w w w . e l i t e s o c c e r c o a c h i n g . n e t M A R C H 2 0 2 0 SOCCER Exclusive Training practices from toppp professional managers MIDDLESBROUGH JONATHAN WOODGATE IN PARTNERSHIP WITH &ROBBIE KEANE CROSSING &FINISHING EVERTON WOMEN LINCOLN CITY LMA AMBASSADOR LMA AMBASSADOR WILLIE MICHAEL STEPHEN GRANT KIRK APPLETON CONSTANTINE KALAHAR Match day Counter-attacking Defending Overloading the preparation crosses midfield EXTRA-TIMEFEATURE BRISTOL ROVERS GOALKEEPERCOACHADRIAN TUCKER INPARTNERSHIPWITH Elite Soccerispublishedby ISSUE 116/MARCH 2020: FROM THE CHAIRMAN Green Star Media Ltd Originaltrainingground MBX124 19 Moorfield Road drillsandactivitiesto Slyfield Industrial Estate 4 Guildford getthebestoutofyour JONATHAN GU1 1RU WOODGATE United Kingdom players &R& ROBBIEOBBIE KEANE Email: MIDDLESBROUGH elitesoccer@ Dear Coach, greenstarmedia.net Crossing Welcome to the March 2020 issue of Elite Soccer. We’re not quite at and the end of the British football season, but the decisive weeks ahead Editor: fifinishing nishing Chris Hunt will certainly prove to be the beginning of the end, as teams battle it Contributing Editor: out for vital points at both the top and the bottom of every division. Mark Farthing In this issue we are delighted to introduce five training Consultant Coach: Dave Clarke sessions from some of the most highly respected coaches and Illustrator: managers in the game, who have shared their considerable Richard Palmer experience and knowledge with the readers of Elite Soccer. 7 Design: WILLIE KIRK AT Graphics We kick off this month’s issue with atraining session from EVERTON WWOOMENMEN Photography: the EFL Championship. Middlesbrough manager Jonathan Match day Reuters Woodgate, and his assistant manager Robbie Keane, have contributed asession on crossing and finishing. It’s an activity preparation aimed at giving attacking strike partners plenty of opportunities to make front and back post runs and take side-footed shots Publishedinpartnershipwith: from the edge of the six-yard box, astyle of finishing that Robbie Keane perfected during his long playing career. 11 Everton Women manager, Willie Kirk, has shared asession MICHAEL League Managers designed to be run as match preparation on Match Day -1. He uses Association APPLETON it to reiterate the most important parts of the team’s game plan. LINCOLN CITY St George’s Park National Football Centre, We also have acounter-attacking session from Lincoln City Counter- Newborough Road, manager, Michael Appleton. It’s one that encourages players attacking Needwood, Burton upon Trent, to have the confidence to quickly commit numbers to support DE13 9PD a move during the transition from defence to attack. Tel: +44 (0)1283 576350 Formerly the manager of India’s national team, Stephen Email:[email protected] Constantine has shared aseries of activities that will help Chairman: Howard Wilkinson players to defend against crosses coming in from different Chief Executive: angles, including the dangerous area of players making 14 Richard Bevan STEPHEN headed clearances when facing their own goal. CONSTANTINE LMA AMBASSADOR This publication is protected We also have asession from Grant Kalahar, who has used by national and international his considerable coaching experience to write asession Defending copyright laws. Elite Soccer will take legal action that encourages teams to attack by overloading the crosses against any individuals or midfield. His exercises achieve this by asking defenders organisations found to be infringing our rights, and will to step up to support play in the midfield, or by giving make that action public. forwards the impetus to drop into midfield to receive. It’s No part or whole of this report 18 may be circulated elsewhere a session that certainly encourages attacking play. GGRANTRANT or displayed on any website or distributed commercially I hope you find that the training sessions in this issue KKALAHARALAHAR except under licence from the LMA AMBASSADOR copyright owners. will be of use in your coaching. Elite Soccer will return © Green Star Media Ltd. All next month with five more training activities that will Overloading rights reserved get your team thinking about the way they play. midfimidfield eeldld 22 EXTRA-TIME …feature with Bristol Rovers Howard Wilkinson,LMAChairman goalkeeper coach, Adrian Tucker. 2 MARCH 2020 www.elitesoccercoaching.net INPARTNERSHIPWITH ELITE SOCCER MARCH 2020 MANAGER PROFILES Here are the six managers and coaches we’re delighted to welcome into this issue of Elite Soccer WILLIEKIRK Trophyinsuccessiveyears. EVERTON WOMEN Astintasassistantmanager JONATHAN ofPremierLeagueLeicester WillieKirkiscurrently themanager Cityincludedtwovictoriesas ofEvertonWomen.Hebeganhis WOODGATE& caretakermanagerin2017but managerialcareerinScotlandin hereturnedtoWestBroomin 2006asanassistantacademycoach April2019andservedasfirst- ROBBIEKEANE forLivingston’s U14teamandwent MIDDLESBROUGH teamcoach.Hereturnedto ontocoachtheU17s.In2009,he managementwithLincolnCity Jonathan Woodgate is the current manager joinedtheacademycoachingstaff early thefollowingseason. of EFL Championship side, Middlesbrough. atHibernian,withresponsibility fortheU17s.Ultimately,Kirkwas During along playing career, he won eight appointedheadcoachofHibernian’s STEPHEN England caps and played as adefender for women’s team.Hisfirstseason CONSTANTINE Leeds United, Newcastle United, Real Madrid inchargesawvictoryinthe2010 LMA AMBASSADOR ScottishCupFinalandthefollowing and Stoke City. He also scored the winning Mostrecently themanagerof seasonheledtheclubtothe India’s nationalteam,Stephen goal for Tottenham in the 2008 League ScottishLeagueCuptitle.In2013 ConstantinehasworkedasaFIFA Cup Final and enjoyed two spells playing hewasvotedScottishWomen’s InstructorandisamemberofFIFA’s for his hometown club, Middlesbrough, FootballManageroftheYear. elitecoachingpanel.Hespenthis In2015hemadethemoveto early coachingcareerintheUSA before hanging up his boots in 2016. Englandandwasappointed andCyprusbefore takingchargeof After abrief spell as an international scout managerofBristolCity,competing theNepalesenationalsidein1999. for Liverpool, he joined Middlesbrough’s intheFA WSL.Hesubsequently Afteraperiodspentastheassistant joinedthecoachingstaffatthenewly directorofAFC Bournemouth’s coaching staff in 2017 and had two stints formedManchesterUnitedWFC, academy,heenjoyedthefirstofhis as an assistant coach with the first before beingappointedmanagerof twostintsasmanageroftheIndian team and aperiod working for the club’s EvertonWomeninDecember2018. nationalteambetween2002and 2005.HethenreturnedtoEngland academy with the U18s. He was ultimately MICHAEL toworkasthefirstteamcoachand appointed Middlesbrough manager reserveteammanagerforMillwall. in the summer of 2019 and was voted APPLETON Amuchtravelledcoach,hehas LINCOLN CITY Championship Manager of the Month alsohadspellsasmanagerof MichaelAppletoniscurrently the theRwandanationalteamand for the first time in December 2019. managerofLeagueOneclub, asheadcoachofbothSudanand Robbie Keane is currently the assistant LincolnCity. Hisplayingcareer Malawi.InhissecondspellasIndia asamidfieldertookinspellsat manager of both Middlesbrough and manager,hetooktheteamfrom ManchesterUnited,Lincolnand 173intheFIFA WorldRankings the Republic of Ireland national team. Prestonbutitwascutshortby inMarch2015to97inDecember He played for many clubs in his career, injurywhile atWestBromwich 2018.Hisautobiography,‘From including Wolverhampton Wanderers, Albion,where hetookonayouth DelhitotheDen’,wasnominated coachingrole afterhanginguphis fortheFootballWriters’ Association Inter Milan, Leeds United and Liverpool. boots.Heworkedwithdifferent bookoftheyear,partofthe He won the League Cup with Tottenham agegroupsuntilmovingupto BritishSportsBookAwards. and was athree-time winner of the MLS becomeassistantmanagerof theseniorsquad.Heservedas Cup with LA Galaxy. He scored 68 goals GRANTKALAHAR theclub’s caretakermanager LMA AMBASSADOR for the Republic of Ireland over an 18-year foronePremierLeaguematch GrantKalaharhasagreatdeal international career, making him the againstWestHamin2011andhe ofexperience ineliteplayer wasappointedasPortsmouth all-time record Irish scorer. He won 146 developmentandinsupporting managershortly afterwards. coachdevelopment.Hehasworked caps for his country, which is also an Irish Hesubsequently enjoyedspells asacademymanagerandheadof record. He has been assistant coach of asmanagerofBlackpooland coachingforNewportCountyand the Republic of Ireland since November BlackburnRoversbefore leading asanacademycoachforBristol Oxford Unitedtopromotion Rovers,CardiffCityandSwansea 2018, arole he has combined with his toLeagueOneinhissecond City. Since 2016hehasbeena Middlesbrough duties since June 2019. seasonincharge.Healsotook lecturerinfootballcoachingat UnitedtothefinaloftheEFL theUniversityofSouthWales. 3 MARCH 2020 www.elitesoccercoaching.net INPARTNERSHIPWITH MIDDLESBROUGH chance to work in pairs and What do Iget the KEY rehearse their movement to players to do? Ball Jonathan Woodgate movement & Robbie Keane receive the ball, and it also Crossing &finishing Player helps them perfect the art of movement We set up in the final third with Dribble Crossing making an angle when they a goal and goalkeeper. Seven Optional &finishing approach the ball and finish mannequins are positioned movement with the inside of the foot. as shown. To begin with, we’re SET-UP From apsychological point of using eight outfield players, AREA split into four blue crossers Final third view, it helps