Can you give me some advice on how to improve the results of my football team?

Question

I asked earlier today but hoping to get some more ideas from people so i am re-posting. I am a manager of a new 7-a-side team and every match we are getting, quite frankly, thrashed, we are not a bad bunch of players however... I am trying to get some ideas from other managers or players of 7-a-side football teams on how to improve ourselves. Is there anyone who has had a similar situation, getting beat regularly but have managed to turn the fortunes of a team around, any advice or ideas of what i could try. I would be most grateful

Answer 1

i've had experience of kids 7/8 a side.
i am going out but could help u later maybe.

watch this space......
Yeah hello again. I have seen some of the answers. I like the one from what looks like a schoolkid possibly. If u have the players it is almost certainly about formation and putting ur better players or the ones with certain abilities in the right places.
I was coached at schoolboy level by an ex semi pro and learned quite a lot.
When i coached my kids 8 a side team, i always made sure that the KEY AREAS were always manned. the first two two key areas being a box approx 9 yds square six yards out from the middle of the goal at either end. if you have two full backs, initially as u line up, one on each of the front two corners patrolling the area as the central defenders who are able to get a good soild tackle or block in this should prove very useful. we used to frustrate a lot of even much better teams just by holding the two men in this area. this is because most of the goals scored in a game come from this area. even in the pro game, u will note that on a "scatter chart", most of the goals come from around this place. good to have one really good tackler as the "bite" man if u like and a slightly quicker man to block shots and pick up the loose bits and pieces as the "scraps" man. again u will note that in the pro game, if a solid tackle is made, there is always another player to pick up the loose ball.
the other main key area is in front of the opponents goal. i don't know how many times i personally have said it but u have 2 get players in the box. u can't really expect to score if u don't. it must be quite a few!
I liked the idea of 2-3-1 from the back. that was exactly what i was going to suggest.
when u go forward u should have the two back men pushing up but keeping their shape, i.e they stay in a nice line about 12 yds apart , 6 either side of the centre. whatever looks right and fits with opponents strikers.
sides that keep their shape have a definite advantage over others who are not so well organised.
if the whole team have this in mind u can encourage each other with "keep in shape" and giving praise when they do.
when u go forward i would make sure that u leave one man in the centre slightly back, i.e. don't commit too many men forward. a lot of clearances and quick breakaways come thru the centre. if u have a man there, he can either intercept and cut out the danger or he can push the man wide or even put the opponent under pressure so that one of the central defenders can get in a winning tackle.
playing as a team means supporting each other in pairs or sometimes three, but mainly pairs. players who are nor supported very often lose the ball. simple.
ur formation should be:-

o

o o

o o o

o

hope that comes out ok.
when u go forward one man out of the three in the midfield stays in the middle behind the other three.so u have three men going forward supporting each other and looking to get the ball into the scoring zone. the other midfielder does the Frank Lampard job of looking for shots around the edge of the box and there to get a challenge in if the ball is cleared thru the middle.

attacking:-
0




o o

o

o o o

obviously the three front men won't be in a straight line!
I can't draw arrows but there would be quite a few.

main points keep ur shape, support each other. first line of attack
is the goalkeeper. a quick throw out to a man in space can set up a scoring attack. loads of encouragement. if players get tired in certain positions rotate. solid tackles with players ready to pick up loose balls. i used to play as a winger so even when the other side were in our box i was still looking for that quick throw out or a pass that would give me that vital edge in space.

not sure it comes across that well on paper!!
but i wish u all the best.

Answer 2

We had the same problem in my team. Firstly, because 7-a-side is a quicker game than 11 - a-side, practise your players in quick, one touch football in smaller areas. Perhaps have two people trying to tackle the other 5. Fittnest may also be a key issue, as there is more running involved than in the normal game as there are less players.
The main problem we found was that we weren't keeping formation, have positions and dont all chase after the ball!! Also as with many football teams, there are some players who think they are better than the rest and these will demand the ball and often "hog" it. The likelyhood is as they try to take on all the opposing players, they will get tackled and leave the other players in trouble. Make sure everyone plays the passing game (you cant get beat if the other team cant get the ball!) and works as a team. Although unconventional, we got around this by not making anyone captain; that way all players are equal to help with teamwork.

Answer 3

There is a rule of thumb when trying to establish a team and that is, if they cant score we cant lose. Start from there; make sure the defence is sound. You will find that if you can stop shipping goals the rest will take care of itself. Don't be afraid to fiddle with the team, in 7-a -side you'll find the shorter more mobile player will be more effective in defence. Make sure your midfield and forward players have a defensive mindset, if they lose the ball they must go back after it. Also make sure your players are aware of the need to create angles for a pass. More often than not opponents get opportunities to intercept because a player has no one to pass to. Good luck...

Answer 4

I'm not sure I saw a 7 player match before, so I'm not experienced about it and can only give general tips. 1- You must have training sessions of course during which you use encouraging ways; for example not tipping off who's in the main formation 2- Concetrate on each player's best asset and assign him the position in which he'll most likely use it for most of the time. 3- Organised man to man defence is an effective way no matter the players' # in the field, so proper marking is in order (I also have no idea what kind of field you play in or wether the off-side rule counts in it)so generaly marking and positionning are the most important skill required by almost all the player in order to support their initial talent 4- Have a certain plan to play (i.e. wings, through, passes etc..) to organise your players' offensive as it's one of the hardest tasks but the more organised your team is the better and more proffesionnal they become 5- Standard tips such as teamwork, teamspirit by teaching them to always encourage themslelves as well as each other especially in matches and punishing severly any bad behaviour (especially in matches as well) 6- An effective but dangerous tip: make them face much better teams -preferably older- without losing your team's moral...that's the dangerous point, if you lose that point then your team is as good as done. However if you manage to make good use of it (depending on your skill) you will have a high quality team. But remeber again, this last tip is your hard thorny shortcut and shouldn't be used closely before important/hard matches. Best Of Luck...

Answer 5

7 a side is not so different from the full game. A key part is tracking back with your players. You probably have some players either not tracking your opponent or marking others this will mean someone is free and able to score.
Try in your next game to mark and track to keep it tight at the back and not all rushing forward when you get the ball as your problem (initially) seems to be conceding to many.

Answer 6

Friendlies are the way to go. the best thing you can do to get use to a new formation is to just play. Shortly you'll find with out even much on your part your players will start to realize the stuff they are doing wrong and work it out themselves. As if they match up with the other teams one on one than just try to play a man marking system and everyone cover their own guy. just be pacient they get it eventually

Answer 7

Get them to stop thinking like an eleven a side team and make the ball do the work not the players.

Answer 8

Do activities as a team, make sure everyone is well connected and on the same page. You'll have what we call the group mind effect to where everyone knows what each other is thinking.

Answer 9

Play a 1-3-2 system with two of your midfielders acting as wing backs, need to be fit obviously. This way they need to support your striker and also act as full backs for your sweeper.

Answer 10

play the rotation system with players to keep them fit