Bays Fury 4 - Lakehill FC 0

This past weekend we played Lakehill FC for our third time. As expected, Lakehill was hard to break down. Their goalie certainly deserves a lot of credit as do their defenders and center mids. However, after some initial shivers, our team was able to regain composure and eventually we began to take control of the game.

For this game, Darcy took the lead in creating the line up and also running the game. It was great to see the boys adjust to his ideas while maintaining basic principles on our approach.

Our goals came through very well worked plays and good finishing. The first came after a corner kick. Jonathan got his head on the ball. The rebound sat in front of the net for one of us to take and after a few unexpected bounces, Jonathan got his foot on it and scored. Soon after, Thomas scored a beauty of a goal after he and Ben worked a fantastic one-two around two defenders. I was quite impressed by Thomas composure while in front of goal. I was also quite impressed with Ben's instinctive pass back to Thomas. It was a simple move executed with great precision. It seemed that after some moments of miscommunication, we found our stride.

As usual, Pierce, Jonathan, Brandon and Marcel did extremely well at the back, maintaining possession and not allowing attacks to materialize. I was also happy to see them use Aaron as an additional player at the back. Aaron's skill on the ball is of great importance (and I commend you on it) as it allows us to have yet another outlet when we have possession.

In the middle, Koby and Justin worked hard to recover and distribute the ball. Our wingers had a bit of a difficult time at first maintaining width but as the game progressed, they settled and things looked better. Gabriel, Tyler and Finn were threatening as usual. Marcel was also strong when he came to the wing ~ for me, it is great to see so many of the boys taking on different positions and performing well in them. I particularly liked Hamish's positioning on the field. I thought he gave us another dimension when he was on. Good on ya Hamish!

Up front, Thomas, Ben, Finn, Gabriel and Mathew also did well. In the second half, I saw two great unselfish moves from our attackers. First, it was a great pass in from the wing by Koby. Although he had the space to drive in, he decided to cross the ball right into the penalty spot. Mathew read the ball well and instinctively ran to meet the ball and with a one time shot with his left foot, put the ball into the bottom right corner. It was a fantastic goal. Not long after, I saw Finn control the ball in the box and without hesitation, set Koby up for a shot. Koby did not hesitate and took a one time shot that beat Lakehill's netminder. It was clear the boys were working hard and taking control. I should note that we also had many other chances that did not materialize: Finn hit the post, Mathew was robbed twice by the goalie, Gabriel also took shots that were saved by their goalie. Clearly, we were taking the game to Lakehill. In the end, we won 4-0. It was a fantastic way to finish our season before the Xmas break.

WHERE WE ARE NOW

Well we've come to the end of the year ~ so what can we say? Well, I am happy with our progress. I think all of us can look at the boys and see that they are changing, learning and improving. Our team is playing better. I hope that all of you also see the same. I think the boys have learned key concepts:

1. Defensively we have become stronger and more disciplined.
2. Our ability to maintain possession is much better ~ we are more calm when in possession.
3. Our attack is more incisive and we are not dependent on only a few players scoring.

We have also become more consistent in our approach ~ the boys are understanding that moving off the ball is key if you want to be a successful team.

Last, I am hopeful that all of your sons are enjoying their time as part of this team. Being proud of being a part of a great team is what makes a team great. I want the boys to remember this season as one where they learned new things and began to read the game better. It is our hope that our work helps them not just every Saturday, but also for years to come.

I will not go over what we need to work on. We'll get to that when we come back in January.

For now, please get your boy to go out and kick the ball around when he has time. Get him to practice the things he needs to improve on: is it his shooting? is it his passing? is it his speed? No need for me to say anything: the boys know what they want to better. That is what you should focus on.

So, I will end with this: THANK YOU TO ALL THE PARENTS! From supporting during the games, to helping on the line, to helping with the nets, to bringing snacks, etc. I want to make sure that all of you know that I appreciate it. No team is perfect, but I truly feel that our team has to the potential to be perfect and as head coach I will always strive to get there.

A special mention to Kim Colpman and Darcy Greaves for being so helpful in my day-to-day coaching.

Have an amazing Christmas everyone ~ Keep going Fury ~ January is just around the corner.

Cheers,

Roberto

Football is a mindgame ~ You play with your brain.

I recently read an article from a prominent soccer coaching center in Europe. In it, a professional youth coach makes some good points that I would like to apply starting next year.

By now, you have been to enough games to see many of us coaches talking and directing players on the field: “ Hold Johnnie. Run with it. Take him on. Shoot. Rebound. DROP! DROP! “

The scary thing is that such style is incredibly seductive because if the goal is just winning, at a young age, and if the coach knows enough to be dangerous, it will probably work. While teams at this point tend to be very disorganized, the organized team with the puppet master pulling all the strings will usually win. But if our goal is player development, in the long run telling each boy what to do all the time is a disaster. As players get older the game gets faster, spaces become smaller, and pressure becomes much more intense. There simply isn’t time to listen to instructions and react. Only players who can read the game and can instantly and instinctively react will have any chance of maximizing their potential. Soccer is a player’s game.

Soccer is not a coach centric exercise but is inherently player centric. To have any chance of succeeding at higher levels players must be able to see game problems and have the ability to formulate their own solutions.

From a training perspective this means:

• Players must be taught to understand concepts that they can apply to a wide range of situations.
• Players need to learn to make their own decisions.
• Players need to feel free to make mistakes and learn from those mistakes.

The idea of letting the players play with the minimum of interference in matches, far from reducing the role of the coach, actually elevates the responsibility and makes it much more demanding. If the coach is to perform their job adequately we must become true educators (i.e. teach and repeat during practice, remind during games) but must allow them to take on the game on their own ~ in essence, we have to let the players apply what they have been taught (this is why players it is so important not to miss practices).

The game of soccer has changed greatly over the last 25 years. Players are faster and stronger and the move towards zonal systems has reduced time and space. These trends will continue. The current World and European champions, Spain, are unquestionably the finest team right now. But why?? Is it because they are faster than their opponents? No. Do they have better technique? Yes, they have great technique BUT then so do many other teams. They are the best team because, as soccer players, they are more intelligent than their opponents. For years Spain has been developing its’ youth on a program of rapid, short passing and constant movement to space and the creation of triangles everywhere on the field. The result is a generation of players able to observe, decide and execute faster than those from other nations.

Yes, other countries will catch up to Spain, they will develop their own styles and strategies; that is the nature of a dynamic, competitive system. But only those countries that emphasize intelligence and decision-making in their players will progress. Programs that continue to see soccer as an athletic contest where the team that runs fastest and longest will win are destined to languish in mediocrity.

CONCLUSION

So starting soon I will begin to move towards a more removed role when it comes to the players during games. I want them to begin to make their own decisions. Will I be totally quiet? No. I still need to help them during games and give them support (tell them to calm down, to think, help them see patterns). But I plan to give them more opportunities to make their own decisions and figure things out on their own. BUT remember: I can only do this if the boys do not miss practices AND pay attention. In the end, it will benefit them all.

I'll leave you with a comment the great Johan Cruyff made during his tenure as Barcelona's coach (when he coached Pep Guardiola actually):

“Speed is often confused with insight. When I start running earlier than the others, I appear faster.”  

Johan Cruyff

Bays United Fury 1 - HPL Victoria Wave U13 1

Mathew focuses on making a pass to his teammate

This past weekend we had a "league BYE" but were fortunate enough to be asked by the HPL Victoria Wave team from the U13 level to play against them at the Pacific Institute for Sports Excellence. The game was very well fought and did not dissappoint. In the end, our team came back from being one down and tied the game literally with less than a minute to go on the game. In my view, this was a fair result.

Finn running at pace mounting an attack

 I will not go into a lot of detail about this game. I will just like to make some general comments:

1. We started the game a bit in disarray when it came to our checks. We were a bit lost on who had who and this caused us to be behind the play for the first bit of the game.

2. Our turn-overs were too many during this game. We seemed out of sync for periods of the game. Yet, we did combine well when we moved off the ball. That improved as the game went on.

3. Our challenges for the ball also improved as the game went on and I think in the end we were more dominant and stronger when retrieving possession.

Brandon flies while defending a long pass from the Wave

4. We definitely had more clear chances on goal than the Wave did ~ however, we were not clinical when finishing.

5. Our corner kicks continue to be a concern for me ~ it is becoming a serious issue that we need to get under control. We had three clear opportunities on goal that should have gone into the back of the net. 

6. We did however demonstrate that we have the capacity to come back from being down ~ combined with desire and determination, this will serve us well as our season goes on ~ Well done fellas!

Hamish tries to control the ball while closed down by two Wave players

Overall, I was extremely happy to see the boys come back. I think that the 1 -1 result was a fair result. We missed Ben, Thomas and Gabriel and I think that if we had them with us, we may have done even better. The Wave team was the top team in their division this past season. They are clearly talented and strong. So, I was happy to see a good result.

Marcel skips past Luca while attacking

Pierce relies on Koby while maintaining possession

I hope that this game shows the boys what it feels like to play a top team that consistently places you under pressure. It is important for the boys to understand that this is the type of game they will all face as they move into more competitive divisions in the coming years. It also allows us to see where we need to improve and where we are doing well. With that end in mind, I will try to see if we can get a game against a couple of VIPL teams during the break so that we can continue learning and improving.

Thank you all for coming this past weekend ~ I hope it was fun. Also, thanks for the snacks Katherine and Glenn.

See you at practice ~ Roberto