Modern Soccer Coach

How much freedom should coaches have when designing training sessions, and how much ownership should young players have within those sessions? In the latest Modern Soccer Coach Podcast, Gary sits down with James Wilson, academy coach at Al-Qadsiah in Saudi Arabia, to explore the balance between structure, creativity, and player development. James challenges the idea of rigid coa...

Modern Soccer Coach is delighted to announce an outstanding lineup of international speakers for the MSC Global Youth Development Conference, taking place online on Saturday, January 2, 2027. This FREE event will bring together leading coaches, academy practitioners, and youth development specialists from across the global game to share ideas, challenge conventional thinking, an...

Are your rondos actually improving your team tactically, or are they simply an extension of your warm-up? Rondos are fantastic tools for developing technical quality, intensity, and engagement, but how much of that work transfers into the game? In this week's MSC Breakdown, we explore the difference between activation rondos and tactical rondos, looking at how coaches can design...

Another week of practical training ground content at Modern Soccer Coach, featuring three excellent coaching ideas from different levels of the game. This week, we're looking at how to improve your back four, a finishing exercise inspired by Mikel Arteta at Arsenal, and a tactical passing warm-up from Diego Simeone's Atlético Madrid. Three different topics, but plenty of ideas a...

One of the most common questions coaches ask about match analysis is, "What software should I use?" But before investing in cameras, coding platforms, or expensive technology, there's a much more important question to answer: How do you actually see the game? Effective tactical analysis starts with a clear coaching philosophy, a defined game model, and an understanding of the pr...