Peter Motzenbecker ❘ Coach and Analyst

‘Playing football is very simple, but playing simple football is the hardest thing there is.’ – Johan Cruyff I see this quote from Cruyff quite often. It always seems to be used to support an opinion about how players should be trained or about how the game should be played. A few of the general sentiments that have stood out over the years: coaches arguing against players being taught to dribble during their younger ages because that makes the game more difficult from a team perspective, plus dribbling is sloppy and therefore too complex, wanting and coaching young players to […]

It was in 1967 that Allen Wade, then technical director of the English FA, released the FA Guide to Coaching and Training which outlined the principles of attacking and defending in football. As part of a coach’s education webinar I ran with a colleague, we discussed whether the principles that Wade outlined in that publication were still relevant to the game today. Everyone can agree that the game has evolved since 1967, but it can also be agreed that Wade’s principles are still very much relevant to the game, no matter the level or the style of play. Attacking Principles […]