A mistake I made for years as a coach:

Trying to teach too many different things.

But every player can reach a high level with enough focus.

And focus comes from doing less. 👇 1/ I thought player development was like this:

1. Start with basics.
2. Build more complex things on top.

Like stacking blocks—lay the foundation, then build higher.

It sounds logical, right?

🧵 Why Our System is Key to Player Development

You might ask: “Isn’t youth football about developing players?”

It is. But the way we play as a team defines what each player does on the field.

So, our 'vision' is our player development framework: ⬇️ a) The team is the starting point.

There is no such thing as a “team” we can coach. We can only coach players.

So, yes, be obsessed with player development.

Ange Postecoglou has introduced a Vertical Possession style at Tottenham.

Here are a few things I learned: ⬇️ 1️⃣ PHILOSOPHY: RELENTLESS ATTACKING

Postecoglou believes that football should be entertaining:

“I like my teams to play football that all players want to play and all supporters want to watch.”

“It sounds easy but we know that when you're beholden to the result and trying to win games you can easily get lost in that world of chasing wins and results and adjusting your process.”

"We start off as seven, eight or nine-year-olds playing the street with the ball at our feet and we loved scoring goals.

We loved to tackle, we loved the action. We weren't worried about tactics or results then, we just wanted to play the game and I've tried to come up with a system that replicates that but also knowing that ultimately I'm going to be judged by winning games of football and I love winning, so I've tried to marry both and so far it's worked well.”

When I began coaching, others warned me that tactics would kill a player’s creativity.

In my view, nothing could be further from the truth.

When used correctly, tactics unlock creativity: ⬇️ Football is chaos.

22 players are constantly interacting, creating new situations.

Tactics simplify the game.

But how can we develop a collective playing team, without limiting the players development? ⬇️

"We used to think before then that if the other players are better, you have to lose. After that we learned anything is possible – you can beat better teams by using tactics." - Jürgen Klopp

If our team follows a common plan, we have a better chance of winning.

To achieve this, we need to simplify and minimize our principles ⬇️

The fewer principles you have...

… the faster you can teach your vision of football. And the faster you can teach something, the deeper you can delve into it (= better football).

... the fewer principles your players have to remember. They are less likely to forget something. Your system is more stable in difficult situations.

...the more likely it is that everyone moves as one.
"What is my idea of a team? One where, in a certain moment, faced with a certain situation, all of the players think in the same way. This is my idea of a team” (Jose Mourinho).
The fewer principles, the more likely it is that everyone will have the same thoughts in a certain situation. → Collective Football.

Two examples:⬇️ Example 1 - Roberto De Zerbi:

De Zerbi doesn't have many different rules:

“I have three main principles. It’s important that they are few, because otherwise, I would name principles until tomorrow.“

The rest is a matter of detailed execution. The right position, the quality of the pass and timing. Kevin-Prince Boateng told:

“[De Zerbi] said, ‘We can laugh before and afterwards, but during training there is no laughing.’ Concentrate on the control of the ball, on the passing, on the pace, on the positioning.’ I’m telling you, if your position is 15 cm off, he's going to stop you".

Danny Welbeck confirms: “He's got an eye for fine detail, with every single pass and movement."

How I design exercises:

Principle of Simplification ⬇️ a) One Message

Choose ONE main message that you want to transfer. The more things you throw at your players, the less likely your main message will stick.

I prefer to focus relentlessly on one thing. Then move on to the next.

The importance of game-based training is widely recognized.

But football training is more than just 'letting them play'.

With constraints, we can systematically develop creative and technical players & build a team at the same time.

Here's what I learned: ⬇️ (long thread) Constraints-Led Approach vs. Let them Play.

The environment around us shapes our behavior.
Futsal, for example, forces players to think faster and play more accurately because space is limited. Johan Cruyff described the effects of street football:

”Everything for me started in the street. […] It was here I learned to think about how to turn a disadvantage into an advantage. You see that the kerb isn’t actually an obstacle, but that you can turn it into a teammate for a one–two. So thanks to the kerb I was able to work on my technique. When the ball bounces off different surfaces at odd angles, you have to adjust in an instant. Throughout my career people would often be surprised I shot or passed from an angle that they weren’t expected. But that’s because how I grew up.

The same thing is true for balancing. When you fall on the concrete, it hurts, and of course, you don’t want to get hurt. So when playing football, you’re also busy trying not to fall. It was learning to play like this, when you had to react to the situation all the time, that taught me my skills as a footballer.

That’s why I am great advocate of making young people play football without studs. They miss the hours I had in the street, the hours practicing how not to fall. Give them flat soles and help them keep their balance better.”

But the 'just let them play' approach, such as street football, has its limitations:

a) Unreliable results: Players may learn certain skills while missing out on others.

b) Survival of the fittest: Street Football follows the motto: Either you adapt (”survive”), or you drop out/get injured (”die”). Some players "survive" - some players drop out even though they had the potential to become great players.

For example, if you're small, you won't get the ball, or you won't play at all. You might get frustrated and drop out - even though you had a lot of potential. Yes, some players "survive" and are very successful - but these successes are misleading. They are the exception, not the rule. We don't see all the high potential players who didn't 'survive' street football.

With the constraints-led approach, we can produce these players more systematically. But how does it work?

Humans (players) adapt to their environment. By changing the constraints around them, we can systematically improve players. We use the players' self-organization processes – they naturally strive to behave in the best way possible within a given system, just as they would in a survival scenario. We want to survive. And if we war are not good enough, we have to adapt.
Street Football may overload the players too much, and they drop out or get injured. Coaches can systematically adapt the constraints to the level of the players, giving everyone enough time to adapt.

Remember: We constantly change the constraints around our players. They adapt to it. Then we remove the constraints, and the 'normal' game suddenly feels easy.

“The training should be so complex and demanding that the competitive game feels almost easy for the players at the end. This gives you more room for creativity and game intelligence.

That's why training games can often be exaggerated to test the limits. Especially if you want to play a very intense game.”

- Roger Schmidt.

Constraints allow us to systematize the effects of street football: ⬇️

Jürgen Klopp transformed Liverpool into one of the best pressing teams in the world.

The goal is to be “the most difficult team to play against”.

Here’s what I learned:

4 Principles about preparing pressing.⬇️ The 30%-Rule.

Before we look at how they defend - why do they specialize in the pressing phase at all? Top teams tend to have more possession, so they usually focus more on the attacking phase.

Klopp believes that in order to attack well, you have to be very strong in the 30% of the game when you don't have the ball. This also gives them an advantage over other top teams, who are usually not as strong off the ball.

Pep Lijnders:

“…the main ingredient is the defensive aggression off the ball, because the better you are in 30 per cent you don’t have the ball, the more freedom and conviction it will give you to play attacking football.

We believe it’s that the 30 per cent that makes us different to many other teams, with our intensity and togetherness in these moments.”

So, what are the principles for preparing pressing?⬇️

How I teach De Zerbi Principles in the 4v4+3N Positional Game.

5 Coaching-Points: ⬇️

Divide the field into three zones (2x end zones, 1x middle zone).

The goal is to move the ball from the end zone to the other (= 1 point).

Possible situation in the game:

It's about the principles, not the exact formation.

But the more specific (=closer to the game), the easier it is for the players to learn the principles.

Continue ⬇️
1️⃣ Provoke Pressure.

Dribble forward.

Wait. Put the sole of your foot on the ball.

Observe the opponent's movements.

If they press → Outplay it.

If they don’t press → Pass to the free player to move the opponents. (We have numerical superiority. There is always a free player).

Example: Slowly move forward. Use the sole of your foot for good ball control and keep your head up.

In a recent interview, Roberto De Zerbi talked about outplaying pressing.

He discussed the maxim: End where the pressing starts.

More details below ⬇️ The idea: The open space is where the pressure starts. Play in that direction.

Example:

a) The opponents start their pressing from the blue central midfielder (6.).

The free player is where the pressing begins.

He is our "goal":

b) “End where the pressing started”:

Examples:

De Zerbi's first principle is to control the game.

In this thread, I will discuss the sub-principle ‘Attract Pressure’.

Let's look at it in more detail: ⬇️

Sub-principle ‘Attract Pressure’:

To control the game, we need to control the middle.
To play through the middle, we need space.

Most teams circulate the ball to find gaps.

De Zerbi's teams take a different approach: They wait.

Waiting provokes pressing.

Pressing creates space.

Then they outplay the pressing to exploit the space.

Example: I've discussed it in more detail here:

https://twitter.com/BeneSB_/status/1738563455815160109

De Zerbi's style of play consists of many short passes.

To make these combinations possible, he uses the principle of ‘Minimum Width’.

How does he apply it in detail? ⬇️ I suggest you start here if you missed part 1:

https://twitter.com/BeneSB_/status/1743619376543072444

My coaches taught me to make the pitch as big as possible.

"After the game," they said, "your shoes have to be white from the sideline.”

Nowadays, more and more coaches use the principle of 'Minimum Width'.

When we talk about this principle, we have to talk about Roberto De Zerbi.

In part three of this series about De Zerbi, I will discuss how he applies this principle.

Position Principle: As wide as necessary 🔽

Traditional principle: make the pitch as big as possible.

“If you have the ball you must make the field as big as possible, and if you don’t have the ball you must make it as small as possible.” 
(Johan Cruyff)

With more width, you stretch the defense and the attackers have more space.

What are advantages of positioning as wide as necessary?

1⃣Better passing connections.

2⃣Short passes → Easier to do → More precise → Faster football

3⃣Positions are closer to the goal.
→ More pressure on the opponent’s defense.

The further away from the goal, the less "danger" for the defenders.
→ Less defensive intensity required.

4⃣Better Positions against counterattacks.

Example 1:

a) The fullback is as wide as necessary, not as wide as possible.

b) Good connections:

🔹Connection to the middle.
🔹The pass to the outside is diagonal. → The winger receives the ball in an attacking position.

c) But what if this player were as wide as possible (red area)?

d) The further outside, the worse the connections to the center.

Continue⬇️


e) From the wide position, it would be a vertical pass to the winger.

→ The winger receives the ball with his back to the goal (bad body profile).

Comment: There are solutions for this problem.

Arteta-Solution:
The winger runs to the middle → Diagonal pass → Winger receives the ball in the attacking position:

f) The further outside you are, the less "dangerous" your position. This means less pressure on your opponent.

The more central and the closer to the goal, the more we can force the opponent to move
→ Movements create spaces.

g) Short Passes & Counter-Pressing:
Players are close to each other. Close distances between players enable:

a) Short and therefore more precise passes. And the opponents have less time to react to short passes.

b) Fast counter-pressing if they lose the ball.

Continue⬇️

What I learned from Roberto De Zerbi:

Three ways to create Numerical Superiority 🔽
(Part 2)

“The last principle is knowing how to recognize where there is numerical superiority. Reading different game situations.”

We can build-up the game systematically with numerical superiority.

Three ways De Zerbi creates it:

1⃣ Use the goalkeeper.

During the build-up, you have automatically a 11v10 situation.

De Zerbi doesn’t want to overuse the goalkeeper.

But it can be useful to outplay the first line of pressure, or to reorganize.

Example 1:

a) Create a 3v2 Situation with the goalkeeper against the strikers.

b) Re-organize: Don’t let the opponent dictate the game. If you don’t have have a good option to pass forward, then turn and pass back to the goalkeeper:

c) Turn around and pass back to the goalkeeper to reorganize the attack:

Example 2:

a) 3v2 Situation with the goalkeeper.

b) Goalkeeper waits for the opponent to press.

c) Numerical Superiority in the penalty area (3v2). Outplay the pressing by passing to the free player.

d) Now we have 4v3 numerical superiority on the ball side.

“Roberto [De Zerbi] is one of the most influential managers of the last 20 years.” (Guardiola)

Here is what I learned from De Zerbi.

Part 1: Control the ball with the sole of your foot. 🔽 “Controlling the ball well with your foot will allow you to have the ball in front of you when your opponent comes to press you.

If you receive the ball leaning to one side, you exclude yourself from a play. If you have it to the left, you could not play to the right. If you receive the ball with the sole and from the front, you can play to the side you want. There, you have total control of the ball.”
(De Zerbi)

Advantages:

1⃣The ball is in the middle in front of the player → We can play in any direction

2⃣We can play with our heads up and scan the environment. We know where the ball is when our foot is on the ball. We can “feel the ball”.

3⃣We control the ball more closely and react more quickly to opponents' actions.

4⃣We can observe what the opponent is doing before deciding on a direction.

Example: By controlling the ball with the sole of the foot, you can have your can scan the environment and adjust your position.

Maurizio Sarri is one of the most interesting coaches.

He changed the way I think about football forever.

"He sees things others don't see.

He makes you understand how football is" (Koulibaly)

Here's what I learned from him:

Part 3: Verticality ⬇️
Sarri's football is like an "orchestra".

Everything is perfectly coordinated.

To achieve this collective behavior,
you need simple principles that the players can rely on.

Maurizio Sarri is one of the most interesting coaches.

"He sees things others don't see.

He makes you understand how football is" (Koulibaly)

In a small series of articles,
I'll talk about what I learned from him.

Part 2: Vertical Structure ⬇️
Sarriball consists of many short and vertical passes.

To play vertically, you first need a vertical structure.

We will talk about this in part 2.

“I’ve never played in my career against a team that has such high intensity.”

Guardiola said this about Roger Schmidt after losing 3-0 in a friendly against Salzburg.

How can we apply his ball-oriented pressing to our team as quickly as possible?

PART 2: Training Concept
I case you missed PART 1:

https://x.com/BeneSB_/status/1722616094366843147?s=20

“I’ve never played in my career against a team that has such high intensity.”

Guardiola said this about Roger Schmidt after losing 3-0 in a friendly against Salzburg.

How can we apply his ball-oriented pressing to our team as quickly as possible?

Mini Course:⬇️ Content:

1️⃣Principles of ball-oriented Pressing (PART 1)

2️⃣Training Concept of Roger Schmidt

3️⃣Practice

Systematic Street Football:

Improve players with the Constraints-Led Approach⬇️ What is the constraints-led approach?

It's a way to train players.

We let them play,

but guide the development with specific rules.

The key to improve your system⬇️ Each coach has a different philosophy.

But what is the one thing every coach needs to optimize for?

What question do we need to ask ourself to improve our system?