Looking beyond structure & formations. Zooming in on the player. Individual Development and First-Team Coach ⚽️
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Joined October 2025
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Three different ways of beating the defender, three different shifts onto the left foot… but the same outcome: a near-side rocket over the keeper’s shoulder.
Kvaratskhelia, Rashford, Nico Williams — all hit the crossbar-and-in. Coaching detail below👇
Something so "Argentinian" about letting the ball run through your legs for a teammate.
Relationships that can be reinforced & coached.
Almada × Messi 🤝
Trend in the FIFA Club World Cup🏆:
Reverse through passes into the centre-forward to unlock low blocks and create chances.
Mbappé, Musiala & Malen all creating chances/goals in similar ways.
Detail below 👇
Movement-Before-Pass .
3 examples to coach your players from the Arsenal-Atletico game
Pro-active football-where the movement of the player "off" the ball makes the mind up of the player "on" the ball to play the pass.
Detail Below👇
The FB stays tight to Saka - he can now move either inside (clip 1) to create centrally or in-behind (clip 2) to cross.
The double movement wins him the duel.
Watch Jack Grealish make a similar movement inside.
Clip 3- Calafiori’s lateral movement.
Arteta uses these movements alot👇
xitter.cf/IndivAnalyst/status/20…
Really interesting sequence. Ideally, Rosenior going to a back 5 should’ve allowed them to deal with this situation better.
Neto initially has Mitoma, but Gusto points and asks him to take Ferdi-then gets drawn by the runner himself.
Brighton do this very well in both clips — pin 3 defenders centrally with 2 forwards → space opens at the back post.
Mitoma’s late arrival is key - gives Neto a false sense of security.
Can you spot the difference 👀
Pascal Groß x Kaoru Mitoma
xitter.cf/TICAfootball/status/20…
Can you spot the difference 👀
Pascal Groß x Kaoru Mitoma
xitter.cf/TICAfootball/status/20…
Liverpool take the same risk. PSG create the same problem - almost resulting in a goal.
Players in deep full-back positions bait the jump press → 3v3 on the top line with lethal attacking profiles.
Pressing isn’t just about structure — it’s about who you press, and what space you’re willing to leave (and for which profiles).
Newcastle Pressing Hakimi and Mendes both positioned deep and comfortable finding the top line under pressure — then leaving Barcola, Kvaratskhelia and Dembélé attacking you 3v3.
Wow. That’s a big gamble
Interesting why a player like Saka doesn’t use the trivela more often.
What makes it even more impressive is that he does it without changing his body angle.
xitter.cf/doxilonn/status/204108…
Another back -to-front movement- Another Haaland goal.
A lesson for strikers in 'Preparing your space' to attack the ball with momentum
1️⃣ Attacking high crosses from the blind-side
Haaland’s back-to-front movement (the one that hit the bar) and Merino’s goal vs Brentford both show the same principle:
Get on the back of defenders — where you can see their shirt number — then attack the space in front with momentum.
Blind-side → front-side = massive advantage.
No one does it better than Lionel Messi.
Outside foot 1–2 to create goals for himself.
That detail of leaning forward before release to generate momentum
If self-assists were an official stat, he’d be right up there.
What I like here is how Hürzeler finds a solution to access the opposite CB without using the CM as a bounce option -which can be risky when they’re man-marked (as highlighted before).
The near CB moves just ahead of the presser → opens the passing lane to the far CB, who can step in.
xitter.cf/IndivAnalyst/status/20…
The front 4 press isn’t new - and the solutions don’t have to be complex.
5 from Helberg’s Boro vs Stoke:
– One CM drops, one behind the press
– CBs close → quicker circulation
– FBs narrow, offensive side → back-foot receive
– Play through to go wide
– CBs stepping in
Solutions come as much from players as coaches -tailored to profiles, opposition and game context.
So much wrong with Spurs for Forest’s second goal.
No structure. Players doing the same jobs.
And the recovery runs from Romero, Gray and Tel are shocking -not getting back into the box to defend space or attackers.
