Match Preparation - Not “Switched On” at Kickoff.
How can we ensure that players are focused and prepared both physically and mentally for the start of a match? This is something I have been pondering over the past few weeks, as my team hasn't been “switched on” at the start of any matches over the past month. The team raises its level as the match progresses, but the starts have been problematic in recent games.
How can we ensure that players are focused and prepared both physically and mentally for the start of a match? This is something I have been pondering over the past few weeks, as my team hasn't been “switched on” at the start of any matches over the past month. The team raises its level as the match progresses, but the starts have been problematic in recent games.
My team, consisting of 14-year-old boys, has had a recurring problem in every match we've played over the past month. The players are simply not “switched on” at the start of the match. What do I mean by "not switched on"? I mean that the players do not seem prepared for the match. For example, my players haven’t seemed ready either physically or mentally in the early stages of the matches we've played recently. The players execute actions with much lower quality than usual, are slow to react during transitions, and do not show enough intention on the pitch. For instance, they don't seem eager to make themselves available for passes.
These sluggish starts have often led to us finding ourselves in a tough match situation. For example, two weekends ago, we weren't switched on at the start, which led to several mistakes in the form of unnecessary misplaced passes and other ball losses. Moreover, we didn't transition properly when defending. After the first 20 minutes, we were down 0-4...
For the remaining 60 minutes, we played evenly with the opponents, giving them very few, if any, goal-scoring opportunities, but the match ended 0-4. We delivered a solid performance overall once we got into the game tempo, but the first 20 minutes, when we weren't switched on, determined the outcome.
Over the past month, we've had several matches with similar scenarios where we created a challenging match situation for ourselves due to a weak start in terms of performance. I then asked myself why we are starting matches so poorly. There are several factors I believe could have contributed to this problem:
Match preparation (warm-up)
Players' own diet and sleep/rest leading up to the match
How I, as a coach, manage the start of the match
As a coach of a team of 14-year-old boys, I don't have much control over how well players eat and rest before a match. I can inform and ask the players how they have handled this aspect and hold a meeting with the parents about the importance of good nutrition and sleep/rest in general. Beyond informing both parents and players on this point, there isn't much more I can do since it depends on personal responsibility. So, out of these factors, I initially felt that both match preparation, i.e., the warm-up, and how I coach from the sidelines must be the factors I can influence the most.
The match preparation we had been doing was more traditional—the kind of warm-up I did throughout my playing career. You start by warming up the body physically with a light jog and some activation exercises, then line up for different passing combinations, and finish with some shots on goal for the goalkeeper. After reflecting on this type of preparation, I realized it wasn't match-like at all, so I started making the match preparation more game-like. I did this by incorporating a rondo and a game-related exercise to try to get up to match tempo, then finishing with 1v1 breakaway scenarios to raise the outfield players' pulse through sprints while also providing more match-like finishing scenarios for the goalkeeper. In addition to changes in match preparation, I reflected on my own contribution from the sidelines and realized that I neither exude nor contribute much energy at the start of matches. This was something I felt the players lacked in recent games, and I concluded that if I want to see a change in behavior, I must be an example of that behavior. I decided to coach more actively from the first minute of the match, helping the players on the field with feedback during the game in the form of tactical directives and encouraging certain behaviors.
The combination of both changes has yielded results in all the matches we have played in the past two weeks, so it is difficult to pinpoint whether it was just one of the factors that was the problem or both.
But have you ever experienced the same problem with your teams? How do you get your players prepared before the start of the match? If you have any tips or opinions, please share!