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David Garcia

@IJaSport

Dec 31, 2018 • 16 tweets • 9 min read • Read on X

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As we put a close to 2018, I'd like to re-share all of the articles from this year.

I am very proud of them all and they all have helped me to learn a little bit more about this sport and everything it entails.

Cheers to 2018 and bring on 2019 🥂

IJAS's 2018 Thread Here! 👇

Guardiola's Class

🗣 "Since that 2007 coaching clinic, Pep Guardiola has singlehandedly changed how football is played. Luckily for us, someone filmed this once in a lifetime clinic and the following findings are those ideas preached on that cloudy day."
itsjustasport.com/home/2018/11/5…

Child Psychology 101 for Every Youth Coach

🗣 "I know what you might be thinking, ‘I’m just a football coach. I don’t have the time or energy to study psychology in my free time.' Well, this article is for you." ...

itsjustasport.com/home/2018/4/25…

Intentionality in Sport: LA Galaxy case study

🗣 "If you are constantly questioning the intentions of your actions and words, you begin to have a greater understanding of yourself and why you do things." ...

itsjustasport.com/home/2018/6/12…

The Edge of Chaos

🗣 "At this point, I had to stop Mark and jot down this insightful quote. 'We train at the edge of chaos.' Poetic, simple, and wise." ...

itsjustasport.com/home/2018/1/14…

The Language of Football

🗣 "The footballer is immersed in a chaotic situation full of visual and auditory cues which he or she must decipher and begin to recognize patterns to gradually become fluent in the language of football." ...

itsjustasport.com/home/2018/2/25…

Lillo on Intentionality

🗣 "Juan Manuel Lillo points out the rules clearly stipulate the objective of the game and all tactics must be based around said objectives." ...

itsjustasport.com/home/2018/6/5/…

Guardiola on Play

🗣 "My question is at what point in our need to control every aspect of the sport and how we teach young people to play it did we take the ball away?" ...

itsjustasport.com/home/2018/6/25…

Move the Opponent, Not the Ball

🗣 "If you were to ask any player in the world what the most important thing in football is, they would all say the ball. So what better bait than the one thing every player wants. " ...

itsjustasport.com/home/2018/8/13…

Football Fluidity

🗣 "We see football in the most fluid form possible, completely void of rigidness and lacking creativity." ...

itsjustasport.com/home/2018/6/11…

The Principle Behind Lukaku's Run

🗣 "What if I told you it’s not the ball that pulls defenders out of position and creates space, but instead the possibility of the ball, the possibility of danger?" ...

itsjustasport.com/home/2018/7/4/…

An Interpretation of Football

🗣 "The ball is a mesmerizing thing. Without that lovely, spheric object there wouldn’t be any beauty in the sport. The ball is everything." ...

itsjustasport.com/home/2018/7/10…

El Clasico: Tactical Teachings

🗣 "If you're a fan of football, you enjoyed the match." - Zinedine Zidane ...

itsjustasport.com/home/2018/5/8/…

Sergio Ramos: The Duck or the Rabbit?

🗣 "Have you ever seen that optical illusion what looks like a rabbit to some and a duck to others? Sergio Ramos causes a similar reaction in people." ...

itsjustasport.com/home/2018/5/27…

Counterattacking: The Result of Indivisible Football

🗣 "One of the most important concepts of positional play is the idea that football is composed of fluid, continuous actions which cannot be separated." ...

itsjustasport.com/home/2018/6/19…

Andres Iniesta's Farewell

🗣 "Has there ever been a football player more loved by everyone than Andres Iniesta?" ...

itsjustasport.com/home/2018/4/30…

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More from @IJaSport

David Garcia

@IJaSport

Jul 4

FREE COACH DEVELOPMENT

LIVE WEBINAR with Andreas Schumacher

We’re going to break down small sided situations using real match footage from one of my teams, moments where we didn’t get it right.

Like the one below 👇 🧵

Just a final heads up, this Sunday, July 6, I’m running a live webinar with Andreas Schumacher.

Over 200 coaches have already signed up.

We’re going to break down small sided situations using real match footage from my teams, moments where we didn’t get it right.

Then we’ll build a training activity live, right there in the session, that’s designed to help players make better decisions in those exact scenarios.

Andreas has spent years helping coaches and players improve attacking efficiency in small spaces.

Read 6 tweets

David Garcia

@IJaSport

Jul 1

THIS ONE IDEA CHANGED HOW I SEE 2v2s

Thread on one of the first things I noticed when I was coaching in Spain 🧵🇪🇸👇

When I first started coaching in Spain, one of the things that stood out to me was how often I heard the word “pair.”

Every coach used it. Even with young players.

It didn’t matter what level or what the exercise was, players were always being asked: “Who’s your pair?”

At first, it just sounded like another word for marking. But the more I listened, the more I saw how important it actually was.

They were teaching players to constantly identify their direct opponent, not just out of habit, but as a way of seeing the game.

Read 13 tweets

David Garcia

@IJaSport

Jun 21

European football taught us to worship space.

Find the deepest man. Break the line. Stretch the field, but maybe that’s not all football is.

Brazilian football is reminding us: football is about us.

Associative football lives 🧵👇

Five passes. Two players. Never more than 7 yards apart.

They beat four Chelsea defenders, without needing space, switches, or stars.
Just rhythm, feel, and trust in the next action.

Flamengo’s third goal is pure street football.
📽️👇

At 18 seconds, four Flamengo players are packed within 7 yards of each other, right on the sideline.

They don’t stretch Chelsea. They collapse the space, then burst through it.
One touch. Third man. Behind the line. Shot created.
📽️👇

Read 17 tweets

David Garcia

@IJaSport

Jun 19

A mini case study on Manchester City.

City beat Wydad Casablanca but the game revealed a deeper pattern.

One that speaks to how they create, where they struggle, and why provoking matters.

🧵Let’s break it down.

City isolate wide players but don’t support them.

Savio and Doku were City’s most dangerous players... when they had space and when they dribbled.

Here Savio beats his man and creates the first goal.

And here, another direct 1v1 leads to a big chance.

Read 15 tweets

David Garcia

@IJaSport

Jun 18

Day 4 of the Club World Cup.
Each day, I’m sharing what stood out through the lens of a coach.

Today: Fluminense vs. Borussia Dortmund
A thread on 3-box-3 overloads, wide groupings, individual escape, and possession patience 🧵

Fluminense recover from their high press (very effective)
They connect on the left, recycle to the backline, then re-enter the middle
A midfield run breaks the line, nearly a great chance

This is what their identity looks like: pause, reset, then exploit

I loved watching Arias and Canobbio. Here Arias in tight space. Sideline. Back to goal.

Most teams go backward here. Arias doesn’t. He waits, feints, and weaves his way out, carrying the ball centrally.
Doesn’t just escape, he progresses.

Read 7 tweets

David Garcia

@IJaSport

Jun 17

Day 3 of the Club World Cup.
Each day, I’m sharing what caught my eye through the lens of a coach.

Today: Boca Juniors vs. Benfica
A thread on chaos, structure, and two styles that crashed hard 🧵

I’ve been so excited for this tournament, not just because it’s global, but because it’s real football.

Not international teams thrown together for 3 weeks.

But clubs with trained habits, layered styles, and identities worth watching.

It starts with a deep ball into the right wing. It doesn’t connect. But that’s the point.

Because the second they lose it, Boca explodes into a full counter-press.
•Tackles.
•Hunting.
•No breathing room.

This is energy by design. I LOVE IT!