Carlos Sanchez is the Perfect Piece for Paul Lambert’s Aston Villa Jigsaw
Carlos Sanchez is set to be unveiled as Aston Villa's fifth summer signing on Friday after protracted negotiations with Elche, with the fee understood to be worth in the region of €4 million. fifa.com Difficulties arose throughout the week due to third party...
Heading Footballs ‘Not Safe for Children’ Says Brain Expert
A top neuroscientist has warned that heading footballs is dangerous to children as it may cause brain injuries. Dr Grey, a motor Neuroscientist at the University of Birmingham’s School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences has said: “Children should not be...
World Cup 2014 Sees Possession Give Way to Transition-Based Football
Within minutes of the final whistle sounding Spain's victory at Euro 2008, achieved via a ruthless brand of possession football laced with purposeful attacks, managers and coaches began scrabbling for the chalkboard. Football is cyclical; a copy-cat sport. In the same...
Men’s National Team Session #3
For these three training drills there needs to be a good supply of footballs to keep up the tempo of the sessions. You can use our Nike training footballs for this. Drill 1. Structure: -Set up suitable for numbers and ability. Rules: -Whites and blues having a...
5 Defenders Louis van Gaal’s Manchester United Simply Must Consider
Manchester United are pressing ahead with the 3-4-1-2 formation for the coming season, but Louis van Gaal still has an awful lot to do before he can make this "lopsided" team into a Premier League contender. The systematic change allows him to play three or four...
Men’s National Team Session #2
Turks and Caicos recently climbed 26 places in the FIFA rankings, the training drills below helped them do it. You could use Samba football goals for these drills. Not only are they practical but they also come in a variety of sizes. This is why they tend to be the...
Labour Proposes Tax to Lift Grassroots Football
This week the Labour Party will announce plans to put levies on the Premier League and sports gambling firms in order to provide a boost to grassroots football. Some reports suggest that as much as £275m could be raised and used to improve facilities across the UK....
Men’s National Team Session #1
This is the first of three men's training sessions that that were conducted for the Turks and Caicos islands in preparation for the Caribbean Cup. A good supply of footballs is needed for these drills. Drill 1. Structure: -Set up suitable for numbers and ability....
Charity Series: Football Beyond Borders
Football Beyond Borders is a not-for-profit organisation that uses football to overcome social, cultural, racial and political boundaries, with the ultimate aim of improving the lives of people in some of the UK and the world’s most deprived regions. It was started in...
Atletico Madrid Need a Fresh Project to Excite in Wake of Mass Departures
The moment Atletico Madrid's players dropped to their knees in exhausted defeat in Lisbon, beaten by close rivals Real Madrid to the UEFA Champions League trophy, the true nightmare began. Photo: AFP Asset-stripping in football can vicious, relentless and soulless; a...
Men’s U20’s National Team Session
This is the one of the football training drills for the men's U20's Turks and Caicos national team. Drill 1. Structure: -Set up the area as above keeping the distances roughly 8-10 yards. Rules: -If the ball is in front of the player they press. -The player receiving...
Women’s National Team Session #3
This is the 3rd training session for the Turks and Caicos women's national team. Drill 1. Structure: -Square was 30 by 50 yards. Rules: -Blues travel with the ball trying to score in the opposite goal. -The white defenders obviously defend the goal. -If the blues...
The Dangers of Buying at a FIFA World Cup
Remember Pablo Barrera? You may not, but West Ham United fans certainly do. (August 6, 2010 - Source: Richard Heathcote/Getty Images Europe) He was their shiny new £4 million acquisition in the summer of 2010, fresh off the back of an impressive stint at the FIFA...
What are the Effects of Age Bias Within English Grassroots Football?
Following England’s premature exit from the World Cup, many have called into question the standard of English football compared to that of Continental Europe and South America. One of the most popular emerging claims is that the European and Latin penchant for close...
Women’s National Team Session #2
Drill 1. Structure: -Square was 30 by 50 yards. Rules: -This was a good old fashioned game of bulldog like the school playground. -All players (white) at end with two taggers in the middle (blues). -Whites must make it from one end to the other. -Blues have to try...
Why Winning Alone isn’t Enough for Lionel Messi’s World Cup Adventure
Heading into the World Cup is always a time of excitement and anticipation, but it’s also one which sees certain players come under extra scrutiny. Invariably, this applies to some of the world’s finest players; guys who at domestic level are demigods, at continental...
The Challenges Facing Grassroots Football
In the last year over 100,000 people have walked away from grassroots football. The England squad in Rio de Janeiro at the moment may be seeing the emergence of talented youth players such as Sterling, Lallana and Barkley – but can this develop into a continuous trend...
Turks and Caicos: Women’s National Team Session #1
Last month Louis headed off to the Turks and Caicos Islands to train the national football teams (men's and women's). For the next few weeks we will bring you the training sessions which saw an upturn in form for Turks and Caicos resulting in a win over the British...
Winners and Losers from Week One of World Cup 2014
The 2014 FIFA World Cup has been nothing short of extraordinary so far, with a number of big results, top individual performances and crazy matches delighting the watching public. After the first round of matches - and a sneaky early second for Brazil and Mexico in...
2014 FIFA World Cup: Zone by Zone Preview
The 2014 FIFA World Cup is upon us and 32 nations are ready to play their part, with ambitions of victory, progression past the groups or outright glory making up the emotion and anticipation surrounding the tournament. Gettty Images Every country’s team, complete...
Pressing Games
Game 1. Structure: -Set up the area as above suiting the needs of your players and numbers available. Rules: -Players can go wherever they like on the pitch just like the game. -Every time the ball goes out of play the game restarts from the keeper who is to play in....
USA Team analysis: Defence
When Jurgen Klinsmann abruptly announced his 23-man squad for Brazil, he left off a name that should have shocked many, but led to little fanfare. The decision to drop the MLS talent could come back to haunt a squad that is bereft of a solid, first-choice starter at...
Games Using Different Shapes
Drill 1. Structure: -Set up the area as above suiting the needs of your players and numbers available. It can be done with 3v3, 4v4 etc. Rules: -Players stay in the half they are in. -The white defenders try to get the ball to the whites attackers. -The white...
World Cup 2014: Under-the-radar Prospects Primed to Shine in Brazil
The 2014 FIFA World Cup edges ever closer, and with every day that goes by, 32 teams are stepping up their preparations for the world's biggest sporting event. But lost among all the glitz, the glamour, the Neymars and the Cristiano Ronaldos are the large majority of...
Liverpool Transfers: 5 Left-Backs for Brendan Rodgers to Consider
Aly Cissokho and Jose Enrique are not Champions League standard left-backs, and now Liverpool have qualified for the competition after several agonising years without, Brendan Rodgers can afford to set his sights a little higher in the transfer market. This summer...
More Position Specific Weekly Challenges
This week Louis Lancaster looks into position specific weekly challenges. These drills are designed for FW's, CM's, CB's, and FB's. These training sessions will help each player to develop in his respective role. The training equipment used in these sessions includes...
4 key factors in Liverpool’s Title Collapse
As Vincent Kompany lifted the English Premier League trophy, draped in light-blue-and-white ribbons to signify the Citizens' success, Steven Gerrard was busy applauding the Anfield fans in a subdued, beaten manner. Despite winning 3-1 against Newcastle United on the...
Scouting Profile: Chelsea’s Ruben Loftus-Cheek
We need to talk about Chelsea youth prospect Ruben Loftus-Cheek. There are many in the Chelsea academy worth noting—reported £20,000-per-week Andreas Christensen and 16-year-old Danny Desilva chief among them—but no player moved more fluidly and more assuredly in the...
Oldies But Goodies
Drill 1. Structure: -Set up the area as above suiting the needs of your players and numbers available. Rules: -3 teams and can work with many different numbers. -Whites at one end and blues at the other. -Yellows in the middle. -The whites and blues have to make 6...
Sterling, Rodriguez & More: 5 Surprise Stars of the 2013-14 Premier League Season
We knew Aaron Ramsey, Eden Hazard and Luis Suarez would come in and perform this season, having had the summer to improve and hone their craft. We also knew Fernandinho and Nemanja Matic were world-class players, capable of settling instantly and excelling in English...