And the Biggest Mistake!

(source - Getty images)

Removing 'the little chief' from the match! The biggest mistake!

Was Milan better or did Liverpool make them?

While I was waiting for a mouth watering revenge-themed finals, it turned out to be a sleep inducing chess-game.

Firstly, why was only Alonso doing all the dirty work? Alonso could have been sent-off by the end of the first half if not for the leniency of the ref. But where were the cruching tackles from Guttuso, Gerrard and company? Maybe its true that they are really nothing but the 'kittens' that were traded before the game. Maybe since they were contended with playing chesse, there was no need for tackling.

Then, what was Liverpool thinking. Why was Liverpool playing into the hands of the Italians? BAD mistakes. Any manager that is not actually playing a match against the italians will say, 'Let's not play into the italian card.' But it seems like when its their turn to take on the italians, they do just that!

Why did liverpool only play one small tiny striker upfront? Was Nesta and Maldini going to be tested? Were they being stretched? Did that not allow their unherald full-backs to become wingers? I wonder.

This strategy contributed to the chess game.

Whereas playing inzaghi was a master stroke. The type of strikers where even Maldini would hate playing against. A Pest, nasty, tricky, irritating. But effective. And effective he proved to be. Even the way he celebrates his goals demoralises the opponents. I like to have such a player playing on my side if i was in a finals.

And thats what Liverpool played into. And many of you would agree.

That session at AH n the next

PSC, 20th May

It was a good 20, 23 turn-out and I was impressed that 3 boys turned up after their work even at 6.30pm.

We had an improved warming-up program which I think got you guys sweating and added an element of teamwork and communication. It should only get better.

A short 12-12 minute game where there seem to be an overall improvement in the way players 'played' with the ball, especially the regular players whom I had not 'noticed' earlier became more noticeable. Also, this should only get better. I hope the few minutes of pointers I gave during the breaks were taken in good stride by the players. Work on it and individually you will get better.

The 3-lane exercise and corner kicks, completed the tactical aspect of the session. There were some initial confusion but that is normal for all tactical training. You guys will get the hang of it really soon.

3-Lane Exercise
Objective - Thinking Players
5v5, Half-field, goal post without keepers, 3 lanes incorporating 1-3-1

Rules:
You have to play the ball out to either one of the outer lanes before creating a goal scoring opportunity.
Attacking team may hav additional player in the outer lanes but defending team cant.
However defending team can have additional player in the center lane.

The rules are simple. Its the way the 5 players communicate that is important.
The player with the ball has to look up and read the game and think. Who to pass to. Do i switch flanks or do i play the same flank. Do i support in the outer flank or do i stay and defend. These are decision making and thinking skills that this 3-lane exercise can help improve your tactical understanding of how to play soccer.

Of cos there will be progression for this 3-lane but until then, we will stick to the simpler rules.

In the next session will demo to you how to be a better tactical team in this 3-lane exercise. We will also spend some time on set-pieces like thown in and corners.

The F.A. Cup

What makes a Saturday night?

Soccer!

Manchester United v Chelsea for the penultimate trophy in English Soccer.

I say, Man U for the double.
They are on form, with better mental n physical preparation, the technicians and tacticans are primed and ready for the kill.
However Chelsea is a team based on morale and instinct and a single game suits them.

So its technical and tactical brilliance versus instinct and morale.

Who can you bet on!!! Its quite an obvious bet right.


The ball is round, I wouldn't bet on soccer. And i advice you the same.

Training at the immaculate Redhill field. Can you spot that ball that James is keeping his eye on?

Wesley preparing for the next shot from the other side after saving this one!

CPSC

Since the uploading into the club's wedsite is not ready, I thought that it would be a good idea to post my PSC on my blog too.

Post-Session Comment, 6 May

Master the Ball, Control the Game

It was a hot and dry day for soccer and the turn-out of 23 was good for a thorough training session of 2 main components, including at least 3-level of progression.

Dribbling and Warming-up
- Straight-lined cones
- Jagged cones (s-curve)
- Passing and Receiving (wall-pass, 1-2)
- Dribbling with a passive defender

Ball Control Technique (Discover your ‘Sweet Spot’)
- Individual ball-control technique
- Technique with team awareness
- Technique against goal-keeper

I hope that you realized in the last 5 sessions that you are not only training to improve your technique, but also on how to be an intelligent player. From my observation of this current team, there are 7-8 skillful players but only about 2-3 ‘intelligent players’ and this is not enough to form an intelligent team. Players with good technique and skill do not mean ‘intelligent player’.

Let’s use a few well-known skilled players as examples.

J Cole, Pirlo, C Ronaldo, Arteta, A Lennon, Pennant, Fabregas.

Let’s put aside team preference and imagine you are a team manager able to get any 2 of these players. The condition is that both players have to be ‘intelligent players’. You almost seem to know the qualities that enable him to be more ‘intelligent’ than the other. Discover what it is and implement it into your game.

My personal comments on the list of players:
- J Cole is a bag of tricks and speedy, but until he is more effective, I am not sure.

- Pirlo is a master class. He pulls the string, the tempo and controls the way Milan plays. He can do without Kaka, but Kaka cannot do without him.

- Ronaldo is a player who suddenly became effective. All dribble and fancy in the past, now he is an assured creator and scorer.

- Arteta is an artist full of flair. However, he is one-dimensional now that Gravenson is no longer there for support.

- Lennon is a bag of energy, young and enthusiastic. Only.

- Pennant is so one-dimensional that he will only start or end a match, but not both, unless soccer has rolling substitution.

- Fabregas does not have the best natural body movement, not the strongest but sure on the ball and picks the right passes.

So what makes an ‘intelligent player’?

Even not-so-skillful players can be intelligent players. Here are some pointers that could improve your game. Think about how you could add to your game.

- You are the ‘master of the ball’, controlling with awareness and intention
- You can make better decisions, individual and tactically
- You control the tempo and the type of game that the team plays
- You understand the tactic used during different ‘moments’ of the game
- You don’t act cute or be a clown and let the team down


You need a visual example? Watch Pirlo during the Finals

Training At Redhill

So Liverpool did make it!

The two teams that qualified for the finals played the second-leg at home. So does playing the second leg at home has its benefits?

In this case, it did.

Chelsea and Man U didn't 'really' make their home game count. Worse for Man U as they conceded 2 'away' goals. I was banking on Man U using their speed and guile to break down Milan but the tactical acuement of Milan was just too strong against the leading protaganist of the English game.

Will the guts of Guttuso and class of Pirlo run the game in the finals again?!? I almost forgot Kaka, but without 'Gutto' and 'Pillow', Kaka will surely be just another classy player.
But with the other 2 players and 8 supporting cast, Kaka becomes a world class player.

Now thats what I want to have in my first eleven.

A team.

I think Liverpool will make it!

I am fairly quite certain that Liverpool will beat Chelsea to be in the finals of the Champions League to meet Manchester United!

Chelsea will have problems with the quickness of Liverpool's attack, and might not be able to meet Liverpool in their kind of game...

Manchester will also be too 'quick' for the tactically gifted Italians, and to wily too!

So an all english finals?

We shall see