I’ve been fortunate enough to watch two excellent Arsenal vs Bolton games in the last week. Already Bolton under Owen Coyle look like a team who want to be more careful with the ball and play football on the ground. But in honour of Arsenal returning to the top of the Premier League I’m posting [...]

Grassroots football players are more likely than most to find themselves behind the defence and one-on-one with the opposition goalkeeper.
These opportunities stack the odds in the attacker’s favour, but so frequently we will see players lack the confidence or the ruthlessness required to take advantage and score from a one-vs-one chance.
You can use these attacking [...]

I’ve just released an updated version of “Small Sided Games: Attack!”; a 40 page book including 8 brand-new Small Sided Games templates plus modifications and progressions for each.
Every topic also includes the key coaching points for techniques and tactics that you can coach through the game – meaning if needed you can take the [...]

Finishing with power and accuracy is the potent formula which characterises football’s most lethal goalscorers. Fernando Torres, Cristiano Ronaldo and Samuel Eto’o are fantastic proponents of the low driven shot – a clean hard strike towards the bottom corners of the goal.
This drive is the bane of goalkeepers; it frequently comes through a lot of [...]

This finishing small sided game is a great practice for your players, it allows them hundreds of touches and dozens of finishing opportunities in a session. Your players will love this game because everybody gets the chance to fill their boots.
Initial Set-up
Mark out a 40m x 40m square field. Position a full-size goal or the [...]