Offside position = when ahead of (*see 2) both the ball & the 2nd last defender
*”Ahead of” does not include arms and hands
Foul is called when player becomes active in play (i.e. receives a pass, blocks goalkeeper’s view, impedes an opposing player)
No offsides during throw-ins, goal kicks, corner kicks, or in the player’s own half
Pass must be from a teammate for offside to be considered
Key moment is “When the ball is PASSED, NOT WHEN IT’S RECEIVED!”
Deflections off a player or a post are not considered; the key moment would still be the original pass (this includes a goalkeeper making a save: the rebound position is not considered… only the position of the player as his teammate was taking the original shot)
Nottingham Forest (in the bright yellow) took an early lead against Sheffield United (red and white stripes) with this goal, watch the clip and think how could the defending team have prevented this goal? Scroll down after you’ve had a think…
What did you think? Here are my thoughts… as the ball is crossed the Sheffield United number 23 slips, leaving 2 Forest players free to eventually score. This is unfortunate but accidental things like this can happen, the chance could have been prevented much earlier in the play. Watch from the very start of the clip, the Sheffield United number 4 dives into a tackle, this allows the Forest player to ‘chop’ past them, before playing a lobbed through ball over the defence for the forward to chase. The Forest forward timed their run well to stay onside. Now watch the Sheffield United number 6 who is marking the Forest player who is running towards the by line, they’re more focused on pushing the player than what is happening with the ball. They end up pushing the Forest player but don’t block the ball. Had they not close as close and focused on getting them self between the ball and the goal they would have probably blocked the ball and conceded a corner instead.
This video provides a introduction to the rules of offside, before moving on to how as an attacking player you can stay onside, exploiting space to get in dangerous attacking positions.
AC Milan fullback Alessandro Florenzi demonstrates just how effective a one-two pass can be. The Italian plays the ball to the right winger, continues forward, receives the ball back on the run and powers an unstoppable shot past the goalkeeper. A prime example of how a fullback can exploit space to get into dangerous attacking areas.
You may remember a few weeks back at a Friday evening training sessions trying out ‘the chop’, changing the direction of the ball while dribbling with a quick chop-like motion. Here is one of the greatest players of all time, Lionel Messi showing how it is done.
Improve your ball control with these tips and drills. This video covers how to control the ball from short passes and mid range passes, and directional touches – all vital skills for ANY position!
With 89 minutes on the clock in the second leg of the Champions League semi Real Madrid were about to be knocked out of the competition. Losing 1-0 on the night, and 5-3 on aggregate against Manchester City, they needed 2 goals to take the game to extra time. In 89 minutes of the game they hadn’t managed a shot on target, but… they kept going, kept trying and sensationally managed to score 2 goals in 2 goals to take the game to extra time, before getting and scoring a penalty in extra time to win the game.
It only takes a few seconds to score a goal, keep trying and keep playing until the very end.
Watch the first 3 minutes 50 seconds to learn fast footwork exercises to increase the speed and coordination of your feet.
Fast and coordinated footwork can improve your performance on the pitch, and with these speed ladder drills, you can take your foot speed to another level. Fast footwork and balance are essential for turning, dribbling and moving sharper on the pitch. Incorporate these drills into your training sessions to see huge improvements in your game.