We have struggled to play possession soccer because we have been panicking under pressure. Rather than trying and failing, we've been avoiding the issue. Last night I saw a crack in their collective stubbornness last night.
Playing possession draws more players into the game, builds everybody's confidence, helps us develop each player and is MORE FUN. Successfully solving problems is a tremendous buzz for everybody involved. Panicking and smashing balls for 80 minutes is not enjoyable at all.
Right from the opening whistle they were trying to string passes together. Passes were being intercepted or misplayed or way off target. As each minute passed we were connecting more passes and making progress.
Let's be clear, we were not going to beat this team last night, and didn't. But it was a great opportunity to force the issue.
The message was clear. Possession soccer, first and foremost, regardless of the score. Figure out a solution to the problem of playing a stronger team. Panic kicks were not acceptable and failing was OK as long as you tried again.
By the 25th minute we were crossing half on a regular basis and by the early part of the second half the game was still in reach and a full back-and-forth affair.
The first step to becoming more competitive with the ball was fighting to keep it. There was a lot of shielding and a lot of our boys drew fouls while forcing the other team to fight to get it.
We still have a lot of work to do but last night was the first time we rally tried to stay calm and establish some form of possession. This weekend we have 3 games and that will be the message again. Luckily we have another crack at the same team we played last night.
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