Age is just a number. Celtic debut their 13-year-old Dembélé in U20s
October 7 – If they’re good enough, they’re old enough goes one of football’s well-known sayings.
Performance
My ball, my game. Barca have possession, and they intend to keep it
By Samindra Kunti in Amsterdam
October 5 – FC Barcelona ooze football. They are full-circle precision. Their style has been emulated across the globe with varying success and is the template for possession-based football. In his role as head of the club’s methodology department, Joan Vila Bosch has been at the heart of the Catalan supremacy.
AVB reflects on his time at Chelsea, but blasts Spurs boss Levy
By Samindra Kunti in Amsterdam
October 4 – Portuguese coach Andre Villas-Boas has admitted that managing Chelsea “was too much too soon.” He also blasted Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy as an “expert in sacking managers.”
Bielsa delivers a cerebral masterclass at Aspire forum
By Samindra Kunti in Amsterdam
October 4 – Marcelo Bielsa is a revered man – for both his philosophy and methodology. The Argentine rarely appears in public, but at the Aspire4Sport Global Summit on Football Performance & Science in Amsterdam he delivered the keynote address and a fascinating insight into coaching theory and practice.
Wenger for England, Guardiola for culture change – say Overmars and Xavi
By Samindra Kunti in Amsterdam
October 4 – Ajax’s director of football and former Arsenal player Marc Overmars has said that the time could be right for Arsene Wenger to leave Arsenal and become the England manager. Spanish midfielder Xavi believes that Pep Guardiola can profoundly change English football culture at Manchester City.
U.S. Futsal and NSCAA launch first coach education programme
October 4 – With the Futsal World Cup having just crowned Argentina as champions in Colombia, the speed of growth of the small-sided version of football has been recognised in the US where the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) and U.S. Futsal have teamed up to create the first online Futsal Coaching Course.
Aspire Summit kicks off in Amsterdam with focus on ‘higher’ performance
By Samindra Kunti
October 3 – The 2016 Aspire4Sport Congress & Exhibition opened in the Dutch capital Amsterdam today with key stakeholders in the game and performance specialists from clubs and federations around the world gathering at the summit with Argentine coach Marcelo Bielsa delivering the keynote speech.
Guardiola refuses to play Toure until his agent apologises
September 21 – Behind-the-scenes tensions between clubs and agents are commonplace but the impasse between Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola and the representative of Ivory Coast midfielder Yaya Toure has burst into the public domain.
Brazil move up rankings, Wales and Uruguay in top 10, Spain and Italy drop
September 15 – The latest FIFA national team rankings shows some significant changes after an international fixture schedule that saw 61 qualifiers played for World Cup Russia 2018, and a further 26 matches in continental qualifying competitions.
UEFA’s top coaches debate the tactics, stats and trends of Euro 2016
By Paul Nicholson
September 14 – While UEFA’s federation chiefs were making their way to Congress and the vote for president in Athens, their team coaches and technical directors were wrapping up their own forum in Paris. At the core of their agenda was an analysis of the EURO 2016 finals and the tactical and technical trends that emerged.
Will Lallana’s last gasp lucky goal thaw the Iceland horror gripping the English
By Andrew Warshaw
September 5 – New manager, same old England – with one sharp difference. A last-gasp stroke of good fortune which perhaps augurs well for the future in terms of team building and confidence.
US coaches body revamps education courses to fit new national thinking
September 2 – The US overhaul of its youth training and playing structures have continued with the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA), the world’s largest coaches organisation, unveiling a suite of new coaching education programmes and qualifications that focus on small-sided games.
Is it time to end extra time for good? Coaches debate the way forward
September 1 – The idea of scrapping extra time after draws in knockout European matches was discussed at UEFA’s annual seminar for elite coaches and ex-coaches this week.
Solo ends her season early after Olympic traumas take their toll
August 31 – Controversial US goalkeeper Hope Solo has decided not to play for her club side Seattle Reign for the rest of the season saying she is not in the right mental state.
Rooney says Russia 2018 will be his last blast in England colours
August 31- England’s record goalscorer Wayne Rooney has announced he will retire from international football after the 2018 World Cup in Russia.