25 IMPORTANT THINGS PLAYERS SHOULD KNOW
1. A good player must have skills, conditioning, and
tactical knowledge. A player must work on all three to be the best he can be.
2. When your team has the ball, everyone is on attack;
when your opponents have the ball, everyone is on defense.
3. A football team does not have defenders, midfielders
or strikers-only football players. No matter what position you may start the
game in, you will still have to head, pass, receive, shoot, make space, etc.,
as any player would do regardless of position.
4. If you can't pass and receive a ball, you can't play
football. Practice passing to a man or to space with proper pace and receiving
balls along the ground and in the air.
5. Do not just kick the ball unless it is in a dangerous
position in front of our goal. Instead, take a "picture" of the
situation before you get the ball. In this way you can perceive the situation,
determine the best solution, and act accordingly when the ball arrives.
6. Don't run forward when your team has the ball, unless
you run back when the other team has the ball.
7. Your team is limited only by each team member’s
effort.
8. In most sports you need to be balanced on both feet.
In football, you must also have superior balance (to shoot, pass, receive,
etc.) on one foot. The best way to develop and improve balance on one foot is
by keep-ups.
9. If you lose the ball, you should be the first person
on defense. Giving immediate chase is the first rule of defense.
10.
When changing
from attack to defense, sprint to get between your man and the goal you are
defending.
11.
Beat your
opponent to the ball. It is more difficult for your opponent to score a goal if
he doesn't have the ball.
12.
If your opponent
has the ball and his back is to you, do not let him turn with the ball or he can
pass or dribble forward or shoot.
13.
After a goal,
always thank your teammate for the assist. Quite often that player has made the
tougher play.
14.
Never criticize
the goalie after a goal: Before the ball got by him, ten players also let the
ball get by them.
15.
In a football
game, only one team plays football. The other team chases. What would you like
to do? Maintain possession of the ball!
16.
Good dribblers
give up the ball before they are in trouble, not after they are in trouble.
17.
Losing possession
of the ball is acceptable in three situations: after a goal, after a shot, or
in the attacking third of the field.
18.
Do not say
anything to a referee! They are not dishonest, but sometimes they will make
mistakes, just as we do. If all of your players made as few mistakes as
referees in a game, the team would be undefeated every season.
19.
Never harass or
criticize a team-mate: If they make a mistake help them learn to play properly
by showing them how to do the required skill.
20.
Never argue or
talk back to the managers, they want to help you to become a better player.
Listen and learn from them.
21.
An effort of 99
percent or less will not win football matches against good competition.
22.
The world is full
of potentially good football players, but lacking in players that reach that
potential.
23.
Potential means
that you haven't done anything yet.
24.
Players should
not say "I can't" or give excuses. "I’ll try" will be
accepted.
25.
Win, lose, or
draw, if you have given 100 percent when you walk off the field, you have
nothing to be ashamed of and should not have any regrets.