The Perfect 10

I recently listened to a BBC 5 special called “In Search of the Perfect 10”. The question raised was why English football hasn’t produced a number 10 in the shape of Maradona, Pele, Zidane or Dennis Bergkamp.

I guess the first question is what is the number 10? The first thing to point out is that the ‘number 10’ doesn’t necessarily need to wear the number 10 shirt. The number 10 is a specific role that to quote John Barnes “We (the English) don’t understand the number 10” and in my opinion he is right.

In short the number 10 is the playmaker; in Italy he is the trequarista, dictating the play in the attacking half, in Argentina he is the enganche, translated to ‘ hook’ and in Brazil he is the meia-de-ligacao. Whatever he is called and wherever he plays, he is the key to the attacking rhythm of the team: when in possession he dictates the pace and tempo of the game and as a fan when he has the ball your heart skips a beat. The perfect 10 is the reason we all fell in love with this game and no other game on the planet has this type of player. Rugby may get close, but it’s not the same.

In the past 40 years the English game has produced only a handful of number 10’s. The English generally see the number 10 as a luxury. It’s still a working class game in England and the number 10 is often accused of being lazy and soft because they don’t buzz around the field ‘putting a foot in’ or ‘doing a job’ two phrases from the English game that I hate. Anyone can put a foot in or do a job but it’s the gifted ones who dictate the play. Stan Bowles and Tony Currie are two examples of English number 10’s who never fulfilled their potential during the 1970’s. Both supremely gifted players who could turn the game on its head in a split second. Between them they earned 22 caps for England. Wikipedia tells me that this is one less cap than Carlton Palmer and Geoff Thomas managed between them. No disrespect to Palmer and Thomas but that stat probably says more about the state of English football over the past 40 years than anything else.  Glenn Hoddle and Paul Gascoigne are the two other numbers 10’s to come from England, both had bigger impacts on the game but both, particularly Gascoigne failed to reach their potential.  Both Hoddle and Gascoigne were supremely gifted and for a few weeks in 1990 Gascoigne may have been England one and only truly World Class player since Gordon Banks and Bobby Moore. Hoddle was always seen as a luxury in the England team and the failure of the English game to fully embrace, Bowles, Currie, Hoddle and Gascoigne has resulted in over 40 years of misery for the English football fan.

Thankfully, the number 10 is much more prevalent in the rest of the world. It’s much easier to name the players and let you paint the picture from the name rather than list the attributes of the perfect 10. Puskas, Di Stefano, Eusabio, Pele, Cruyff, Totti, Kaka, Dalglish, Zola, Zidane, Cantona, Maradona, Messi, Platini, Riqulemi the list can go on and on. All of the players above conduct the orchestra and I make no apologies for the repeated link between soccer and music. A great team is like an orchestra and the conductor is responsible for managing the performance of his musicians, just like the playmaker is responsible for getting the best from his team mates.

So, if we know what the perfect 10 looks like and we can see all his attributes how do we go about producing them. Unfortunately the short and simple answer is you can’t set about producing a top class playmaker.

As coaches we need to try to create conditions that encourage the players to express themselves. Playing games with an extra player on the team with the ball will encourage players to get on the ball: the play maker needs to be comfortable on the ball and make themselves available to receive the ball. Games with extra players create that environment.

Encourage players to receive the ball on the front foot so that they can look forward first instead of having to go back or sideways. There’s nothing wrong with going back or sideways but we must encourage our players to look towards the opponents goal, scoring goals is the reason for having the ball.

Work with the players on running with the ball and passing on the move. Far too often our players receive it and pass it without looking for other options. Encourage them to do something a little different from time to time.

Challenge them to play passes in between their opponent, this opens up defenders and often creates scoring opportunities and more importantly, make sure they are mobile after the pass to create an angle to receive the ball back. We want the best players on and around the ball as often as possible.

Play more games in games in practice and add conditions to challenge the players, stop them playing square passes and straight passes, this will encourage them to play ‘off line’  and make it hard for the oppositions defence to deal with the movement of the attacking players. If you see a straight pass or a square pass then the team is penalised with a free kick against them.

There are lots of things we can do as coaches to challenge our players to become more inventive, and you never know, the next Messi could be in our grasp and wearing a maple leaf in the near future!

In closing, the weekends Manchester demolition of North London says more about the state of the Londoners at the moment than the dominance of Manchester. The Mancs looked good, and maybe City looked better, but there is a long way to go. And for all the scousers getting excited Liverpool have yet to be tested so calm down and let’s see where they sit 12 games in. Dalglish has performed a miracle but in my opinion they are still 12-18 months away from the finished article.

At 6's and 7's

In my last blog I talked about 8-a-side soccer and how important I think it is to the development of players. In this blog I would like to talk about soccer at the U9 and U10 level.  Twelve months ago at Lower Island we decided to recommend that at these ages we play 6-a-side soccer as opposed to the 7-a-side version.  Does it really matter whether we have six on a team or seven on a team I hear you ask, does it really make a great deal of difference in the bigger picture?

To be fair, I felt that way until I took a closer look and compared the two formats in terms of numbers on the field, the shape of the team, the disconnection of players on the field and the bigger picture of mini soccer. After a closer look, I am of the opinion that the 6-a-side game is much better for the players than its 7-a-side cousin.

First of all, the numbers on the field: This is a pretty straightforward issue for me. Why have 14 on the field when you can easily have 12. Two less players on the field will increase the opportunities for players to get touches on the ball and getting around the ball is what it’s all about. At the same time if we keep the field the same size then we should increase the amount of physical activity that we provide to the players. This is of vital importance to our young children and a key component of Long Term Athlete Development. I don’t believe that we are doing enough to help keep our children healthy and removing two players from the space opens up more space for the children to run into. That’s a step in the right direction.

The next thing to address, which is related more to development of the player as opposed to physical activity, is the shape of the teams in the games I have seen. With 6 outfield players we often see the 2-2-2 formation in the 7-a-side game. Its mini soccer after all and we really don’t need the sophisticated deep lying striker or holding midfielder at these ages. Having said that, 2 in the back 2 up top and 2 in the middle automatically put players into boxes on the field with very little, if any, movement up and down the field by the players. The team is balanced, but balanced north-south and this bears no resemblance to the real game we are getting them ready for which needs balance east-west.  On top of that we have added a ‘third line’ to the team and in my opinion its way too early for that.

With 5 out field players in the six-a-aside version of the game we often see the hockey formation of 2 in the back and 3 up front. Because many of our coaches are more familiar with hockey this is the default formation in Canada. I have to confess that when I first moved to Canada I couldn’t understand why the two defenders were tied to the halfway line, until I first watched Hockey Night in Canada. Now if we make a slight change to this formation and have 3 in the back and 2 forwards we are on the right track. When it comes to the shape of the team and how to explain it to the players, I have to credit Prospect Lake TD Mark Bell with this great idea. It’s a smiling face. The two forwards are the eyes and the three defenders make the smile, with the central defender always behind the two wider defenders. The key now is to get the smiling face move together up and down the field! In terms of the big game the shape offers the concepts of width and depth to young players and the smiling face shape is easy for them to see on the field. If it’s easier for them then it will be easier for the coach to explain to the players. The simpler we make it for the players and coaches the better the experience will be.

The disconnection of players on the field is directly related to the number of players on the field. In every 7-a-side game I have seen there are players on the field who have no connection to the game that is going on around them. They don’t get near the ball and they tend to stay in one small area. No touches on the ball and no physical activity, and we wonder why our numbers drop and why we aren’t developing players! There is no fun in watching, the fun is in the playing. If it’s not fun they won’t come back.

Finally, in terms of the small sided game from U8 to U12, we play 4-a-side at U8 and 8-a-side at U12. The jump from 8-a-side to 11-a-side at U13 is a big jump and many players have difficulty with the addition of players and the bigger space. If the addition of 3 players is a big challenge from U12 to U13 then the similar addition of three players from 4-a-side to 7-a-side from U9 to U10 is surely too much to ask. If we graduate the addition of players through the age groups without big jumps then we make the game easier for the players to adapt to. Adding two players from 4-a-side to 6-a-side to 8-a-side is a more balanced approach than going from 4 to 7 to 8. If they come back after two years of 4-a-side then we have a chance to make them soccer players. Why complicate matters by adding three players to the mix when two will do nicely.

So, for me it’s the 6-a-side game that gets my vote, more space on the field, more touches on the ball and an easier game for the players to understand.

On a final note and related to the difficult move from 8-a-side to 11-a-side, when I worked in the UK we didn’t jump from 8 to 11 until after Christmas of the U13 year to give them a little more time to get used to the idea. Can you imagine the problems we would have here if we changed the format of the games program midway through a season!

8 a side soccer

If we say that the game is the best teacher, then in my opinion the 8 a side game in the best format to use to let the game teach the players.  During the spring we took a close look at the programs that we offered through Lower Island and embarked on a revitalisation plan. As part of that plan we produced a coaching syllabus for our BCSPL teams, but more importantly with the support of the University of Victoria’s School of Exercise Science we developed a document for the coaches within our district to use as an extra resource to help them with their teams.

As part of that document we offered up some different schemes to use when playing 8v8 soccer. Although this document is aimed at the coaches within our district the information is available to everyone via our website and here is a link to the document http://www.lowerislandsoccer.com/Coaches/CoachingTheCoachesLISA.pdf

In this blog I would like to go into more detail about my favourite scheme in 8v8 soccer which I used at Sheffield United as an academy coach before I moved to Canada: which was two in the back, four across the middle in a diamond and one player up top as a target, in layman’s terms 2-4-1.

The idea behind this particular formations is not to win games or to stop the other team playing, its set up to challenge the players and put them in situations in the game where they have to make decisions based on the situation in front of them. These ‘learning moments’ are few and far between in the game and I think this formation increases the learning moments and in turn helps develop the decision making of the players.

Two in the back constantly challenges the defenders. If we want to produce defenders then they need to be able to mark an opponent and be able to take responsibility for dealing with players in 1v1 situations. They must also be able to communicate with their defensive partner and know when to mark and when to release from their player to offer cover or support to their defensive partner. Winning games is not the driving factor so don’t worry about playing man for man , or even a man down, in the back at the younger ages.  In time your defenders will become better as they are faced with multiple learning moments. They will make mistakes along the way but that is how they learn. Two in the back will also challenge the keeper and give them opportunities to use their feet if they are encourage to play as defender when you have the ball.

Across the middle the four players offer width and depth in a diamond formation. The holding player links the defenders to the team and should be encouraged to drop into deeper positions to help out the two defenders when needed. In time they will figure out that its better to start a little deeper and move forward as opposed to starting higher up the field and having to run back and help out. The two wide players should be encouraged to move up and down the field and keep the diamond shape as often as possible.  They will encounter numerous learning moments, do they stay wide or come inside, should they take their opponent on or look for a pass. All key decisions that they need to start to make on their own.

The player at the top of the diamond is the linking player to the lone striker. They should be encouraged to offer support to the wide players when they are in possession and to get close to the striker when the ball is played forward. Four across the middle also introduces the players to playing in a group and working together. The chances are they will play in a four, whether in the back or in the midfield as they get older so why not introduce them to it as early as possible.

Up top, our lone striker must learn to play with their back to the opponent and look to play with a supporting player. Decisions for this player are many; can I get turned, can I go forward and create a scoring opportunity, should I connect with a supporting player. Multiple learning moments that will be difficult to replicate in a practice session.

In youth soccer the game should act as an extension of the week’s practices sessions, and far too often the game becomes the biggest factor during the week. The 8v8 format gives us an element of control that is lost as players move to the 11 a side game. The field is smaller so the players are, in theory less fatigued, and the smaller field can be more forgiving of individual errors as in the smaller space the players are closer together. The smaller space also encourages the player’s to pass the ball rather than just kick it away as there is less space to kick it into.

The key to the big game, 11v11, is controlling the space, make it big when you have the ball and make it small when they have it. You control the space through the shape and movement of your team. My experience has been that this formation provides more learning moments as it is challenging for the defenders and the single attacking player. It encourages the midfielders to drop down and help the defenders out and it demands that they move forward to support the striker. 

Once your players have a basic understanding of the shape you want them to make on the field then you can start enjoying watching them play and learn.

Remember, the important thing is challenging your players and putting them in situations where they have to make a decision.  Our players need to learn how to play the game and to read the game.

I hope that makes some sense.

To finish, the next Lower Island Soccer Coaches Association meeting will take place at the Lakehill Soccer Associations facility at Braefoot Park on Friday 26^th August from 6pm. Our guest presenter will be Matt Fisher from the Pacific Sports Institute for Sports Excellence. The session will cover warm and injury prevention techniques and I hope to see as many of you there as possible. As always don’t forget to bring your boots….