Three things to take
away from the first ever Liverpool Academy Clinics in Manila
words and pictures by rick olivares tactics by liverpool
It was a treat to be able to attend the second day of
the Liverpool FC Academy Football Clinics. Day Two was at La Salle Greenhills
where I got to observe and sit down with academy coaches Philip Anthony Oliver
and Colin Wilson who were conducting the clinics.
With a full sked on their plate and some 250 kids to
teach, there wasn’t much time to teach.
“We base each session differently because we’ve never
seen a lot of the boys so we use the first five minutes to gauge where the boys
are at,” explained Coach Colin. “Then we work on passing, possession games,
shooting. We want the kids to be express themselves on the pitch and that will
allow us to properly assess their skills and capabilities. Expression also
allows a player to be able to adapt to defenses.”
“We all have our session mapped out but it can be
modified,” amended Coach Phil. “There isn’t one specific thing we teach.
Obviously, we base what we teach on our core values on what we call, ‘The
Liverpool Way’ that is our code of ethics and has been a part of the club for a
very long time. But the core of the teachings is to keep hold of the ball, build
up from the back then be creative and aggressive in our attack. Be very
positive.”
“There isn’t one set of way of playing,” Coach Colin
emphasized, “hence, the need for the lads to be very quick in assessing the
situation and to adapt. Be creative.”
“The way the first team has performed this season and
given life to Brendan Rogers philosophies gives us the credibility to teach
these lessons,” said Coach Phil. “All throughout the clinics, we keep reminding
the kids of three of our values that we want them to be a part of their game --
be positive at all times and maintain possession, build up from the back, and
be very creative and aggressive in the attack.”
“At the end of the session, I ask the players what
messages can they remember,” summarized Coach Colin. “Even if they can remember
only two that’s a good start. Now hopefully, they can keep that in their minds
when they play.”
A strong
and dominant 1v1
In one of the main teachings of the day, the coaches
harped on being dominant and strong in their 1v1. What 1v1 means is “one versus
one”.
Success in 1v1 can be achieved with a quick
assessment of the situation, a feint to send the defender one way then putting
on a burst of speed to either finish off the play or find another teammate who
is in a better position to score.
A) A midfielder finds a forward with a pass.
B) Forward has to quickly control the pass and to
size up his defender if possible before he turns. The idea is to get him off
balance with a quick feint to send him one way then either go inside (the
middle of the pitch) or outside (the right or left side of the pitch) then move
forward towards the goal.
It is important for the attacker to be able to beat
his defender going inside or outside.
What is crucial here aside from the dribbling skills
is the speed of thought. A quick and correct assessment in beating the defender
can put the attacking team in a very good position to score.
Build-up
from the back.
Liverpool plays a variety of formations. The 4-2-3-1
has been the rage of recent years but this past season, Rogers has given
opposing teams different looks with a more unconventional 3-5-2 formation or as
they showed late in the season, 4-3-3.
It is bold and daring because at the fulcrum of the attack
is Steven Gerrard with attacking backs like Jon Flanagan and Glen Johnson able
to make the most of their speed and ability to link up on the attack.
Building up from the back allows one to see the whole
field and the opposing team’s defense. Short passes will stretch the defense
and allow the offense to pick apart a foe that is scrambling to dispossess a
Liverpool player of the ball.
Staying
positive: be very creative in one’s attack
Positivity breeds confidence and that is important in
beating defenders and/or scoring.
A positive mindset is needed at all times. The
defense will do all it can to dispossess an attacker. Staying positive after
losing possession, after a failed attack, or keeping the defense guessing with
smart football will go a long way in securing the win. Dribbling skills will
allow a player to get from point b to point a which is where you want to go. No
doubt the defense will have studied an attacker strengths and weaknesses and
force one to do something he is not comfortable with.
“We’ve got nothing but positive reports to bring back
to Liverpool from Manila,” summed up Coach Phil. “We’d like to be back
obviously. And it’s good that the Philippines is receiving a lot of interest.
Chelsea’s been here for a while and we heard that Barcelona and United have
been here as well. We also heard that there’s a big following for Liverpool
over here and that is nice to hear. Hopefully, with a strong partner like
Standard Chartered we can do this again and reach out to more Filipinos. Who
knows maybe one day we will see a Filipino play for Liverpool.”
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Super thanks to Nimmi Kamal and Anne dela Torre of Standard Chartered! Extremely grateful for the help and the invite. And to my bro, Coach Alvin Ocampo!
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