"The best coaches are the best tacticians." Now, this is bold statement, but is it something I strongly believe. Tactics create a team in which everyone knows their role when defending or attacking. Soccer tactics give confidence to players - they know what to do. Soccer tactics help develop players.

These statements are beliefs that have formed the basis of my Coaching Manuals and theories.

Coaching soccer tactics should be part of your coaching, it should also be paid very close attention to when deciding which way to coach, and how you will measure progress and development. At this point I should make clear that these views are mine, born out of research, and where possible I have tried to acknowledge all persons duly associated with quotes and comments I publish here and in my manuals.

Here's a flavour of what I think is important when talking and coaching soccer tactics:

"The aim of progressive coaches is to create a side that is an enjoyment to watch and plays good attacking football.

As a coach you want you and your team to enjoy the beautiful game and your players to develop as soccer players. Tactics help bring enjoyment. The more confident a player is, the more he/she will enjoy themselves, and they will play an active and creative part in the game. Coaches can give confidence... especially in children... so do, use praise, use points, use positive feedback!

Tactics explain what to do when attacking and defending. Tactics can be both creative (attacking) and destructive (when defending).

"The most important thing is tactics, 
the movement of your players

once the ball starts rolling"

Rafael Benitez
source: Champions Magazine

Tactics release creativity by attacking movement, timing, creating passing lines and choice of pass on offer. Plus it increases technical ability in tight spaces and spacial awareness. Attacking movement is determined by the attacking side. The team needs to move to create space, let creative players have the ball in places where they can be effective. If, for example, a player is a good ball 'dribbler' with skill, the team tactic will be to give him/her the ball in the areas where they can be most effective. The movement of the team will help create this space for the individual.

Defending is more about concentration and discipline than technical skill. Defensive movement is determined by the opposition. Defending does not give a player as much chance to demonstrate technical ability or creative skills. Defending is mostly destructive, and the movement and positioning is based of the fact that the ball may arrive in this space. Much defending is based on ‘what if' (the ball arrived), hence the player who has run back and is correctly in position to defend an attack, will often not have the ball played to the space they are in.

The observations above raise two key coaching points.

Firstly, good coaches should compliment a player whose movement has created space for another player! A good coach should also explain 'why' praise or compliments are given - other players will feed off this. Good coaches also need to spot the tireless and disciplined running of defenders, who are moving to be in the correct position - ie. closing a gap, filling a danger space. Also coaches should applaud the concentration required to read the game, and be in exactly the correct position to reflect the attack. We all like to be appreciated!

Secondly, good coaches of all teams aged under 18 should insist that the ball is regularly, if not always, played out from the back. How else can players develop?

So how does a coach get his/her side to play the beautiful game, to understand their defensive duties, and to attack well? Hopefully, the Coaching manuals will answer these questions.

Here's a little insight as to what 'Coaching Soccer Tactics' will do for you.

1. Develop confidence and enjoyment. Tactics give confidence to a team and its players and help them enjoy the game more as they are clear what they are supposed to do. Tactics get the best out of players as, when attacking, they will regularly get the ball an essential part of enjoying soccer. Understanding tactics will mean a coach will have the confidence to deliver a tactical team talk.

2. Demonstrate to coaches that they need to prioritise development and attacking play over the result. Teams need to play to dominate games, create chances and hopefully score goals and if they do this and lose it does not matter! Why? Becasue in the long run the players will be better and the team will eventually win. Allow time for progress and development, modern managers may not get much time in jobs, but with coaching kids we have time on our side.

3. Show you how to coach tactics and what to coach. When coaching it is important to move from the general to the specific. To start any coaching session by considering it in the game situation it relates to, this can be on the pitch or a whiteboard etc. Players should have the chance to ask and answer questions. All the drills that follow can now easily be related to the game. The book breaks down the movement and passing required to successfully play the ball out from the back. How to defend well is also explained.

4. Looks at successful teams and coaches to see the tactics they use and learn from them.

Each section has an theory section relating the tactical points to the professional game. There are quotes from top coaches and examples from top games. Like all theories this helps us understand soccer and what makes a good team. In good teams players understand their role when they are in one of three stages attacking, defending and the transition.

Tactics win games, they organise teams. Tactics explain why and where players position themselves when they are attacking and defending, the best passing options and speed at which the ball is moved. Tactics help get the best from players and stop the opposition getting the best from their players. Organised teams can beat teams with better players. Teams often lose, as we shall see, due to lack of organisation not lack of effort or technique.

Tactics do not stay the same throughout a game. They change according to the score, to reflect the opposition, playing conditions and the availability of players. Therefore , a successful team needs a range of tactics: they need to be adaptable and flexible. To have flexibility in the tactics adopted requires flexibility in the type of pass used. Teams need to play a mixed passing game. This means a team plays long and short passes and is always looking for a forward ball and to switch the point of attack to find space. It means players make the right choices in terms of the type of pass or whether to dribble.

The manual covers all aspects of the game attacking and defending. It contains the same simple drills as in As simple guide to soccer tactics but has a theory section for each relating it to the professional game. In addition it has a section on formations.