Too many players hide.
They play it safe.
They pass when they should dribble.
They stop trying after one mistake.

If you want real attacking players—
You need to coach bravery.

Let’s talk about the most misunderstood trait in player development 🧵 2.
“Bravery” gets misused in coaching.

It’s not running hard.
It’s not shouting louder.
And it’s definitely not reckless play.

Bravery is this:

→ Taking initiative when it matters
→ Trying something, even if it might fail
→ Playing without fear—but with purpose

Possession.
Shots.
Passes.
xG.

Coaches get bombarded with data.
But most of it’s just noise. 📊❌

If you want to evaluate the game properly…
You need to focus on signal—not generic stats.

A thread on how to block the noise 🧵 2.
Most post-match analysis looks like this:

🟢 We had 60% possession
🟢 We made 400 passes
🟢 We had 10 shots

Okay... and?

Did your team actually play the way you wanted?
Or just rack up sterile numbers?

Most players look sharp when the tempo is slow.
But what happens when the game gets fast, messy, and real?

That’s where technique breaks down.
Unless it’s trained to survive speed. ⚡

Let’s talk: Technique at Speed
(A thread for serious coaches) 🧵 2.
Football is played at tempo.
You don’t get 5 seconds to prepare your touch.

If your training slows down to get things right...
You’re preparing for a version of the game that doesn’t exist.

Technique has to hold up under pressure.
At real speed.

Before tactics.
Before fitness.
Before systems.

There’s one truth in football:

If your players don’t master the fundamentals,
they’ll struggle the moment the level gets higher. 🧵 2.
Too many youth teams are drilled on shape and structure…

…but the players can’t:

– Control under pressure
– Pass with both feet
– Stay calm in tight spaces
– Scan and decide fast

These are non-negotiables at the next level.

Tactical masterclasses are everywhere.
Pro teams. Shape. Pressing traps. Build-up patterns.

They’re fun to watch.
But dangerous to copy.

Here’s why coaches must be careful applying these at youth level 🧵 2.
Watching elite tactics is exciting.

You feel smarter just listening.
And you might be tempted to copy what you see.

But here’s the truth:

Most youth players don’t need more tactics.
They need to understand the game.

Football is a players’ game.
(Or at least—it should be.)

But too many coaches try to remote-control every moment.
That only kills instincts.

Here’s why principles, not constant instructions, unlock real performance 🧵 2.
The game moves fast.
Too fast for real-time instructions.

If your players need you to guide every move—
you’ve already lost the moment.

That’s not coaching.
That’s control.

Your team loses the ball.
Who reacts?

If the answer is no one — you’re not training well enough.

🧵 How to Coach Active Defending
(The most overlooked trait in youth development) 2.
Most players defend like it’s optional.
Jogging back. Blaming others. Watching.

But defending isn’t a break.
It’s action.
It’s responsibility.

If you want real improvement—this mindset must change.

There are a million things you could coach.
But only a few really move the needle.

After 15 years and 600+ matches, these are the 9 principles I teach every season.
They’ve helped me build brave, fast, competitive players—at every level.

🧵 9 Principles That Actually Shape Players 2.
Principle 1 – Forward Mentality

When we win the ball, we go forward.
No safe passes. No pointless recycling.

Clarity: Attack with intent.
Finish with a shot.
That mindset alone raises the level.

What happens right after your team wins the ball?

You track possession.
Shots. Passes. xG.

But here’s the truth:
Most of those stats won’t tell you if your training is working.
#SundayShare @SundayShare10

🧵 How to actually measure if your coaching is creating progress
(and why you need your own KPIs) 2.
Stats like possession or xG tell you what happened in the game.
But they don’t tell you if your training focus is transferring.

If you want real feedback as a coach—
you need to define your own KPIs.

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.