In my years coaching young soccer players, I have found that there are two keys to being successful on the park. The first of these is the amount of possession your team enjoys and the second of these is field position. And the most important element of the team that I have found for these two factors is how strong my team is across the middle of the park. I have coached teams that have had strong defenders and a weak midfield, and no matter how strong the defenders they are usually overwhelmed by the opposition. I have also coached teams with strong attackers and a weak midfield and they have failed to score many goals because the strikers usually see very little of the ball.
The formation that you use will have a big bearing on your results. The two team formations that I have most used in youth soccer are 4-4-2 and 3-4-3. Both formations involve having four players in the middle of the park. When playing a 4-4-2 formation I like my left and right midfielders to be very mobile so that they can overlap the strikers. I have found this most successful when these two players are very fit, and they must be quick. I then like one of my central players to be creative to create opportunities going forward, and the other central midfielder I play in a holding role so they should be strong defensively.
Soccer Drills
When playing a 3-4-3 formation I like the wider midfielders to be more creative so as to create more opportunities for the three strikers. They do not need to be as mobile as for a 4-4-2 formation. Again I like to have one creative central midfielder and one that is strong defensively. This will give your midfield a good balance, create opportunities for your strikers, and ease pressure on your defenders.
What skills do your midfielders require? This is the subject for an entire article or series of articles. There are a number of roles that need to be fulfilled by the midfielders in the team. Midfield players should be mobile. They will cover more ground than any other player on the park, and be more involved in the play. They should have great fitness and speed. Midfield players should have a great first touch to bring the ball under control quickly. Players filling a creative role should have good vision and be able to execute both long and short passes. Players filling a defensive role should be great under pressure, strong in the tackle and have the ability to distribute the ball effectively after winning it.
In terms of the drills you can use to develop the skills of your midfielders there are many. The drills that I tend to focus on most are mobility drills, first touch drills, and passing drills. All mobility drills are performed with a soccer ball. I have always constructed my training sessions around maximizing the number of ball touches for every player in the team. First touch drills should involve all parts of the body with which the player can control the ball. The key focus of all of these drills should be bringing the ball under control quickly. First touch drills and passing drills can be incorporated together. Passing drills should involve long and short passes so that players become proficient with both. Passing drills should also give players an understanding of when the ball should be passed to other players feet and when it should be played in front of them.
When constructing your midfield there are a number of important considerations. The first of these should be the formation and strategy that you are going to use on the field. You should then look at the respective abilities of each of your midfield players and how they will fit into the formation. If your players do not fit into the formation you either need to use a different formation, find some new players, or train them in the areas they need to develop to make the formation effective. How you organise and train your midfield will have a large bearing on how much possession and field position your team enjoys when game time comes around.
Soccer Drills - Organising Your Midfield is the Key to Winning More Soccer Games