Be smart to win possession

Either you are born like a ball winner or you have to adopt to the principles. The most important is to gain possession of the ball from the opponent. You can wait for the player to make a mistake or you can press him and take the ball. There are fundamental principles how to tackle a player with the ball. Decision making and timing are crucial.

The initial topic of the day was anticipation which means predicting the situation and reacting before the opponent receives the ball. We progressed from the minimal pressure to the full pressure encouraging players to learn from a real situation having the opponent close and with contact most of the time.

The main session began with tackling the ball, stressing importance of timing when the opposite players make their contact with the ball in a 1v1 situation. We progressed to 1v2 situation when the players were in numerical disadvantage. Positioning, intelligence and making the right decision leads to successful win possession.

Once again, our players were honored with a visit of a popular and recognized football star. This time, the number one position in a team, goalkeeper, player/coach Mario Muscat shared his huge football experience. Popular with the kids, Mario gave them tips how to score when you come out face to face with the keeper and various similar tricks interesting for our players.

We thank Mario for his time and dedication and wish him a lot of success in the future.