Best Football Coaching Links of the Week: Newcastle, Competitive Anxiety & More

It was good to see Newcastle win promotion back to the Premier League both because of their fans but, I have to admit, also largely because of Rafa Benitez.  It has been quite a season for them in what is a tough and extremely long league where fitness is as important as talent.  So it was interesting to get a glimpse of how they had managed to keep the fitness levels high throughout the season.

There is often a lot of talk about statistics but rarely really solid examples on how those stats can be used in real life.  This is an exception, a look at how statistics can help determine the fingerprint of a football coach and what kind of influence they really have on a team.  Fascinating use of statistics.

Are Your Players Suffering From Competitive Anxiety?  Quite the question.

Often, the biggest test for a young player is that period when they find themselves on the bench after a period during which they were playing.  There you see what they are made of and, going by this interview, Marcus Rashford, had the perfect reaction by using that time to learn from those around him and improve.

TEAM TALK
“The playmakers need to read the game and need to be on the same page as the defenders and the forwards” – Guus Hiddink, Dutch managerial legend