PLAYER ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES ALL TEAMS GOALKEEPER ASSURED HANDLING, COMMUNICATION WITH BACK FOUR SHOW OUTSIDE/ INSIDE, GET TIGHT, CLEAR, TIME, COVER, DROP OFF, PRAISE, ETC COMMAND AREA CROSSES/ CORNERS POSITIVE ON FEET AGILE AND POWERFUL WHEN COMING FOR CROSSES BE DEMANDING AND STRONG USE BODY GOOD START POSITIONS IN RELATION TO BALL SWEEP BEHIND DEFENDERS DISTRIBUTION SET ATTACKS THROWS DISTRIBUTION KICKING FROM HANDS AND DEAD BALL DIAGONAL CONFIDENCE 1V1 USE OF BODY IMPOSING AND STRONG FEAR INTO STRIKERS ACT AS EXTRA PLAYER WHEN IN POSSESSION AT THE BACK BE THE EYES OF THE DEFENDERS CONSTANT TALKING EXPECT EVERYTHING TO COME YOUR WAY
ORGANISATION AT SET PIECES REACT QUICKLY SHOT STOPPING AND BOUNCE UP ASSESS FLIGHT OF BALL ASSESS TYPE OF SHOT (CURLING, DIRECT, ETC) FULL BACKS DEFENDING 1V1 IN DEFENDING THIRD SHOW WIDE PLAYER OUTSIDE DEFENDING 1V1 SIDE ON, LOW CENTRE OF GRAVITY, ON TOES, READY, WATCH BALL NOT FEET OR BODY OF OPPONENT PATIENCE WHEN DEFENDING DONT DIVE IN TUCK IN WHEN BALL ON OPPOSITE SIDE OF PITCH MARK INSIDE WIDE PLAYER IN POSSESSION OUT BALL FOR SWITCHING PLAY 7 PASSES INTO FIRST STRIKER, SECOND STRIKER, WIDE PLAYER, CENTRAL MIDFIELDER, CENTRE BACK, GOALKEEPER, LONGER DIAGONAL FOR MIDFIELD RUNNER 3 RD MAN RUN. TAKE THROW INS KEEP POSSESSION OVERLAPPING WHEN BALL PLAYED WIDE CROSSING QUALITY WHEN IN FORWARD AREAS COMMUNICATION WITH CENTRAL DEFENDERS COVER SHOULD ONE MOVE FORWARD STAYS BACK AT CORNER KICKS FOR STANDS ON POST AT CORNER KICKS AGAINST
CENTRE BACKS BE STRONG 1V1 AGAINST BALL INTO STRIKERS FEET PATIENCE AND STOP THE TURN FORCE PLAY IN ONE DIRECTION APPROACH STRIKER WITH SIDE ON STANCE WATCH THE BALL WHEN 1V1 BE AWARE OF STRIKERS MOVEMENT COMMUNICATE, TRACK, STEP UP, LOOK OVER SHOULDER OPEN BODY POSITION LOOK AT BALL AND STRIKER, ASSESS MOVEMENT AND FLIGHT OF BALL HEADING FROM CROSSES, LONG BALLS, DEAD BALL KICKS, LONGER FREE KICKS DISTANCE AND HEIGHT ORGANISE FULL BACKS TUCKING IN COMMAND DEFENDING THIRD WORK AS PAIR OR 3 EFFECTIVELY ONE CENTRE BACK CLOSES DOWN, OTHER COVERS ON ANGLE DISTRIBUTE BALL FROM BACK SPLIT FROM KEEPER TRY PLAY WHEN POSSIBLE THROUGH MIDFIELD/ INTO STRIKERS PLAY LONGER ONLY IF SHORT PASS NOT ON CLEARANCES HIGH AND OR WIDE AWAY FROM CROWDED AREAS ATTACKING SET PIECES FOR
WIDE MIDFIELDERS COMFORTABLE ON THE BALL, DRIBBLING, KEEP POSSESSION PLAY OFF STRIKERS RUNS IN BEHIND ONCE BALL SET BACK TO CENTRAL PLAYERS WIDTH WHEN BALL IS CENTRAL SHOW WIDE WHEN FULL BACK HAS BALL CHECK OFF AND RECEIVE FACE UP DEFENDER AND BE POSITIVE COMMIT THE DEFENDER RUN DIRECT AND USE BODY TO GET DEFENDER OFF BALANCE QUALITY OF PASS INTO STRIKER ROUND THE CORNER, BACK INTO MIDFIELD, BACK TO FULL BACK TO KEEP POSSESSION IF BALL WITH FULL BACK CANT BE PLAYED, MOVE INSIDE OFF THE LINE TO LEAVE SPACE IN BEHIND FOR THE STRIKER TO RUN INTO DOWN THE SIDE QUALITY OF CROSSING BETWEEN SIX YARD BOX AND PENALTY WITH PACE AERIAL OR DRIVEN DEPENDING ON SITUATION ATTACK CROSSES AT BACK POST FROM CROSSES ON OPPOSITE SIDE GOOD END PRODUCT HIGH PERCENTAGE OF QUALITY CROSSES AND IN FRONT OF GOAL CORNER KICKS ON OPPOSITE SIDE IN SWINGING THROW INS CROSS OVER WITH NEAREST STRIKER DEFENDING DOUBLE UP WITH FULL BACK WHEN 1V1 TUCK IN ACROSS PITCH WHEN BALL ON OPPOSITE SIDE OF PITCH AND OFFER COVER AND SUPPORT TO CENTRAL MIDFIELDERS
CLOSE DOWN FULL BACK SHOULD THEY BE UNDER PRESSURE AND FORCE PLAY AWAY FROM DANGEROUS AREAS IE CUT OFF THE LINE CENTRAL MIDFIELDERS LINK DEFENCE AND ATTACK WHEN IN POSSESSION AND WITHOUT CREATIVE AND EFFICIENT PLAY RECEIVE BALL FROM FULL BACKS ON ANGLE, OPEN UP AND LOOK TO PLAY POSITIVE PASSES OR RUN WITH BALL SHOULD SPACE OPEN UP SWITCH THE PLAY OPEN BODY DONT GO BACK INTO SAME AREA WIN SECOND BALL FROM OPPONENT DEFENDERS HEADERS/ CLEARANCES CLOSE DOWN AND PRESS WHEN BALL IS PLAYED INTO TIGHT AREAS FORCE PLAY WIDE OR BACK WHEN DEFENDING
MAKE 3 RD MAN RUNS FOLLOWING STRIKERS MOVEMENT FOR LONGER DIAGONAL BALL FROM FULL BACK SIT AND COVER MIDFIELD PARTNER ONE GO, ONE SIT SHIELD THE BACK FOUR BLOCK PASSES INTO STRIKERS OR DEFEND OFF THE STRIKERS TOUCH SHOULD IT BE PLAYED IN RANGE OF PASSING SHORT INTO WIDE PLAYERS AND STRIKERS, IN BEHIND FOLLOWING GOOD MOVEMENT, LONGER TO SWITCH, LONGER DIAGONAL FOR OPPOSITE WIDE PLAYER OR FULL BACK OVERLAPPING SHOULD WIDE PLAYER MOVE INSIDE QUALITY AND COMPOSURE ON THE BALL DEFENDING AT SET PIECES STRONG, COMMITTED AND CLEVER USE OF BODY SHOULD BE CONSTANTLY AVAILABLE TO RECEIVE BALL OR CREATE SPACE FOR OTHERS CREATE A PICTURE BEFORE RECEIVING THE BALL OF NEXT MOVE COMMUNICATE WITH ALL PLAYERS CONSTANT INVOLVEMENT IN THE GAME TRACK MIDFIELD RUNNERS ENERGY AND POSITIVE BODY LANGUAGE DONT BLOCK PATH OF BALL INTO STRIKERS DROP OFF OR PULL AWAY SHOOTING FROM DISTANCE POSITIVE ATTITUDE STRIKERS CREATIVE, POSITIVE ATTITUDE IN FRONT OF GOAL RANGE OF FINISHING, END PRODUCT MOVEMENT IST STRIKER NEAREST BALL DROPS INTO THE HOLE WHEN BALL IS IN WIDE AREAS; SECOND STRIKER RUNS IN BEHIND TO SPACE CREATED FOR LONGER BALL DOWN THE SIDE SHOULD A DEFENDER FOLLOW THE FIRST STRIKER
RECEIVE SIDE ON AND PROTECT THE BALL WHEN PLAYED INTO FEET TRY TURN BUT ATTEMPT TO PLAY WITH ONE OR TWO TOUCH WHEN UNDER PRESSURE SET TO MIDFIELD PLAYER, WIDE OR TO FULL BACK THEN SPIN OFF IF CANT RECEIVE THE BALL, SPIN OFF AND ALLOW SECOND STRIKER TO MAKE RUN TOWARDS BALL NEVER STAND STILL UNLESS IN SPACE MAKE LIFE DIFFICULT FOR DEFENDERS PHYSICAL, STRONG, CHALLENGE IN AIR AT ALL TIMES, USE BODY AND CLOSE DOWN IF DEFENDERS UNDER PRESSURE CLEVER RUNS IN THE BOX WHEN BALL ATTACKING CROSSES GET ACROSS DEFENDERS, PULL AWAY IF DEFENDER LOOKING AT THE BALL SPLIT FULL BACKS AT GOAL KICKS PATIENCE AND CALM ATTITUDE WHEN TAKING CHANCES BELIEVE YOU WILL SCORE EVERY GAME SET TARGETS TEAM PLAYER DEFEND OR COVER IF NEED TO IE IF MIDFIELDER GETS INJURED WRITTEN BY MARK SENIOR COPYWRITTEN 2010 PRO SKILLS