U13 - two steps away - TWO HUGE STEPS

Challenging for 50/50 balls and patient 1v1 defending away from our net.  If we could sell the kids on those two things, our fortunes would be so different.

Easier said than done, but it's our job to fix it.  We do it in training but the games have been a different story.  We will keep doing it in as many different forms as possible until all of the boys are on board.  We love the boys and they are definitely worth every effort put forth on their behalf.

Last night we played the team one level up from the same club as the team that beat us last week 5-1.  We ended up losing 5-0 last night.

It was the same story.  It was 0-0 for the first 35 minute.  We weren't in there half as much as other games this year, but we were holding our own against a much better team.  The difference was, as always, the ability and willingness to challenge and properly compete for each and every ball.

Our shape was decent again and I was happy with what I saw considering we had to move some players around to cover for our absent central defender.   He's a fast, athletic boy who wins balls.  We had a lot of wall passes and they worked the ball around the back several times with some success.  We also used our GK more often when under pressure while facing our own goal.  Our width is happening as a reaction instead of habit and that is taking away options from our wide defenders when they win the ball.

Coach Paul and I will mix things up a bit at training but we will still bang our drums about challenging for balls and patient 1v1 defending.  The over-committing in 1v1 defending was at an all time high last night.  We will continue to emulate those situations at training.

The size difference is so much more noticeable this year at U13.  Not only height, but the level of "manliness" each boy has.  Some boys are literally intimidated by the physical structure of the player they are to challenge.  We have some big boys as well.  Some boys are simply dishing the ball off to whomever when somebody is attacking them.  Again, we have to continue simulating those situations at training and work to give them confidence when that happens in a game.

Practices have been touching on numerous technical components of the game, but the main theme of the session always revolves around what had to be improved from our last match.

We have 2 sessions before our next match.   We'll see what comes of them.