How do I know if players are improving? ⚽️

I don’t guess.

I track simple KPIs
based on principles.

Here’s how 🧵
#SundayShare 2.
Most coaches rely on feeling.

“Looks better.”
“Feels sharper.”

That’s not enough.

You need something measurable.

If I could only use 5 small-sided games… ⚽️

These would be them.

Not because they’re perfect—
but because they work together.

Here’s why 🧵 2.
Most coaches use random games.

Different setups.
Different goals.

No clear connection.

Players get reps—
but not real improvement.

How I push players to the next level ⚽️

Without changing the whole session.

Same exercise.
More challenge.

Here’s how 🧵
#SundayShare 2.
Most coaches do this:

New drill.
New setup.
New idea.

Every session.

Players start from zero.

These are 9 core principles
that have helped me time and again. ⚽️

Not rules. Not a model.

Real ideas to build players
who grow—and compete.

Here they are 🧵 2.
1⃣ Forward Mentality

Play with intent.

When we win the ball:
go forward.

Attack to finish.
Not safe passes.

⚽️ 5 ways to overload small-sided games.

You don’t need new drills.

You need to make the same game more demanding. 🧵
@TacticalPad @CoachingFamily @SessionShareNet @BreakthruSoccer @CoachResources8 @power_ray @PeterPrickett @CoachRobPorter @205_Academy @JustcoachMD 2.
1️⃣ Pitch size

Make the area smaller.

Example:
4v4 → width 40m → 38m

At U6–U9, ball mastery is the #1 priority.
But ball mastery alone is not enough.

We want kids to love the ball —
and know what to do with it. ⚽️🧵 2.
Touches matter.
Reps matter.
Time with the ball matters.

This is where the tool is built.

No ball = no footballer.

If you want your team to attack better, you don’t need endless drills.

You need a small menu of core attacking exercises that cover the whole pitch.

Here are 5 essential attacking drills every team should use. 🧵⚽️ 2.
1️⃣ From GK to Midfield (Goalkeeper / Goal Kick Play)

Start every attacking structure from the goalkeeper.

Train:
→ build-up positioning
→ first pass options
→ midfield connections
→ breaking the first line

This is where every attack begins.

If you’re looking for “hacks” to develop players faster,

here’s one that actually works:

Let your best players train and play with each other. 🧵⚽️ 2.
Most development advice focuses on:

→ drills
→ methods
→ coaching cues

All important.

But one of the biggest drivers of development is often ignored:

The level of the environment.

If you coach players U10–U13, this is the golden age to teach one thing above all:

decision-making. 🧵 2.
At this age, players already have some technique.
They can pass, dribble, receive, and shoot.

What they’re really learning now is how to choose.

Football starts becoming a game of decisions — not just actions.

Be careful with videos titled:

“Why the 4-3-3 is special”
“Tuchel’s 3-4-3 broke football”
“The perfect formation”

Here’s the truth: no formation is special. 🧵 2.
Formations don’t win games.
Players do.

A formation is not a magic tactic.
It’s simply a way to organise your team so they can:

→ use their strengths
→ protect their weaknesses
→ support each other
→ apply your principles

Nothing more.

YouTube is full of “U9 drill,” “U10 drill,” “U11 drill,” “U12 drill,” “U13 drill” videos.

But if you coach players in this age range, here’s the truth:

The drill matters far less than the decisions inside it. 🧵 2.
U9–U13 is not about collecting 50 fancy exercises.
It’s about teaching players to apply their skills in different game situations.

That means:
→ recognising pressure
→ finding space
→ choosing options
→ reacting to transitions
→ solving the moment

This is game insight.
This is what they’ll use forever.

Here are 5 essential defensive drills every team should train —

not because of the shapes,

but because these phases appear in every match. 🧵
#SundayShare @SundayShare10 2.
In the video below, I break down the 5 defensive phases every team faces.

But remember:
don’t copy the shapes —
copy the logic behind them.

These moments happen no matter what system you play.

Should you build your playing style around your game model

or around your players’ qualities?

The real answer:

You need both. 🧵 2.
If you only follow your game model, you risk this:

→ players forced into roles they can’t execute
→ patterns that look good on paper
→ frustration when the team can’t play “your way”

A great idea with the wrong players
is still the wrong idea.

How to apply principles at different ages —

without overcomplicating your coaching. 🧵

#SundayShare @SundayShare10 2.
Every age group needs principles.
But how you coach them changes.

Think of it like building a player:
→ U6–U8 = tools
→ U9–U13 = understanding
→ U14+ = application

Here’s the breakdown. 👇

There are only 3 ways coaches grow —

and each one strengthens your coaching in a different way.

Study. Do. Model. 🧵 2.
1⃣ Study

Study gives you clarity.

It helps you understand the game at a deeper level:
principles, structures, ideas, patterns, solutions.

Books
Courses
Match analysis
Conversations with other coaches
Mentors

Study shapes your thinking
so your coaching has intention.

How to push players to the next level —

without changing the entire drill.

Use progressions. One setup, multiple challenges. 🧵 2.
Most coaches switch drills when players get comfortable.

Better option: keep the drill — raise the demand.

That’s how you build mastery, not just variety.

Most coaches start with a drill.

The best ones start with a problem.

Here’s a simple 5-step framework (the 5 W’s) you can use to design drills that actually fit your team. 🧵 2.
1️⃣ What goes wrong?

What’s the real problem you’re trying to fix?

❌ “We lose the ball under pressure.”
❌ “Players don’t support the pass.”

Until you name the problem clearly,
you can’t design a drill that solves it.

⚽️ Most possession games look good on paper…

but don’t transfer to matches.

Here’s how to fix that. 👇 2.
🎥 In this video, I share 3 variations on a 6v6 possession game:

1️⃣ Dribbling Game – focuses on carrying under pressure
2️⃣ Passing Game – encourages deeper passes and forward options
3️⃣ Wide Players Game – adds width, making it closer to real match situations

Here are 9 core principles you can use to build brave, fast, and competitive players. 🧵

#SundayShare @SundayShare10 2.
Principle 1: Forward Mentality

Everything starts with intent.
Players must think forward — in movement, passing, and decision-making.

Train them to look up early, break lines fast, and always ask:
“Can I play forward?”

That’s how attacking football starts.

Are you building isolated technique —

or skills that actually work in the game? 🧵 2.
From U6–U9, ball mastery is the #1 priority.

We want players to fall in love with the ball —
to feel it, control it, and move confidently with it.

At this age, every touch shapes their future habits.

U9–U13 is the golden age for teaching principles. 🧵 2.
It’s not just about technique anymore —
and it’s not yet about structured tactics.

This is the age where players learn how to solve the game,
not just play it.