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Hi Everyone, thanks again, as always for joining us for another edition of the coach insight newsletter. Bit of a shocking week in football from Jack Grealish Moving to Man City for £100 Million (been at the club since 8 years old, so massive well done to the recruitment and youth coaches), to Barca announcing Messi is finally moving on (Don’t be surprised to see him re-sign for the club). Something which I believe has gone under the radar is Chelsea allowing some really talented players to leave their club (Ghuei, Liveramento, Abraham?). Why I mention this, again great scouting, wonderful coach producing talented players who are going on to play in top 5 leagues in Europe. If you can get any time with a Chelsea or Man City coach to pick their brains definitely jump at that opportunity! Right on to the top ten.

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The Top Ten Of The Week

1. want to learn about the concept of inverted wingers and how to get the most from them. well have a look at this article from Ian O'Neill on total football analysis

   https://totalfootballanalysis.com/article/tactical-theory-attacking-with-inverted-wingers-tactics

2. Third man runs are one of the most usual ways to exploit the opposition. It's something Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal teams always used to do. Here Daniel Baehr takes you through an exercise to help develop this in your teams

   DB @daniel_baehr_

   Training Idea 7 + 2 vs. 7 combination game with focus on „third man concept“, creating & using numerical and positional superiority as well as decision making in the final third. Thread.

3. A long but really insightful thread from Cameron Herbert on Man marking vs zonal, a combination of both and when they are used.

   Cameron Herbert @CamH___

   THREAD: Man marking vs zonal marking, a combination of both, and when they are used. CC: @TacticalPad

4. Carlon Carpenter here taking us through movements to create space. How many of these have you taught your players?

   Carlon Carpenter @CarlonCarpenter

   Movements To Create Space: The "Double Wide" - Better positioning for overlapping runs from the FB - Dragging opponents away with runs in behind - Countermovements between FB and winger - Creating 2v1s against defenders

   

5. Long-form article here on goalkeeping but I really recommend going through it for their profile of different types of goalkeepers. Think about the strengths of your goalkeeper and how they fit in with the profiles. Hopefully, this will give you an idea of how to get the most from them and how to help them improve in their own unique way.

   https://medium.com/@victor.renaud7/profiling-keepers-with-data-41c1af1fa37c

6. Good study here on the effects of SSG vs running-based HIIT training on players’ ability to repeatedly sprint. Spoiler, there is no difference. For me, that means we can do less work without the ball without the worry of getting the fitness benefits for the players.

   footballscience @MCRumpf

   A Meta-Analytical Comparison of the Effects of Small-Sided Games vs. Running-Based High-Intensity Interval Training on Soccer Players’ Repeated-Sprint Ability #footballresearch #footballspecificinfographics #footballscience

   

7. Have a read through this thread looking into whether losing possession can actually be used to your team’s advantage. Counter-intuitive but thought-provoking.

   Domagoj Kostanjšak @DKostanjsak

   In football, possession is not everything. While many associate it with domination, it doesn’t always translate into success on the pitch. Similarly, losing the ball is always seen as a very negative aspect of the game. But can it be turned into an advantage? 🤔 |THREAD|

8. A sign of things to come? Arsenal has hired a football methodology analyst. Kevin Balvers will "help with first-team analysis as well as identifying best practice and trends (in terms of tactical, technical, performance and recruitment) at both Arsenal and other clubs, both at home and abroad."

   https://trainingground.guru/articles/balvers-appointed-as-arsenals-first-football-methodology-analyst

9. Another study here. This time looking into how to improve your dominant and non-dominant players (your best vs worst). Spoiler...use 4v4 rather than 7v7 as that gives everyone twice as many technical and tactical actions.

   footballscience @MCRumpf

   How to improve technical and tactical actions of dominant and non-dominant players in children’s football? #footballresearch #footballscience #footballspecificinfographics

   

10. A really good training Ground Guru interview with Arsenal Under 15/16 lead coach Dan Micciche talking through the 11 keys to "Fostering Strong Gunners" How many of these do you do at your club?

    https://trainingground.guru/articles/dan-micciche-how-arsenal-create-strong-young-gunners

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Thanks again, I hope it was insightful and gave you lots to think about. If you know anyone who would enjoy this content or our newsletter please use the share buttons below. Have a great weekend and week.