter Attacking

Age Group: Mixed

Forward passing and counter attacking 1. 3v2 break out in 1 half 2. Keep one defender in your half at all times 3. Look to use bounce players at the end of pitch when its on. Then go join in

Coach: Mark Alcock Twitter: @MarkAsoulbuggin

Topic: Theme: Age Group:

Organisation

Area size – to suit Age Group e.g U18s 80 x 40y,

U11s 60y x 40y

Supply of balls ready in each goal

2 Teams of equal numbers + 2 permanent GKs

Start – 2 teams, Yellows playing to top goal, Blues

playing to bottom goal. All on pitch in Yellow defen-

sive half EXCEPT 1 Yellow attacker + 1 Blue De-

fender in other half

Module 3 Challenges

Before – Try to get into position to re-

ceive the ball to play forwards

During – Try to play to highest play-

able player as quickly as you can

After – As the ball travels, try and be

the next link in the chain

Yellow GK rolls out to Blues, who maintain possession in attacking half. Yellows look to regain and keep possession before looking for 1st opportunity to play forwards into Striker in other half, or one yellow can run ball into other half to link up with lone striker.

Once lone Striker is found, all players move quickly into that half to either attack/defend EXCEPT 1 Blue + 1 Yellow player who stay to act as striker/defender for play coming other way. Play until ball dead, then restart from opposite end GK so both teams get opportunity at session focus.

Progression 1) Timed strike at goal from Counter Attack

e.g 8 seconds

Progression 2) Start with 2 Strikers + 2 Defenders

Detail

- Support & Passing in congested area

- Recognition of when to keep ball re-

tention in own half OR to go forwards

to striker

- Quality of passing – weight, accu-

racy, timing, safe side? Feet or

Space?

- Speed of support

Key Factors

- Maintain Possession, looking for first good opportu-

nity to play forwards.

- Maintain momentum of attack with support – to side,

behind and front of player in build up

- Players body shape – be able to play forwards

- Timing of release pass to lone striker + runs to

offer support

Lone Striker:

- Adjust position to assist/offer outlet in build up play

- Assess need to hold ball up or release quickly to

supporting players

Organisation

Area size – to suit Age Group e.g U18s 60y x 40y,

U11s 40y x 25y

Supply of balls ready in each goal

3 Teams of equal numbers + 2 permanent GKs

Start – 2 teams on pitch with 3rd team spread around

edge as “support” players.

Can challenge “Support” Players to play on 2 touch

Max, can reduce to 1 touch

Team who scores - get a ball from GK they scored past and immediately turn to attack opposite goal.

Conceding team are replaced by 3rd team – get off quickly, 3rd team get on very quickly to defend

Constraints - If anyone shoots and misses, the shoot-ing player has to run around the goal and back onto the pitch before they can recover to tackle. Can other team take advantage of the short time overload?

Key Factors

Attacking Principles

• Break quickly

• Exploit disorganised defence

• Counters quick and direct, body shape to play forwards quickly & penetrate

• Type of support for strikers / quick combinations

Defending Principles

• Deny / Delay / Deflect / Defend

• Recover quickly

• Reorganise disorganised defence

• Compact defending

Coach: Nick Wadsworth Twitter: @Nick_Wadsworth

Club: Waterloo AFC

Topic: 1v1 Domination Theme: Counter Attacking

Age Group: U16s

Warm Up

Coaching points:

Quick transition from defensive position to attacking position

Look to play the ball forward early

Exploit the over-load; always have a player free in space

Coach: Steve Phythian

Twitter: @CoachA95

TEAM BUILDING: the road to success by Rinus Michels

In 1999 FIFA named Rinus Michels, Coach of the Century. That in itself

indicates the level of knowledge and detail into which his book goes.

This is a true soccer “bible” of practical help and direction for coaches

and a fascinating insight into player and team development for the fan.

Rinus Michels uses all his experience and knowledge, as the instigator

of the famous “Total Football” style, to create a picture of how to build a

team, not just in the traditionally accepted understanding of the phrase

‘teambuilding’ but in all aspects.

He looks at the complexity of the game, its evolution and the different styles of play using exam-

ples of famous coaches and their teams to illustrate the variations.

Michels examines details of team tactics and strategy and the importance of a philosophical

approach to the game which will help define and determine the tactics and strategy used by an

individual coach. The ground rules of psychological team building are here too, including the

apparent conflicting principles of how to create harmony and confrontation and their benefits.

Advice is offered around psychological approaches and how individuals may utilise the lessons

but based on the truth of their own character.

The team building process starts, of course, with the young player and the technical ability, skill,

they learn and develop. Providing detailed advice as to how this can be achieved, Michels looks

at all ages from 5 to 21 and identifies key developmental strategies appropriate to each age

group. He reflects on the demise of “street football” and tells how he, along with others at the

KNVB (Dutch Royal Soccer Association) devised an approach to fill in the gaps left by the

reduction in informal play.

Although there are no diagrams, towards the end of the book, Michels gives detailed descriptions

of practical exercises which can be taken to the practice area and worked upon for the benefit of

individual and team understanding.

Finally, Michels looks to the future and recognising changes in the game at the top level, makes

some suggestions as to how coaches can prepare players to deal with the evolving game. He

further emphasises how the ‘football learning’ is not complete at 18 and that extra attention must

be provided for players up until the age of 21 to complete their soccer education.

Rinus Michels 9 February 1928 – 3 March 2005

By Steve Phythian (16/6/2012) http://afanwithabadge.blogspot.co.uk/

Coach: Matthew Nickels

Twitter: @mattynickels

General definition a counter attack is a tactic in

response to an attack. In football terms it is

utilised in the defence to attack transition phase

of play, when the opposition has not yet

reorganised following their own attack. The aim

is to create an offensive overload as quickly as

possible, giving a numerical advantage and gain-

ing a goal scoring opportunity from it. The

breakaway has to be quick and since players are quicker without the ball, the passes are long.

So when do you adopt this tactic?

You are asking a lot of your attacking players to chase long balls for 90 minutes.

It is brave to assume you can absorb wave after wave of attacks from the opposition as part

of your own attack plan.

It is by no means an attractive style of football to play but, as a game becomes more open due to

tired legs and minds, it becomes part of the final 20 minutes of every close game.

A side losing by a single goal push forward for an equaliser. Gambling with more men in attack,

they are the perfect victim for a side versed in counter attack. Underdogs “Park the Bus” and

invite their opposition onto them to create space behind for a counter attack opportunity.

Roy Hodgson’s sides are set up for this with a well organised 2 banks of 4. No space is given to

the opposition and quick attackers, such as Alex Oxlaide Chamberlain, Ashley Young and Theo

Walcott take advantage. The leaders on the pitch such as John Terry and Steven Gerrard prefer

to play balls of 25 yards plus, usually finding the wide men or a strong target man such as

Welbeck or Carroll. England will not dominate possession against strong sides, and their goals

will likely be from counter attacks or set pieces. This “kick and rush” tactic has been the

philosophy of British football for decades. Hodgson is benefitting from this with his organisation

and by never over committing in attack. In his sides counter attacks will be throughout the game.

The Tiki-taka of Spain is a current model for worldwide grassroots leaders, as was the previous

Dutch “Total Football”. For these nations it is not just about the result, but also the manner in

which you achieve it. You will only see counter attacks in the final stages of the match as their

approach play is more methodical, patiently waiting for an overload opportunity by the movement

of their attackers, or a moment of individual inspiration.

From these examples I hope you draw your own conclusions on counter attacking. Personally I

find it unattractive but realise it can also be effective. As football fans we underestimate the

importance of our national mentality. Currently being British is about being defensive and

impulsively attacking, ironically counter attack personifies this. In Spain everything has to be laid

back and attractive, hence the Tiki-taka, however clubs such as Swansea are keen to bring this

philosophy to the UK. Brendan Rogers has benefitted from the work initiated by Paulo Sousa and

Robert Martinez before him. Can he impress this on Liverpool from a standing start? If he can

reduce Gerrard’s passing range from 25 yards plus to 10 he may have a chance.

Coach: Matt Whitehouse

Twitter: @The_W_Address

In the 2000 Euro championship’s England and Germany both failed dramatically with squads

which were clearly inept. Changes needed to be made, problems needed to be addressed. The

decisions made by the two countries differed and the consequences of those decisions are seen

today.

What did England do to remedy the situation, we changed the manager. We didn’t believe that the players were at fault, we never do, it is always the manager who lacks the skills to win tournaments; either he is not motivating enough or not tactically good enough. Since then we have continued to fail, we have failed also to address the players deficiencies and those of the coaches in this country. What the German FA did was different; they looked at why their team failed and believed there was not enough young players with the necessary quality to make the German national team great. So what did they do? They invested in youth development; they implemented guidelines to the German teams that there must be more work put in to developing youth, that Germany must produce better quality players. What the Germans did. In 2003/04 Germany had 44% foreign players playing the Bundesliga, they realised something needed to change. Today it is 38%, which means the Bundesliga has 62% of players playing each week who are able to play for the national team. In England the numbers are reversed.

What did they do that has made such an impact on German football? They required quality in facilities and coaching. They built 121 national talent centres in order to help 10- to 17-year-olds with technical practice. Each centre would employ two full-time coaches. The second key point was a new requirement for all 36 professional clubs in Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 to build youth academies. The most significant change in Germany was insisting that in these new academies at least 12 players in each intake have to be eligible to play for Germany. The key difference to England is that in Germany the 6+5 rule means only players from Germany are eligible to play. In England the rule is any player from any nationality who has been trained and developed in the country is classed as home grown. Cesc Fabregas is a perfect example. What the German model enables is the home grown youth to play more, enabling more players to gain the necessary experience to improve. It is no surprise therefore that Germany has more players, their rules enable them to develop a greater number. In Germany there is a very strong relationship and goal to develop youth. The Premier League is restricting England’s chances at achieving success because in the Pro game they are not being hard enough on clubs to develop home grown talent. The new EPPP plan may look to improve talent in England, however many people and many clubs have their doubts. Ultimately it comes down to what happens when these players get to the Pro game.

Has it worked? At the Under 21’s Euro’s in 2009 the German team showed the world that Germany had started to produce players for the future. They destroyed an average England in the final 4-0 and gave credence for the long term development plan put in place in 2002. At the 2010 World Cup England were shown up again by an excellent counter attacking team possessing fast, creative and clinical players in an organised German team which won 4-1, possessing players from that Under 21 side, most notably Ozil. They showed the world that Germany had developed players that would challenge for honours for the next decade. So far in this EURO’s Germany have looked excellent, possessing a balance between a strong defence and a creative attack.

England’s issues

English clubs currently spend more than Germany each year on youth development, around £90

million per season, and put 10,000 boys aged between nine and 16 through a much-criticised

structure designed by Howard Wilkinson in 1997. Yet, only about 1% of boys who join an English

academy aged nine become professional footballers. This is not economical and clearly there is a

problem which money cannot fix.

The problem with the English league is that there a lot of words and promises of a brighter future

yet no governing body in total control of youth development. Too much fighting between the FA,

Premier League and Football League has resulted in poor management and planning that has

restricted the development of a larger pool of talented players. There is a short sightedness to the

English development model which is restricting the long term development of players.

The top clubs and Premier League are doing a disservice to the English game by not creating

more opportunities for clubs to develop talent. If every club was forced to play English players

weekly then the talent and quality will improve. Through selfish gain the owners and business

men have marketed the Premier League to be the best and many have benefitted from the TV

deals and high wages, yet it is the fans of the country who have lost out most. Each tournament

creates a larger chasm between the best and England and we have seen this again in Poland

and Ukraine.

We must address the key issues that plague our game, from the quality of coaching in the

foundation levels to the restrictions on the amount of English players in the pro game. The issues

in the Pro game need to be addressed in order for more English players to gain experience in the

top league, not on loan to the lower leagues. Compared to Germany we are lagging behind. A

lack of communication and broken relationships between the clubs and governing bodies have

restricted growth.

What Germany have done is a great example of German efficiency; a plan was put in place and

through far sighted planning and co-operation between federations and clubs a new generation

was produced. In the last decade both the national team and domestic clubs have benefited from

an emphasis on youth development and nurturing potential stars.

England resembles Germany more than any other country in terms of style, attitude

and characteristics. They have taken their organised, disciplined manner and added guile,

creativity, agility and craft. The new EPPP is a model for better coaching and improved stan-

dards, yet it is changes in the Pro game which are required in order to allow potential England

players opportunities to gain the experience necessary to improve. Until the governing bodies in

England agree and enforce clubs to have more English players in their teams, then the national

team will not improve.

Coach: Steve Brennan

Twitter: @SCBrennan

Club: Hampshire FA Football Development - skills team

What do we want the players to achieve today? To gain an understanding of counter attacking football when regaining possession. Organisation: 3v3/4v4 Reds start with ball and attack blues. If blues win the ball back they counter attack the yellows and reds replace blues as defenders and so on. When defending, team must have GK to create overload in favour of attackers. Attackers must score in attacking third. Encourage attacking team to score within 10 seconds. Progression: Take one player from each team to create a new team of 3 players. Two of these players will act as strikers and act as an option for the counter attacking team. The other will act as a defender/holding midfielder in the middle third to try to slow down the counter attacking team.

Coaching Points:

First touch out of defensive third (dribble, run, pass?)

Transition from defence to attack (movement – width

and depth)

Direction, timing and type of attacking runs

Receiving priorities of striker when introduced

Challenges:

Try to recognise when to support behind and in

advance of the ball

Try to leave the ball playable for a teammate

Try to play with 1-touch

Try to finish with a 1st time shot

Try to occupy defenders to create 1v1 opportunities

for teammates or space for them to travel into

Contact: Studentofthegame@live.com

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Coach: Paul Simms Twitter: @Simmsy76 Club: Cardiff City ADC

Introduction:

My name is Paul Simms, I have been a Goalkeeper Coach for 5 years

and have Coached in Schools and Clubs both in the UK and Canada.

During this time I have been lucky to have had very close working

relationships with some high profile coaches who I have learned a

huge amount from. On completion of my UEFA C Licence for

Coaching Goalkeepers I spent a season coaching for the Torfaen

area representative squads, Race FC and Bridgend Disabled football

club. Progressing from this level I was contacted by Cardiff City's

Advanced Development Centre and offered a Head Goalkeeper

Coach position. I train all age groups and am currently building the

2012/2013 season Development programme.

My training is focused on building high confidence in every player

through technical structured training, hard work and lots of fun. I am

100% for steady development over a period of time and the kids

leaving my training with a smile means everything to me.

Topic : Distribution

Theme: Finding a player in space to enable counter attacking

Age Group: Mixed

Equipment : 12 Cones, 8 balls, 2 goals, coloured vests

Warm up:

Jog and Bounce

Side Step & Bounce

Lunge Walks

Butt Kicks

Straight kicks

Inside Taps

Rapid feet Fw & Bk

Rapid feet Side

Toe Taps on ball

2 leg straight Jumps

P1 to use various footwork patterns through cones and set at Green

gate for shot from Coach. Vary height of shots and add recovery

saves.

Footwork Patterns

Rapid Feet forward…..sides…..fwd and back

Save Selection

Basket...smother...medium W...High W...Dive

Drill 1 - Instructions and Key Coaching Points

Keeper starts in centre of goal

Coach 8yds away and 3 players another 12yds behind

Players face away from play until coach calls a number 1,2 or 3,

on call that player will turn and face play

Coach starts drill with shot on keeper and then calls a number

Keeper make routine save then look for player facing play and

distribute the ball to them. P1,P 2 or P3 must then distribute to

Coach

Progression

Alternate between rolls, throws and push pass working on tech-

nique

Work 4 reps and switch keeper

Drill 2 - Instructions and Key Coaching Points

Keepers work in 18yd box depending on numbers

Play 5v3, 6v4 or 7v5…….with smaller group defending

Yellow team must play to each other and keep away from the

green team using a series of distribution rolls, throws and kicks

If green team intercept then yellows become defenders

Progression

Increase defending numbers

With kicks, limit touches on the ball

Coaching point - look for correct distribution technique and correct

Small Sided Game - Instructions and Key Coaching Points

Normal 5 a side game

Conditions to be added during game

Keeper must only distribute to a player making a forward run

Keeper must only distribute to feet

All attacks must come following distribution from a keeper, if

team has not had a shot on goal within 5 passes a free kick is

awarded to the opponent.

If either team win back possession from a tackle or block the

ball must be played directly back to keeper to start next attack

from distribution

Coach: Karl Sharman

Twitter: @Karlsharman

Counter attacking Skill Zone

Counter attacking is an art of a break away after winning the ball

back, sometimes done naturally rather than coached, but is very

important that it is coached now due to the speed of the game. The

game has adapted in recent years and the speed of the game has

increased showing more counter attacks than ever before. Quick

skills including turns can start and influence counter attacks and its

very important a player is good at SAQ (speed, agility and quickness)

as well as balance to allow them to do the skills and speed. Decision

making is also very important as a player can start a counter attack

with the correct decision but may miss the opportunity with a poor

decision. Placing players into situations allowing them to make decisions will help this and give

them experience to take into the game. Counter attacking is a tactical way to play the game and

is a very fluid and effective way of playing.

Session

Defender with ball switches play to other team (blue) releasing second defender to run to half way

line and round the cone as that is being done play has started and the blues are countering

attacking towards the goal. This session can also be used to recovery runs. Allow the players to

make decisions and express their ability of skill with and without the ball, invite them to take risk

and chances.

Progression

As a progression the defending team can have a aim to win the ball back and have a goal the

other end of the pitch to allow the defending team to win the ball back and counter attack

themselves.

Coach: Glenn Morriss

Twitter: @GlennMorriss

The Importance of First Aid

The first topic of these articles that will be discussed is first aid and its

impact in your club. We will discuss why first aid is important and how

this can be

improved in order to maintain player safety and

improve the club environment. As everyone will know with the Muamba

incident most recently, that first aid is even more important in today’s

sporting environment but this is magnified in at a grass root level.

Sometimes the safest place to be in sport is in a professional football

game, due to the amount of medical aid and surrounding assistance on

offer. But how can we apply this to grass root football in order to make

this

environment just as safe.

In order for first aid to be improved in all areas of sport its important for

everyone to consider if they know what to do in any emergency situation

and whether you would feel confident carrying out CPR if required. Pre-

viously working in grass root clubs I am aware of the different first aid

qualifications offered and depth of information provided but I feel that

knowing your own competence is the best way to measure quality of

your first aid training. Obviously know body wants to be in an emer-

gency situation but it’s better to be prepared.

So how can we improve this in grass root sport? Simply start off by

looking at your own club set up and who is first aid trained. Also look at

who should be first aid trained and is the information needed in an

emergency currently displayed and visible to everyone. Information is

vital and this will allow other people to assist the first aider if required.

All topics discussed in this article are for information purposes only. If

you have specific enquiry or concern please visit a trained registered

practitioner for a consultation or assistance.

Contact: Studentofthegame@live.com

Coach: Neill Walsh

Twitter: @NWPersonalTrain

Club: www.neill-walsh-pt.co.uk/

Nutritional tips to optimise performance.

While exercise and physical activity is key to a healthy lifestyle, when training for specific sports, nutrition plays a major role in your performance whether that is playing football for 90 minutes or ensuring your golf swing is consistent for 18 holes.

Alongside your diet, you will need to establish a good balance of regular physical activity per week. The most effective frequency would be between 2-3 times per week including cardiovascular training, resistance training and core stability covering agility, balance and speed.

Around 20-30 minutes before exercising you should try to eat or drink something easily digestible to give you a quick energy boost. Fruit is nutrient-dense and very quick to digest (particularly in liquid form), making a fruit smoothie an ideal pre-exercise option that also helps top up your 5 a day. Try whizzing together a handful of berries, chopped banana, and milk or low fat yogurt, some crushed ice and a teaspoon of honey. Delicious!

If you're struggling to make it up to 5 portions, remember that frozen fruits and vegetables are included in your daily allowance. Canned beans and pulses also count and are a great source of quick, nutritious protein when added to salads, soups and stir-fries.

Ref: Neill Walsh PT.

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