Soccer Coach Weekly Issue 84

Christmas will likely hit different in Argentina this year.

A country that is 80% Christian and obsessed with soccer will have double cause for celebration after becoming men's world champions for the first time since 1986.

While Lionel Messi and Emiliano Martinez took the headlines, credit should also go to France, and in particular hat-trick goalscorer Kylian Mbappe, for their part in a truly remarkable World Cup final.

For many of our subscribers, soccer will be on pause during the festive period - so it is a perfect time to both take stock of the last 12 months and look ahead to 2023.

With reflection in mind, we asked 10 coaches to review their favourite SCW article from 2022 - we also reprint extracts from those articles and provide links so you can read them in full on our website. It is a useful resource to catch up on anything you might have missed.

Of course, you may already be planning for the new year - and we have plenty to bring you in this double issue.

We have interviews with the former Tottenham and FA coach John Allpress and youth developer Wesley Gullin. You can hear both in full in separate podcasts - just click the links on pages 7 and 20.

Ian Barker writes the coach's column in this issue about ensuring your session plans are appropriate for the developmental ages and stages of players.

Southampton academy coach Michael Wright is back with another 1v1 activity, while Rich Wild has designed a session on wide play.

If you are celebrating in the coming days, then wherever you are in the world - be it Buenos Aires, Paris, Los Angeles or London - may we say to you: Feliz Navidad, Joyeux Noel and Merry Christmas.