PSV Eindhoven U11 Youth Team
D1 Team (Age 11) Sixteen Players and Two Goalkeepers
Warm-Up |
Moving around the field, the players pass to their partner who lays the ball off and then moves to receive the return pass. Players alternate working on passing and receiving for one minute.
Pass and Move - Progression |
Finishing
Two grids, 30 x 40 yards, with one goal and a keeper. Player 1 passes to player 2 who attacks player 3 (1 v 1) and tries to finish with a shot on goal. Two fields are working at the same time so there is constant movement and rotation.
Emphasis |
The players then took a five minute break working on juggling and the two moves they practiced during the warm-up.
Half-Field Game
Emphasis |
Coaching Points
The players were organized by position and could not cross over to another position during the game
Free play with constant movement and running off the ball
Looking for hard work and good passing technique
Coach demanded two-touch (pass and move) unless attacking a defender
Progression
The game was finished by playing 5 v 3 (four defenders + keeper vs. three forwards) in each half. This created a numbers-up situation for the attacking team playing from the back.
Cool Down
Jogging and stretching.
Observations
The attitude of the players was first class. They worked hard, played with discipline and listened to their coach.
They had pace on their passes, talked non-stop and were constantly moving on and off the ball.
The coach gave push-ups and sit-ups to the whole team when the equipment wasn't picked up and packed away in a timely fashion.
During rest periods the players always had to be juggling the ball. PSV uses juggling as a tool to get the players to refocus on the ball, the coach, and the information being taught.
The pace and level of execution was not the same as the U-18's, but there was no mistaking the style and pattern of play.
Set plays were part of the practice and were used as much as possible in the final game.
PSV had a young player named Fransisco on trial from Anderlecht in Belgium. He was one of a number of foreign players PSV was looking to bring in to the club to develop for the future.