Updated November 24, 2008
Introduction
I was disappointed when I first saw Israeli teams in action after my aliyah in 1993, and by courtesy of Cable TV. I never developed an attachment for any particular team. I turned to British and European football to see faster, more sophisticated games. Still I did not become attached to any team abroad - something which perhaps sets me apart from the majority of spectators. I was an unemotional observer rather than a spectator with likes and dislikes.
A little more than a year ago I suddenly began to notice mistakes that seemed to happen in virtually every game, Israeli and European. Mistakes, it seems, which had not been noticed by players or coaches, else they would surely have gotten rid of them long ago.
Take the goalkeeper’s long, high goal kick for example. Are you aware that most of these are fielded by a defender? (You can easily prove my statement by having someone do the research.)
I began to wonder . . . why do so many goalies keep kicking the ball to their opponents? Why pass the ball to the ‘enemy’? Why didn’t they rather pass, or when rules permit, just throw the ball to an unmarked player? And so start a new movement of possession, with all the opportunities that possession holds for the team?
It seemed to me as I watched this and other mistakes happening time and again, in Israel and Europe - that Einstein’s famous dictum: “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result” applied to soccer as much as it does to science.
Allow me to offer some positive thoughts on these failed strategies and tactics – some of which have been part of the way soccer has been played for the past 50 years or more. I also suggest remedies where it seems I might have solutions.
I offer these ideas to Israeli coaches in the sincere belief that they contain the basis for teams to improve to an extent that they will, before long, even beat many of Europe’s top teams. Why not? If Europeans continue to do most things wrong – and Israeli teams do most things right – why shouldn’t Israel win?
Here are my suggestions:
1. Think of the penalty area as “holy” ground
Far too many realistic goal scoring opportunities in the penalty area go everywhere except into the net. This can and must be changed.
Players should be taught to understand that the penalty area – and a couple of meters beyond - provides their best scoring opportunities. They need to respect and revere this area as if it were “holy” ground. This must become the team’s mind-set. The quicker the “holy” ground idea is internalized by your team the quicker the team will be making fewer goal scoring mistakes in the one area where goals can be most easily scored. Probably more goals per match than your team is used to.
Coach must drum home the “holy” ground mind-set to his team whenever opportune. Otherwise players may think these ideas have been scrapped and they’ll be back to their goal scoring mistakes. The team’s new objective must be for players to deliberately aim to score from every goal scoring opportunity on “holy” ground.
2. Insist on your players being true professionals
It is important to drum home the lesson that your players are paid as professionals and are expected to play as professionals. Players who are unable to kick the ball into the goalmouth from a few meters must be defined for what they are – unprofessional.
What frequently puzzles me is that a player who is capable of kicking the ball accurately from one side of the field to an awaiting player on the other, is unable to hit the goalmouth from a mere 5 to 10 meters away. And you know how often your side loses such “guaranteed” goals.
A professional must not rely on hope when kicking for goal. Nor depend on good luck. Wild, uncontrolled kicks on “holy” ground won’t succeed; they only bring relief to your opponents.
When the ball is on “holy” ground (or close by) players must deliberately control and aim their goal shots. It may take an extra second or two to control and aim and some potential goals will be lost as a result. But in the many scoring opportunities that develop in almost every game, the respect for being on “holy” ground plus accurate aiming will certainly result in more goals scored.
Here’s a good reminder to players: “if you don’t control the ball you might score; if you do you should score.”
Coach should also devote extra time to goal scoring practice. Coaches know better than others that nothing is more important than scoring. And as in most things, only practice, practice, practice, makes perfect.
It’s worth researching the number of goal scoring opportunities in and very near the penalty area which were lost in each of your recent matches. Start with videos of your last 25 games. Then verify your research by researching the games of other teams in your league. (I deal more fully with research under item 12.)
Only genuine professionals should be playing for your side. What a difference that will make to your record of winning games!
3. Possession is everything
Most teams already have an understanding of the importance of possession – I merely want to emphasize it.
If your team has 100 percent possession of the ball only your team can score. The other side cannot - unless one of your team does it for them!
While 100 percent possession is impossible, the team’s conscious objective must be to gain and hold possession and move the ball forward (even though it’s sometimes necessary to pass back) until it’s in a good position for a shot at goal. A deliberate shot should see the ball in the net. This is the ideal. However, the opposition will be doing its best to frustrate your intentions. That’s what makes games interesting both for players and spectators.
Possession however, leads to dominance and should result in more scoring opportunities. But opportunities merely remain just that until the goals are actually scored. At its worst, possession prevents them from scoring. At its best, possession enables your team to move the ball forward until it’s in or near the penalty area – the area of your best scoring opportunities.
Why does a player lose possession? He could be robbed of the ball by one or more determined attackers. His pass may be intercepted. He could kick the ball to no one in particular and often out of play. But mostly he kicks wide or actually passes the ball to an opposing player.
4. Don’t pass to the ‘enemy’
Coach needs to make it clear that passing to the ‘enemy’ is unprofessional. It is one of the most common mistakes that lead to the other side gaining possession. Or, as also happens, when someone on your side kicks the ball to no one in particular, or even out of field. Strong efforts must be made to eliminate such mistakes.
It happens more frequently than you may think. Do the research - you’ll discover these mistakes in every game. Players err, look annoyed and hurt – as if it was unavoidable, or bad luck. Coach should repeat as often as necessary that the player is always to blame. Blaming bad luck is totally unacceptable.
A pass by a professional player must go where it is intended. If the ball does not go where intended it can only mean that particular player is not yet a professional footballer.
Until this fault is defined as unprofessional, and uprooted, it will persist. Don’t let your players bluff themselves; leave that to the other teams.
5. Pass sooner than later
Quick passing helps your side hold the initiative. Often, the quicker the better. In any event do at least pass moments before you are robbed of the ball or prevented from passing. And remember to pass to someone in a good position to receive it and move it forward. This is essential. Passing to a player who has two or three opponents close by makes it near impossible to retain possession.
The player receiving the ball should already know to whom he will pass because he’ll have kept glancing around to see who’s available and favorably placed. A nearby player should make himself available to take a pass from another team player who needs to pass.
6. Goalie must start new possession movement
True the ball goes well over the halfway line, but it is fielded - more often that not - by an opposing defender. Of course the defender must be energetic enough go for the high ball. But when a defender and an attacker both jump for the coming header, strangely, the defender is mostly the one to get it. Exactly why this is so is not clear to me, but if you do the research you will find that this is mostly the case.
So instead of your goalie starting a forward possession movement by passing the ball safely to a nearby player, the goalie loses possession.
The long, high goal kick is an old tradition that desperately needs reworking. There’s really no justification whatever for delivering the ball to the ‘enemy’.
Since your goalie is one of the most important members of your team it becomes necessary to convince him that it is more to the team’s benefit for him to start a possession movement than to take the usual long high kick. And that the best way to do this is to deliver the ball to a nearby, unmarked player.
The back line must also become part of the team’s drive for possession. They too are prone to kick the ball upfield as far as they can. They too need to be convinced that not every kick is an emergency requiring clearance. Passing to a well placed player is far more advantageous.
Note: A long high kick from most anywhere else in the field into a group of players, has the same “good” chance of being fielded by an opposing player. This also applies to crosses which also reach a player on the opposite side far too often. Consequently your team frequently loses possession. Don’t believe me? Do the research and see for yourself.
The remedy is to instruct your players to use free kicks and crossing opportunities to pass to a team player. This is preferable to kicking the ball to a bunch of players or to an area and hoping for the best. That’s unprofessional. Ground passes should be preferred because they generally enable the receiver to continue without needing to control the ball.
7. Rethink corner kicks
Corner kicks always seem to be dangerous more dangerous than they are because so few finish in the net - as you’ll easily be able to verify from your research.
Since there are a number of corner kicks during a game it is worthwhile developing alternatives which will give your team a chance of scoring more often. Coach is urged to develop several set pieces as alternatives to the 50 year old corner kick. Modern pieces involving 3, 4, even 5 players should be tried.
After saving the ball from a corner kick the goalie should quickly send it on its way to his midfield players before the opposing team has a chance to settle down. Many a quick goal has resulted. I gag every time I see the goalie standing there waving everyone back, actually waiting for all to be settled, before kicking upfield - to no one in particular!
Remember that the cross is not all that much different from a corner kick. Again the defender somehow has a natural advantage when the ball comes at header height. Passing to a specific player should be the alternative objective to crossing.
8. Innovate set pieces to overcome the wall
In almost every game there’s some dirty play which leads to a free kick not far from the goalmouth. The defenders line up automatically to form a wall of players along a line indicated by the ref.
Along comes the team’s best kicker for such situations to take the shot. He is mostly unsuccessful. The ball either slams into the wall or sails way past over the net. Why is that?
I can advance no logical explanation for kicking the ball into the wall. That is surely unprofessional. The cure would seem to lie in plenty of practice for specifically appointed kickers.
Certain players may well be better kicking right-footed than left and vice versa. This too needs to be taken into account.
Distance may indicate that certain kickers will be more accurate within certain distances but not at all distances. Few teams are fortunate enough to have a professional of the caliber of Beckham, the former British captain, who can still deliver the ball accurately at most distances.
Coach should train left and right footed kickers for shots at various positions and distances. In match play, let the team captain choose the right player for each kick.
The best solution to the wall may well be for the coach to develop several alternative set pieces involving 3 or more players.
9. Acute angle shots at goal don’t make it. Rather pass to a well placed man
Many players are over-anxious to score rather than give another player the goal scoring opportunity. Remember however, that acute angle shots are hardest to net and the easiest to save. Far away shots are easier to save because they give the goalie extra moments to move into position. An unselfish pass to another player could frequently be the best solution to increase the goal count.
10. Most first timers don’t enter the net. Rather pass.
Few players can control direction, distance, velocity and height of first timers. That’s why the majority aimed at goal don’t hit the goalmouth! Coach should not permit these first time kickers to waste the alternative of controlling the ball and passing to start a new possession movement.
Players must be sensible enough to forgo the emotional satisfaction of giving a fast ball a thumping first time thwack. The goal scoring success of these first timers almost always depends on luck. Luck is fine in a casino but professional players must rely on ability. Do the research and you’ll agree that the incidence of goals scored from first timers is rare. The more certain outcome is that your team loses possession.
11. Don’t give the ‘enemy’ an even chance
To better your team’s chance of gaining possession, two of your players should not hesitate to tackle one of their’s. Even three might sometimes be necessary to win possession of the ball.
Urge your players to charge the ‘enemy’ down. Don’t give him a chance to think, see, or pass the ball accurately. Confuse and frustrate him to prevent his side from gaining possession. But don’t play dirty. (And don’t argue with the ref’s decisions.)
12. Use research to get ahead, stay ahead
TV videos have given coaches a priceless tool to research what works and what doesn’t. Research will become more and more essential and essential technology will surely play a helpful part. But do use a professional to handle all research not publicly made available.
Soccer managers/coaches will be interested in the sports analysis system invented by Dr. Miki Tamir, founder of SportVU (http://www.sportvu.com), which provides constantly flowing statistics and data on every activity of every player (and more). It should be a great help to researchers.
You can read about this new system in David Shamah’s article published in the Jerusalem Post recently. Shamah is the paper’s regular computer technology columnist. His informative article is entitled “The Eyes in the Sky”. Here’s the link: http://path.to/skyeyes/
13. Hold a video post mortem on each match
The coach who holds a video post mortem on every match and comments (good and bad) on every worthy or unworthy act will do wonders for welding his team together to share the same mindset. Players will better understand not only what is expected of them but of every other player. These sessions will reinforce the team’s play-to-win objective. The effect will be seen in the greater number of games won.
14. Convince your players to do it your way
It is essential not only to tell players what to do, but explain why they should do it. Your team will be so much stronger when they understand why you are introducing a new idea. Otherwise these may be regarded as mere eccentricities on your part.
It is essential for your players to appreciate the logic behind each new tactic, each new strategy. You will have their full cooperation when they internalize the validity of what you are telling them what to do.
The coach is the obvious person to indoctrinate new ideas into his team. These ideas need to be embedded in your players by constant repetition, with reminders of the evidence which led to each new conclusion. Match winning games will result only after your players internalize the new “rules” (so to speak). It shouldn’t take all that long.
Coaches who teach the remedies and strategies offered, will very soon be rewarded with teams brimming with confidence. National teams which will play superior soccer and win their way to the top of the local leagues. And will also perform far better when facing teams from abroad. Local teams can become world beaters.
I say this with every confidence because, based on my observations over time, I can assure you that European teams make the same mistakes as Israeli teams! {} {} {}