Well, this weekend did not go as planned at all. In order to avoid reliving the torment, I'll avoid posting scores, but suffice it to say that I was blindsided by what happened over the last three days.
I had no idea how my team would perform against another team or where my players were technically in relation to other U9 players. I put us in the top division of the tournament to see how we measured up against the top teams in the area--I found out the hard way.
The first game came at us quickly. We struggled to hold the ball, and the other team's players were more advanced technically than mine. For example, while my players have trouble making clean 5-yard passes, the players on this team were capable of 30-yard passes easily. We showed flashes of good play and created some pressure at the end of the game. In fact, we hung with them well in the second half.
Throughout the first game, we played a 2-1-2 formation, as was suggested by several coaches at the club. We continued with this formation during the second game, but it was really a struggle. I don't think the players have learned positioning, so we often left opposing attackers unmarked. As I explained to my players, a team doesn't even have to be better than us to score on us--we leave them open. Anyone can score if they are left wide open.
During the pre-game warmups until this point, I had the boys work on attacking by forming two lines, essentially a left and right forward, and had them string passes together before taking a shot. I changed this drill during the third game this morning.
I changed our formation from a 2-1-2, to a 1-2-1-1/diamond defense. I basically had a sweeper, left and right back, and a stopper/midfielder. I then maintained a single striker. It was important for our team to learn to keep their shape and mark opposing players. So, during the pre-game warmup I had them line up in this formation and just pass to each other. I showed them that they could maintain possession even by hardly moving from this shape. I thought they looked good in the warmups.
It showed instantly in the third game--we scored the first goal and allowed the other team to touch the ball only twice before we scored. Even after the goal, we maintained possession pretty well. We soon fell apart, however, and went back to some old habits: leaving players open, losing the ball in the middle of the field, not coming back on defense after pushing up, not looking before we pass, not playing aggressive and contesting 50-50 balls. It was frustrating for me because I could tell that the boys knew what I wanted to do at times, but couldn't maintain it. Some things, however, we have just not worked on enough--positioning, defending, communication--and so those errors, as well as many others, are clearly on me.
Moving forward, there is a lot we need to work on; however, the weekend was not a total loss. I now know what is realistic for these kids. I've seen U9 players that can make 30-yard passes, shoot from the 18, and make composes passes under pressure. I see no reason why my guys can't do the same things. While I thought I was going to be a more tactical coach, I now see that I also have to be a technical coach as well. This will probably be good for the kids, as I'll be able to focus on the fundamentals with them and improve their mechanics. It will also be good for me, as I'll be able to teach the kids how I want them to play.
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