Football Twitter(X) is full of trends.
New pressing trap. New rotation. New drill. New shape.

But here’s the truth:
If you’re always chasing hacks, you’ll never build mastery.

🧵 Stop Chasing Trends—Start Coaching Fundamentals 2.
New is exciting.
Trendy looks smart.

But the game is still the game.

99% of what you need to coach hasn’t changed in decades.

Players still need to:
– Scan
– Combine
– Defend
– React
– Compete

“Should we play 4-4-2 or 3-5-2?”

Wrong question.

Formations are just starting points—shapes on a whiteboard.
What actually matters?
The principles and behaviours inside the structure.

🧵 Stop Taking Formations So Literally 2.
I’ve coached 4-4-2, 4-3-3, 3-5-2, 4-2-3-1, 4-4-1-1…
I’ve succeeded and failed with all of them.

Because formation isn’t what decides the game.
Behaviour does.

Pattern play looks amazing.

Third man runs. One-touch combinations. Timed overlaps.
It’s clean. It’s effective. It’s fun to coach.

But here’s the problem:

Patterns don’t build decision-makers.
And that can hurt players in the long run.
#SundayShare @SundayShare10

🧵 Patterns vs. Principles: What Coaches Get Wrong 2.
I’ve coached patterns for years.
It works—especially at youth level.

You rehearse a movement.
Players memorize the timing.
You score. Feels great.

But then the game shifts.
And the pattern doesn’t fit.

“Stay wide.”
“Drop deep.”
“Play the way you face.”

Sound familiar?

Most coaches teach with instructions.
But here’s the problem:

Instructions don’t adapt.
Principles do.

🧵 Why Instructions Break Down—and Principles Win Games 2.
I used to coach like this:

📢 “Take two touches.”
📢 “Don’t dribble there.”
📢 “Pass it back.”

And it worked—until it didn’t.

The moment the situation changed…
My players froze.

Most goals come right after the ball changes hands.
But in that split second—
many teams freeze.
They hesitate. Wait. React too slow.
And get punished.

Here’s how to train lightning-fast reactions that win games 👇

🧵 Teach Your Team to Win the Transition 2.
Football is a game of moments.
And none matter more than the moment after possession changes.

You win it? Attack.
You lose it? Defend.
Simple. But not easy.

If your team pauses—
you miss the chance or concede the goal.

I used to think clean training = good coaching.
Players looked sharp. Drills ran smooth.
But in games… they froze.
Misread situations.
Made soft mistakes.

Here’s why “good sessions” don’t create game players—
And what actually does 👇
#SundayShare @SundayShare10 @Leecosgrove10

🧵 Why Your Training Isn’t Working 2.
Most training looks effective.

Passing drills are sharp.
Possession is clean.

Players seem focused.
But it doesn’t transfer.

Because the game isn’t clean.
It’s messy, fast, and full of pressure.

Some players only pass.
Others only dribble.

But in matches—
the best players know when to do each.

Here’s how to coach the balance between individual quality and team play 👇

🧵 Build Players Who Can Combine and Take Over 2.
Too many sessions lean one way:

🧠 “Always pass” = robotic, safe players
🔥 “Win your 1v1s” = chaos and selfishness

Top-level players do both.
They can beat you alone—or break you down as a team.

You need to train both modes.

I used to copy Guardiola.
His rotations. His build-up. His tactics.

But when I applied them to my team...
It didn’t work.

Here’s why copying elite tactics nearly ruined my coaching—
And what changed everything 👇
#SundayShare @SundayShare10 @Leecosgrove10

🧵 I Stopped Copying Guardiola 2.
I studied the top coaches.
Pep. Klopp. Mourinho. Ancelotti.
And I thought: this is next-level coaching.

I tried to bring it into my sessions.
False 9s. 3-2-5s. Pressing traps.

But the football?
It looked slow. Hesitant. Confused.

Most coaches spend hours searching for drills.
PDFs. Diagrams. Instagram sessions.

But their teams still look disconnected.
Disorganized. Unclear.

Here’s how to fix that 👇
#SundayShare @SundayShare10

🧵 Stop Chasing Drills. Start Coaching Principles. 1.
If your Google history looks like:

“best passing drills”
“fun warm-ups for U13s”
“attacking exercises PDF”

You’re not alone.
But you might be solving the wrong problem.

Most coaches praise possession.
Keep it. Protect it. Stay safe.

But in the moments that matter—
their team looks scared to attack.

Here’s how to fix that 👇
🧵 Teach Your Team to Play Forward 1.
Too many teams get the ball…
…and immediately hesitate.

They pass sideways.
They pass back.
They miss the moment.

It looks “safe.”
But it kills momentum.

Most coaches start with tactics.
Build the shape. Assign the roles. Copy the pros.

But when the game breaks down—
their players freeze.

Here’s why that happens. And how to fix it 👇
#SundayShare @SundayShare10 @Leecosgrove10

🧵 Tactics vs Principles: What Coaches Get Wrong 1.
Everywhere you scroll: tactics, tactics, tactics.

– “Arteta’s midfield shape”
– “Pep’s pressing traps”
– “3-2-5 build-up patterns”

It looks smart.
But here’s the truth:

Tactics describe a system.
Principles shape behavior.

🧵 Why You Should Repeat the Same Drills Every Week

Many coaches switch drills every session.

Here’s why that might be holding your players back — and why smart coaches repeat.👇

#SundayShare @SundayShare10 @Leecosgrove10 1.
If your players are saying “this again?”—
that’s when the real learning starts.

Familiarity isn’t the enemy.
It’s the foundation for growth.

This is how youth football should look like.

Not overcoached.

Not rehearsed.

But alive—with intent, energy, and purpose. 🧵

#SundayShare @SundayShare10 @Leecosgrove10 1️⃣ Forward Mentality

The team looks to progress quickly.

Attacks aim to end with a shot.

No pointless recycling.

The goal is to score.

Coaches, most players STOP the ball like a pause button instead of using it to play faster. 🚀

They take a heavy touch, stand still, and let defenders close them down. By then, it’s too late.

#SundayShare @SundayShare10 @Leecosgrove10

Here’s how to fix it 🧵⚽👇v 2/ A bad first touch kills momentum.

❌ Defenders close in
❌ Passing options disappear
❌ Goal chances are wasted

At higher levels, players don’t get second chances. Their first touch MUST set up their next move.