Click here for a short YouTube video on reading the game.

Before a coach can make up a practice he needs to decide what he wants to achieve. While there are several ways to do this the most effective is to formulate a soccer problem. The problem comes from what he has observed while watching the team. Sometimes coaches try something that they read somewhere or was suggested by someone. But do these have any real bearing on his problem or were they solutions to someone else's problem?

While watching the team it's obvious that a lot is going wrong. So much so that it's difficult to know where to begin. The first step is to eliminate a large number of problems. Choose one of the three main moments, your own team in possession, the opponents in possession or a change of possession either winning or losing. The first two are the most important. By focusing on one of the moments a limited number of techniques are in question. Each player's tasks and functions are clear. This brings structure to the coaches observation. Ask, "is the biggest problem in attack or defense?" Then consider what you are seeing against what you would expect or like to see. This is comparing "the real to the ideal." The difference between what you see and the plan is what will be of concern.

When the moment is settled the coach asks five questions.

1. What is going wrong? How are things different from the plan? What is the team doing, or not doing? What are the opponents doing, or not doing?
2. Where does the problem occur? What part of the field is in question?
3. Who owns the problem? What positions are involved? Name names.
4. When does the problem occur? What event triggers it?
5. Why does the problem occur? Where is the breakdown in TIC? The answer is found in the shortcomings in the players named in #3.

Fixing one individual or a small group often solves the soccer problems in the team. With a correct and specific analysis a useful picture can be made of the problem. This can help to avoid vague and generalized solutions. "Spread out," "we need more hustle" or "we need to pass more" isn't very helpful, they are clichés. They don't address any real problem because they don't apply specifically to anything or anyone. It maybe that only the left midfielder needs to stay wide. It might be just the top players that are not doing their defensive tasks. The entire team may not need to pass more, just the sweeper. Being specific as to who, what, where, when and why is the most effective way to teach children. It gives the problem to the ones that own it.

The coach creates a picture out of his analysis. In the picture are the players who own the problem at the moment and place where it occurs. With this picture the children can see what is going wrong and why. Ownership is established and changes can be made.

Click here for a short YouTube video on Reading the Game.

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