Attack from midfield

With youth soccer tentatively heading back to the playing fields now is the time to think about how and where your goals are going to come from next season.

I want to see more from my midfielders as they have progressed over last season and are now another year older. They need to be surveying what options they have ahead of them that will help the team score goals.

The exercises below will show you how to educate your midfielders to affect a game, even from within their own half, with long measured balls and crossfield passes. On top of that, they can learn how to take up suitable goalscoring positions outside the opposition penalty area and shoot from distance.

Shooting from midfield is a great way to get your team to catch the opposition out. Use Shoot! to get players lining up shots. Players can be scared to shoot from distance but this session will make sure they start doing it in matches.

Coach your players how to capitalise on an accurate pass out of midfield. Beat the back four is guaranteed to set up goalscoring opportunities. Midfield players can open up defences if they see the right pass, which is often to a player in space on the other side of the pitch. In a counterattacking situation defenders are on the back foot and a clever, accurate passer can pull them apart with a crossfield ball.

Shoot!
Beat the back four