Make Your Own Playmaker

Small-sided games can be used to develop skills that make players stand out in matches, says David Clarke.

A skilful player causes excitement

We all have favourite players that cause a stir of excitement when they get the ball because we know that something will happen - a defence splitting pass, a clever one-two, a flick or a spin. It’s the playmaker in action. For anyone old enough to remember the great teams of the 70s and 80s every team had a playmaker who got the crowds on their feet.

Encourage the skilled players

So the idea behind this training session is to encourage the development of a playmaker. The player will be working on his technique - passing and receiving - and his communication and decision making, as well as adding his own flair.


How it works

Set up a 4v4 match, then chose your playmaker who is the extra player. Put him in a different coloured bib. He plays for the team in possession. For either team to score a goal the play must go through the playmaker.

The playmaker will see a lot of the ball and make many decisions. It is this repetition that will improve passing, receiving and decision making.


Key coaching tips

More involvement, less pressure, lots of fun allows the more skilled players to develop.

*Publisher's Tip*

Positional Sense

Asking young players to play in particular positions is a double-edged sword. Below a certain age players will take your instructions very literally. They haven't spent years watching the game on TV as we have and so they don't necessarily understand that a midfielder like Frank Lampard or Bryan Robson is supposed to move forward and support the attack. Or your young defenders won't know that they should try to overlap the wide midfielders the way Roberto Carlos or Ashley Cole do.

It's a tricky concept to explain to young players. Very often I see defenders in particular stand exactly on the corner of their own penalty area at kick-off and stay there throughout the match.

Soccer is about freedom of expression as well as responsibility and commitment to the team. All players should be encouraged to get into the game. Your defenders must be able to move up and down the pitch relative to where the ball is at any given time.

To be able to do that they need confidence. And that's where we come in as coaches. Explain to your players that the position of defender is a starting position only. Show them how they can support the midfield or overlap to create width. Show your midfielders how they can interact with the strikers to score goals themselves.

A good way to do this is to get your players together and watch a live match where you can point out this movement to them in real time. This will inspire them and show them the potential that their role offers. By the way, Dave Clarke's Soccer Coach Weekly features articles and sessions every week designed to show all your players how they can develop these skills and how they can reach their true potential in a game situation.

The game isn't one-dimensional and nor are your players. It's up to you to show them what they can contribute to the team.

* Inspirational Quotation *

“Soccer needs the playmakers. Johnny Haynes was the first, but then you had Glenn Hoddle, Stan Bowles, Trevor Brooking, Tony Currie, Alan Hudson, the creative types. Players that set up teams to attack, to create, to score.”

George Best, 1946-2005, Manchester Utd and Northern Ireland

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