FIFA U20 2007 World Cup Presentation - Coaching Seminar

[johnydep]

IMO great presentation and fantastic information, loved the videos

Please give us more FFSA

FIFA U-20 World Cup Technical Observations

Presented by FFA National Coach Education Manager, Kelly Cross
Kelly has put together two presentations based on his observations at the recent FIFA U-20 World Cup in Canada where he was a member of the FIFA Technical Study Group.

Topics covered:

• Comparison of defending styles
  Detailed analysis of champions Argentina

Who should attend?
The session is open to all but the tactical content is of special interest to those involved in senior and elite youth coaching.

EDIT: highlights - FULL ON FOOTBALL video http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=QyP0Ku8R-18

[johnydep]

PDF files from CD given out at the course -

Argentina U-20 World Champions

Comparison of Defending Styles

[Squizzy]

Great work Johny. Thanks

[James]

Has anyone considered applying the argentinian tactics?

I think it would be easy to coach the defensive side of things as a concept, but risky during actual game play.
It would be a fantastic experiment for a youth coach to tackle for a year.

[johnydep]

Has anyone considered applying the argentinian tactics?

I think it would be easy to coach the defensive side of things as a concept, but risky during actual game play.
It would be a fantastic experiment for a youth coach to tackle for a year.

I have with my U12 team.

Your correct; it's relatively easy to explain and teach during training, but very risky during a game. It has been a costly experiment, however I do think it worthwhile for thier playing development (soccer brain).

I'm still persisting with it, the boys understand the concept and even if they can't implement it yet, it will be with them for a long time.

[James]

Have you worked on coming out from defence? if so where do you want the screener to go?

Does he push up next to the play maker or does he go wide allowing the centre half to to push on up the wing?

[johnydep]

Have you worked on coming out from defence? if so where do you want the screener to go?

Does he push up next to the play maker or does he go wide allowing the centre half to to push on up the wing?

I've always worked with a system of attacking defenders (I always drill the team - "when we have possession, how many attackers?" Everyone! "When we lose possession, how many defenders?" Everyone!)

So I encourage them to bring it up and if the situation arises, attack and score.

The Argentinian system ties in well with this, because they all need to learn and understand the theory of covering a team mates position.

I use it like any other formation, it depends on who is available on the day and fitness.
Usually 3 at the back and the Screen in front of them, his role is similar to what the seminar pointed out.
He pushes up next to the play maker, but most of the time he is covering a position on the wing because we may have recovered possession from there and that side is pushing up.
With the play maker we have used him in different formations; behind the midfield, inbetween defensive midfield with attacking mids in front, etc.

The concentration levels required for this is high; at best they can maintain it for 80% of the game, at worst 10 minutes.

When it all works it is amazing to watch, the whole team attacks in a sort of wave formation - wave after wave (getting the ball in the net is another story:-(
If something happens to disrupt them or they lose concentration it can get quite messy and frustrating.

A great benefit is that the boys understanding is very high. A negative is if you need to borrow players (as I have through injury) it's not a pretty sight.

If your chasing a top spot on the ladder, I wouldn't use this. Only because at this age it is learning tool, not a winning tool. And it's better to start it at pre-season.

[johnydep]

Some video highlights of the seminar from FULL ON FOOTBALL - http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=QyP0Ku8R-18 starts at 2.30 minutes

[johnydep]

Nothing in this world is perfect, that includes E & D and the FFSA. Most of my feedback comes from (and given) in regards to the FFSA because of my involvement with Federation clubs over the past 5 years.

I beleive that most people here want the best for the children, so lets not destroy that by bickering and picking the worst bits out of both systems.

Lets point out some positives and give each other information that may improve youth development.

Below is an interview that some may find interesting; click on the link (originally posted in the Coaching Football section -

John Mundy (Development & Coaching Manager) is interviewed by Nat Adamopoulos of FULL ON FOOTBALL - http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=QyP0Ku8R-18
Includes highlights from the FIFA U20 2007 World Cup Presentation - Coaching Seminar

[johnydep]

Interview with Michael Carter CEO Football Federation of South Australia (16th May 2008) http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=DyT38cNuBlE
Starts at 3.00 minute mark

Continues http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=zanzblnjcos&NR=1

[johnydep]

“The art of disciplined play”

The World Youth Championship is, after the World Cup, the second largest tournament organized by the FIFA. Since 1977 it has played host to the worlds biggest talents, who compete every 2 years for the title of the world’s best U20 team. This tournament is, with 24 teams, even bigger than the European championship. After 3 weeks of great competition the two best teams, namely Argentina and Nigeria, competed for the much sought after title on July 2. In spite of the Nigerian dominance on the field, Argentina walked away with the cup. The same scenario took place against Colombia, Spain and Brazil in earlier games. What makes the Argentinean youth players so ripe that they were able to win four of the last six U20 tournaments?

Manuel Pellegrini has already explained the difference between the European way of playing as opposed to the Argentinean way of playing in an earlier article in this issue. However, at the 2005 World Youth Championship it became apparent that the differences between the individual South American teams are equally as big. This does not even relate to the way of playing, but rather the attitude with which they walk onto the field. The Argentineans play patiently, intelligently and are deadly when it counts. For the true soccer lover the Argentinean style may be hard to like. For the most part their game play consists of waiting, defensive play and it is deadly boring. But suddenly there is that moment of refined technique and explosiveness, which may lead to the creation of a chance. The spectators did not appreciate it, but for the more resultoriented coaches there is however much that can be learned from this team.

Meeting the team
After the departure of Hugo Tocalli, who joined Jose Pekerman as assistant coach for the Argentinean senior team, Francisco Ferraro was appointed as head coach for the U20 team. “I am happy with the way in which I was able to take over from Tocalli. I joined him and the players for the South American qualification tournament in Colombia, so that I could get used to the group processes and meet the players. I spent a lot of team with the players and was able to talk with all of them. You learn much more about the players when you are on the road with them, as opposed to following them through the media.”

Start
The start of the World Youth Championship was laborious for the Argentineans, losing their first game against the US. Critics blamed Ferraro for the loss as he kept star player Messi on the bench during the first half. “We didn't play well in the first half, and that's when the Americans earned their win. We got better in the second half, but even then we were below the level my team is capable of.” Ferraro, however kept his cool and it showed in his every move. The pressure should never subdue a coach, but should rather motivate him. “I definitely felt the pressure, because Argentina has won the tournament multiple times in recent years. However this inspired me to work harder and did not keep me awake at night. Part of playing soccer with an Argentinean team is the obligation to win, even at friendly games.”

Tournament team
Countries such as Argentina, Germany, Italy and Brazil are all capable of growing into a tournament and play better with every game. If you, as a coach, want the players to remain calm on the pitch, you will also have to remain calm on the sidelines. The difficult start Argentina faced at the beginning of the tournament can be explained by the preparation phase, as it was brief and many players just finished a long and heavy season playing in top level divisions. “In the ideal case, I would have had 40 days to work with the team in order to perfect the details, but in reality this turned out to be far from true. Much of today’s young stars play in the highest divisions and even play in the Copa Libertadores. It is difficult to call on them whenever you need them. I try to respect the wishes of the club coaches as much as possible and try to base our program on theirs. This did however mean that the groupthat qualified for the tournament is very different from the team, which played the actual tournament. Many players only became available right before the start of the tournament.”

Defense
Whenever there is little time to train it is important to have a solid defensive organization. Creating a defensive system can be done relatively quickly by means of tactical practices. The Argentineans played a 4-4-2 with a diamond in midfield. Defensively they played with four players in a zone. The most important player was Juan Manuel Torres, who played as a defensive midfielder. He was in charge of covering the channels to the opponents’ strikers and was able to intercept a lot of passes in midfield. This link between defense and offense tries to maintain the balance at all times (diagram 1). It does ask for a lot of tactical discipline, because a player will naturally be inclined to step out towards the player with the ball or an uncovered player. The fact is, however, that the important part is to cover the way to your own goal and the opponents defenders and midfielders who are playing the ball around offer very little threat.

Midfield
The Argentinean midfielders all played relatively central, which creates small spaces defensively. The outside midfielders are not deep players, but rather the ones who coordinate the play from the center. The spaces on the sides are occupied by two fast wingers. They frequently tried to retain possession on the sides and then dribble towards the opponents goal. Defensively they had very little function. Whenever they were positioned in a way to decrease the size of the field they did not have to chase the ball. A second option to exploit the sides was the use of the wingbacks. A method of playing, that is common in Argentinean soccer.

Zone
The controlling midfielder has to ensure that the central defender rarely has to step out of the center. When a back is out of position the team has to be able to play with 3 men in the zone. In this situation the field will be made smaller and the defenders and midfielder will shift inwards (diagram 2, photo 1). Against teams with 3 strikers this could create some problems, as the Argentineans will then be playing 1 against 1. In this situation the most important thing is shifting and leaving the far side free. The most important aim is to obstruct the way to goal.

Set plays
During all set plays everybody immediately seeks the right positions. When the opponent starts their build up the team must play disciplined and compact. None..... http://www.soccercoachinginternational. ... na_U20.pdf

[johnydep]

FULL ON FOOTBALL video - http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=QyP0Ku8R-18

Still relevant.

Reading info http://www.footballnews.com.au/forum/vi ... na#p449617