Team Selection: Why Bother? Can we make it better?

If you don't take the time to properly select your squad on game day, what problems can befall the squad? If you select your squad too soon what about then? What if your roster is set in stone?

Joe Cole and Daniel Poulsen examples of squad selection that baffle the fans of Liverpool FC. Poor Joe Cole hasn't been effective at all for the LFC all season, but to be fair his overall effectiveness has been dropping for close to two years, so why place him on the squad in Europe. My familiarity with Daniel Poulsen is limited to this season, and his play truly lacks in all aspects.

So why do you play them?

The first answer is resources. As much as a player is a person, for a team they are a resource. They are a means of ensuring that the coach can play the "Best Eleven" (see previous posting), at any given point in the season. This leads to considerations of positions, player versatility, on field compatibility, experience, player availability and injuries.

Liverpool FC is lacking in two key areas; Available players and experience. 

There was a time you could go to the bench when Alonso was out and get Mascherano, or if Benayoun was out go to Babel. You also had Reiera, Aquilani, Hyppia, Riise, Crouch, Bellamy amongst others who have come and gone from the Club, and have yet to be fully replaced. It isn't that the players on the squad are poor, the depth of the squad of three and four years ago has dissipated and the quality and experience on the bench is no longer there. 

Take this weeks game, Gerrard, and Saurez are out. Add on injuries to Kelly and Aurelio and viola, Cole and Paulsen, who are on not Hyppia, Benayoun, Riise, or Aquilani. 

What was King Kenny to do, well what choices did he have? Cole and Poulsen have a history of success and on that history he can only hope that they can deliver for LFC what they have done for other squads in the past.

One question that has gone around about these selections is why didn't King Kenny go to his reserves, or Academy players in this situation?  It would appear that the experience and depth isn't there yet, and Liverpool want to win in the Europa League., so they go with suspected known qualities., such as Cole and Poulsen.

Youth Squads


What do you do with smaller amateur squads that may have two or three divisions of player within their structure. Our local region divides them as follows: Tier 1--Tier2A--T2B. These  divisions reflect both commitment and skill levels although each level will have players who could play up a division, and others that may have been assessed too high during the initial selection process. The former group tend not to have the time or attitude to play at their potential, whereas the latter group tend to be able to play at the higher level, but are usually amongst the final selections and tend not to play as much as they want.

Officially there are no reserve squads or "second teams" in this structure, and official rosters have to be declared at an early date and are of limited numbers. It does not allow foe free transfer of players from division to division, and is based on a limited snapshot of player ability at a tryout process.

This is not correct, either in philosophy or approach.

Philosophically it presumes that the initial roster is it, and that the eleven best will remain the eleven best all season long. This ignores that players can develop or regress as the season progresses, and what seems like a sure thing at the time of selection is abjectly wrong as the season progresses. I know as I have made that incorrect assessment based on that snapshot on more than one occasion.

The approach issue is that it silos players too early in a season and their playing career. It often leads to the trap of being chosen a T2A always a T2A. This is often because of lack of training opportunities with the higher ranked players, or just training in general. Players that don't want to improve, my experience are few and far between, but those that want to become more competitive will, if given the opportunity will self identify and improve in these sessions especially if they believe there is a chance for movement upwards during the season. Secondly it requires a co-operative and flexible approach by the coaches to communicate the various strengths and weaknesses of their players during the season, and a willingness to move players BOTH for the improvement of a squad and the development of the players.

The current approach stagnates players development as their is little or no movement between squads, and coaches as a result of the system are not encouraged to assess other players as the season progresses.

SOLUTION

It isn't revolutionary but the second squad should be playing in a " T1 reserve league" that has all the benefits of the 2A league as it now stands, provincials, tournaments, league championships etc, BUT the final rosters for provincials and league finals for each division be declared on or about August 1 as opposed to the current earlier dates currently imposed. Up to that point in time players can play up and down. After that date they can only go up from the reserve squad, including playoffs, but on no more than three occasions.

This modest proposal would open up squads to appropriate in house competition, encourage players to try to improve and move up  to the first team, and open up a larger pool of players and depth on the bench for the coach and Club.

is this the only possible solution? Of course not. Is it better than the current system, of course it is. It gives more opportunities to play, train and learn at the higher levels, and most importantly it encourages competition and ope that hard work and play will be rewarded.

DRILL OF THE WEEK:

This is one I call POGO, for Play Out - Go Out . This is a 4 v 4 in a 15m x 15m grid set up with two players on the outside for each squad and two on the inside. The objective is for the inside player with the ball to pass to one of his two outside players, and once done successfully, to switch with the outside players ( hence play out go out). Each switch is a point, first to ten wins. This game encourages close touch, possession skills, accurate passing, and tight marking.

Walk On

Hal White

The Power of Dribbling

Now as parents and Coaches we are very familiar with the sausage lines of children dribbling a ball to a cone and then back. "Why?" we ask through clenched teeth do coaches do this, why can't the children just play?
Two things come to mind in this scenario;Lackof creativity onthe part of the coach , and, a lack of appreciation of the fundamentals of soccer by the parents.

I will deal with fundamentals first. Dribbling of a soccer ball is one of the essential player skills that must be developed. Dribbling is what allows a player to control a ball in tight spaces, helps them get around opponents, helps maintain possession of the ball, and is the basic building block for feints, moves and turns to get around opponents. So no dribbling no penetrating runs, no moves around defenders and no possession soccer.

The coach who fails to consider options/drills other than sausage lines will not only risk losing the parents, but the players as well. The coach should consider diagonal runs, simple cross overs, and opportunities to include passing, turns or moves.

At the UEFA training ground page there are several ball control drills I like to use in training sessions to help develop dribbling and movement skills.  The links are included below:

This drill just works the foot skills, and is an excellent warm up.

www.uefa.com/trainingground/training/drills/video/videoid=788371.html?autoplay=true

The following drill is also lot of fun and can engage a lot of players in a very small space:

www.uefa.com/trainingground/training/drills/video/videoid=788378.html?autoplay=true


Now for fun , here is the power dribbler of the world, Mighty Mouse, Lionel Messi:

Too bad Liverpool didn't get him first!

And Before I Forget   March 6, 2011, Liverpool 3 v Manchester United 1,

YNWA

Walk On

Hal White

How to Play Soccer : Soccer: Matthews Move

The "Eleven Best" or the "Best Eleven"

This is the conundrum that Liverpool needs. In fact teams would want this conundrum, and a couple of teams ( Man City and Chelsea come to mind) are having trouble sorting it out.
But what is the conundrum exactly?

Remember when your report card or now for many of you , your child's report card came home and the comment "Plays well with others" was included. But what did we focus on, the grades or marks. How we or our child compares to others.

The "Best Eleven" are those that play well with others, not necessarily, or always, amongst the "Eleven Best". This the coaching dilemma. How do coaches and managers build a squad?  What are they looking for?
Bill Shankly, the great Liverpool manager, looked for players at the top of their individual games, but more importantly, their best game was for the squad, the team, the Club. It was not for their individual glory. Shankly's personal history from a small mining town in Scotland, to his playing career, was one steeped in small "s" socialism that held that the good of the many was the highest moral objective of the individual. His view was that even the greatest talent on the pitch was on that pitch to enable the best result for his team-mates and Club. The players personal objectives were secondary.

Team Creation 

So here is the problem, who do you pick ? Is it the talented midfielder who can control the center of the pitch, can place the ball on a dime from 30 yards away, but won't train with his team mates because they aren't of his quality, and will only pass to his friends? Is it the average player that works her tail off day in day out, doesn't shoot when she should, but gets stuck in without a concern for her well being?
Who do you take from these extreme examples?
As a coach and from a player management perspective the player that works for the good of the squad, is no more important than any other player, trains hard looking to improve their own skills as well as those of their team-mates, shares their own success and celebrates the success of their team-mates. This regardless of their present skill level will bring a level of success and quality and camaraderie that is necessary to create a successful squad.
Each player on a squad, a successful squad, brings a certain level of skill to the team. Collectively these players should make the squad greater than the sum of its parts, because each player should add to their team-mates abilities on the pitch.

For this coach, the "Best Eleven" make up the best squad.
( I got that backwards last time).

Walk On

Hal White

Victory and Desire

Great technical skills can carry an athlete a very long way. These skills with concurrent physical attributes such as speed, strength, co-ordination can make a very formidable athlete indeed.

But all great athletes have one attribute that cannot be trained. It must be there already, it is within them from the moment they are born and remains with them long after they retire (look at Gary Neville or Mark Hughes).

Without desire their is no victory, a talent that is just going through the motions. Torres' had desire but it was only evident when he thought or felt that Liverpool was going to be in the Champion's League. That is not true desire. It is a selfish desire. A true "winner" is won that wants victory regardless of where it places their team. It is a selfless desire for the greater good of the team.

Liverpool's current example of selfless desire in none other than Dirk Kuyt. Game in game out he plays to win. He wants to win and he will sacrifice himself to win. It is his purpose as soon as he steps on the field. liverpool is very fortunate to have him in the front row, or anywhere on the field for that matter. This is a player that is critical for a team's success and any player like that is worth their weight in gold.

Tonight I watched a young woman play with desire. She wanted her team to win. before the match I asked her how many goals she would get. "Three" she replied. But what was more important was what she said after. "We will get seven". Seven. She alone scored three in the first half. The team scored seven. The team. Her desire was to score for the team and for the team to win.
Desire can overcome many things, desire can't be beaten. A good tackle can stop a run, a great save can stop a shot, but desire cannot be stopped. Desire creates more desire, it encourages others to perform. Even in the face of defeat desire does not quit.
It can't be trained, but find that player that wants the team to win, and you have yourself your own Dirk Kuyt, and that is real good.

Walk On

Hal White

MAN TO MAN MARKING PART II

I watched Jamie Carragher  the other night and it was apparent he was in his opponent's personal space. he was there the whole game. He just wouldn't leave them alone. He had his hand on their shoulders he pushed them away, he shoved them with his shoulder. He pushed them around. Of course this is his job, and has been for the past 20 years, to interfere with, harass and stop his opponents from  scoring. What makes him (and others like Vidic, Gallas, Skrtel, Terry and Puyol) so successful?
They are willing to make physical contact with their opponents. Soccer is a contact sport and whoa to the soccer mom and dad who think their little jewel isn't going to be pushed around, stepped on or tackled. This is the game. Attacking players make moves to get around defenders and defenders get in attackers personal space and screw them up.

A simple drill I watched the other night requires very little organization, about 20x40 m minimum 10-12 players and a couple of balls.

Have the players spread out in the grid and start by just passing around. Low hard quality passes. The passer follows their pass, and the receiver takes a touch and then passes to another teammate.
Now comes the challenging part. The passer must "tag" the receiver. This means the passer must sprint after their pass and close down the receiver. Do not have them block the pass. Use at least two balls to maintain tempo, increase to three if the players can handle the additional pressure.
This drill if performed well encourages fitness, initial contact and passing under pressure. Simple to learn and not hard to master.

Walk On

Hal White

You Never Walk Alone and Man to Man Marking

I have savoured the last few days enjoying, no, absolutely feasting on Liverpool's defeat of Chelsea. Not because of the presence of Torres. Not because I hate Chelsea (I admit I am not a big fan of them, but I don't hate them). Not because of anything other than seeing a team play well.

All components worked together. Back to front, front to back. No one player was doing anything other than playing for a team, and as a team. The "politics" of soccer is not that of a capitalism, but one of community. It was the socialism of Shankly, where one player was part of a whole. And that was on display for the first time in a long time in the Liverpool squad. Chelsea isn't defeated easily, and only when all members of a team are playing together.

BRIGHT LIGHTS

The best thing I have seen recently is the usurper Martin Kelly. He has usurped the right back position from Glen Johnson, who appears to be refinding his form on the left side of the pitch. So somethings change and others get better.

Also Meireles. Wow. Now he cannot stop scoring, and not easy goals either, most of them off of the volley or half volley. They look good and when on target are unstoppable .

The Passing Game and Man to Man Marking

The pass and move theory was subscribed to Liverpool early on and whether it was invented there or not it results in the most attractive forms of attacking football. It also presents extreme challenges for defenders in a game.

In a session the other night I divided the pitch into three zones. The two outside zones were 10 X 20 and the centre zone was 30 x 20. In each end zone it is one v one and the centre zone it is 3 v 3. the objective is simple the ball has to pass from one end to the other through the players in the end through the middle to the other side and then back. All players have man to man marking assignments. This drill requires constant passing motion to score goals, and constant defensive pressure, especially in the middle zone , to intercept the ball and prevent scoring. Encourage contact, shielding and strong shoulder challenges. It is a very tiring drill when executed properly and regular breaks are required.

Walk On

Hal White