For the first time in as long as I can remember, a football match of such importance not only lived up to but far surpassed any hype which preceded it. The build up for yesterday’s Champions League climax was palpable. That it was an all English final gave the British media something to chew on given the lack of home country participation in the European Championships. That made it even more significant from their perspective ; this was the pinnacle of their season, their last attempt at reminding the good British people that we do in fact have a domestic football product to be proud of.

That this was the first ever all English Champions League final only added to the pre match drama that has been unfolding for weeks. Manchester United and Chelsea, the current ‘Big Two’, going head to head again for the richest prize in the business…with the world watching. It could only end up as an anti climax, surely?

Wrong.

What a viewing spectacular it was, for fans of either side, neutrals and even the non football supporting public alike. This was entertainment at its finest, showcasing what we already know to be the beautiful game to an otherwise oblivious audience. Mums who usually take time to iron whilst husband and son watch ‘the match’ were seen teetering on sofa arms as Drogba hit the post from 25 yards. Girlfriends who spent evenings on social networking websites in the past left the laptop to the side and joined the boyfriend who grimaced as Ronaldo saw his penalty saved. All around the country people were joined together. Not in support of either Manchester United or Chelsea necessarily, but as fans taken on the glorious proverbial roller coaster that only live sport, and dare I say football specifically, can provide.

Forget the quality of the technical side of the game that was on offer — I’ll come to that in a moment — last night was all about entertainment. Chelsea fans may scarcely agree with me, but I will go on record as saying that football reached out to the masses, grabbed them by the collar and gave them a white knuckle ride that many will never forget. I know I won’t. Football is the beautiful game. I know that and you do too. But waking up this morning, perhaps…just perhaps, there will be more converts all around the globe. And if so, then surely, the real winner was football on a night that could forever define a legacy.

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Enough mainstream pandering…let’s analyse and talk tactics, systems and phases of play.

Some had called this a meeting of Beauty and The Beast ; the free flowing, incisive and attacking football of Manchester United coming up against the Chelsea machine — efficient if a little ugly. A little harsh perhaps, but to be fair to both sides, each played to their strength and enjoyed their success off the back of that. Manchester United showed their intent from the off — playing two conventional wide men in Hargreaves on the right and Ronaldo on the left, and two semi-conventional centre forwards in Rooney and Tevez. Ferguson never goes 4-4-2. Ever. So to best summarise this system I will refer to it as a 4-4-1-1 when in possession but in reality it was more a 4-5-1 during transition and when Chelsea were in possession.

The first twenty minutes went to plan — cagey, neither side wanting to give too much away and really it was, pardon the overused analogy these days, like two fighters sussing the other out and searching for a weakness that could be exploited later in the contest.

Manchester United love to play out from the back — goalkeeper plays to centre back and then one of either Scholes or Carrick will drop into space and look for the short ball. From here they will launch an attack, either a lofted diagonal ball looking for a runner in behind or simple into feet. They were given too much time to do this, Chelsea sat off, didn’t press and lay too deep as a defensive unit, allowing two excellent passers of the ball something they should never be given. Space. With space comes time; time to get the head up, see what’s around and as a result make correct decisions. These two, Scholes in particular, were the base on which the Utd attack was built in the first period.

He had two willing runners out wide in Ronaldo and Hargreaves and his link up play led to the opening goal, a delightful first time flick to Wes Brown who delivered a deep and probing cross for Ronaldo to attack with venom and finesse in equal measure. Being critical, I have to say that Essien (who sprung to life in the second period) was guilty of ball watching and falling into the trap of NOT following the process that every good fullback should. Ball — Man — Ball. However it would be wrong to take anything away from the goal which was deserving as it was well executed from start to finish.

Chelsea were guilty of allowing Utd to play to their strengths and that cost them. They themselves were always going to play direct and look to test the two centre backs and although Drogba got some mileage out of Vidic in the early exchanges, he always looked decidedly off the pace. As a lone striker you have two principal tasks. Firstly you must challenge aerially, look to win those first balls and win possession. In this respect I give him a 5 for effort.

The second key aspect of the role is to bring teammates into the game and this is something that he struggled to do, perhaps very costly in hindsight. The width of the attack, Cole and Malouda spent much of the first half as viewers and their impact on the game was minimal at best. To some extent, given the system of play, Drogba is responsible for involving them in the game with little give-and-go’s and balls into the channel to chase. This was lacking and Evra and Brown were given little to test them in the first period.

The Chelsea goal, as fortuitous as it may have seen, just embellishes their reputation as a side who have the toughest mental attitude in world football. You see, what made this game so special on the night was that each side dominated in periods and they did so when they played to their strengths. Man United in the first half kept possession, passed the ball well and looked to attack. They were on top without question. In the second period Chelsea upped the tempo of their pressing game, they gave United less time to play and as a result possession was turned over more often. From here their midfield was allowed to come into the game more. Lampard and Ballack got more of the ball and their attacking thrust was revived. As a result Scholes, Carrick and the Utd midfield were reduced to defending for long periods rather than serving as ball players as they had in much of the first half.

Star man for me? Well Hargreaves must get a mention for his hard work down the right flank and then when he tucked into a central role. Ronaldo showed discipline out on the left and provided width throughout the game which stretched the Chelsea defence and gave Tevez and Rooney space in which to play. For me personally though, the accolade will be shared between two squads of players who gave us as entertaining a football spectacle as I can remember.

Yes at times it was a war of attrition and there was some sloppy play in periods, but what it lacked in flowing, incisive technical football, it made up for in thrills and spills. A memorable final, one that deserves its place in the spotlight for quite some time to come.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Hello SL readers and welcome to what I hope will become a regular feature here on the website. As a young and aspiring coach within the game I approached Ahmed with the idea of getting my views and analysis heard on the SL stage. He liked the idea and so here we are.

It has become an overused cliché, but for me, football really is the beautiful game; combining individual skill with tactical depth and levels of passion and excitement that cannot be found in any other walk of life. The game offers something different for everyone. My best mate loves going down the boozer, having a few pints and watching a top flight Premiership clash. For him that is football and indeed entertainment at its’ finest. Me? I enjoy nothing more than sitting in front of the TV with my pencil and notebook and making observations about a team’s particular attacking phase of play and how it would be more effective if their front man’s movement off the ball was a bit sharper.

Same difference, no?

Welcome to the world of a coach. Someone who analyses the game rather than observes it. Are all coaches the same? Absolutely not. The best mate I talked about earlier is head coach at a semi-professional under 18′s team, but quite frankly when watching the game on TV, his focus is purely on visual and emotional entertainment. Fair play. Me on the other hand, I love to scrutinize performances, study systems of play and generally try to educate myself about the game as much as possible. Such is it’s depth and variety, I could do it from now until I am 80 (23 today as it happens…) and I would still only have scratched the surface of knowledge.

How did *I* get into coaching? Injuries at 17 and 19 cut short any semblance of a playing career which I may have had and so for me the logical thing to do was to move into a coaching role. From a young age I had always maintained a pertinent interest in the tactical side of the game and as a player it was my strong suit. “He lacks pace, his first touch is crap, he can’t pass and he sure as hell couldn’t finish so much as a fish supper….but God he doesn’t half read the game well.”

Sound familiar anyone?

A question I get asked a lot is how people get into coaching; what steps they take to get involved with a club, how to go about obtaining qualifications and what experience they need as a player. My response is as simple as it is succinct. Just do it. The grassroots game in this country is crying out for volunteers and coaches to get out and get involved with a club. We can lament the lack of funds and quality of facilities all day long, but as important as they are, they can be overcome with sufficient personnel. After all it is the coach who is responsible for the transfer of knowledge, not state of the art changing rooms or shiny new Nike T90 footballs.

As luxurious and enjoyable as it is to train on a pitch reminiscent of a perfectly maintained bowling green, we must be realistic and prioritise. Top of the list is installing the right people with the correct modus operandi to take the game forward and ensure that it continues to develop for the years ahead. Opportunities in your local community will be vast; I can almost guarantee that any club you approach will welcome you with open arms. Like anything, the hardest thing is to take that first step into the unknown. Feel under-qualified or lacking ability? First and foremost if you have the right attitude and approach, then the rest will fall into place on the back of that; experience and knowledge come from making mistakes, moving on from then and most importantly from working with those people around you who have seen and done it all before.

One thing I will stress to all coaches is not to get hung up on the subject of their badges, or lack of, as the case may often be. As you progress and the higher level you wish to coach at, then yes you will obviously be required to obtain the relevant qualifications as a measure of ability and competency. However do not assume that coaching is all about badges, licences etc – there is so much more to being an effective coach than simply being able to say that you hold a UEFA B Licence.

Aside from that word of caution, badges and courses are still a great way of developing your own range of abilities. As you progress from Level One upwards, the range of study and course focus rightfully moves from the simplistic to the more advanced at a level which should challenge but not alienate the majority of students. The starting point for coaches (editor’s note: in Great Britain) is the FA Level One award – certain county FA’s may run Grassroots or Junior Leader awards but the first official step on the coaching ladder is with the Level One. From here you would progress to Level Two (UEFA C) through Three (UEFA B) and then upwards of your Level Four ‘A’ Licence, with most people finishing up here although some will invariably go on to complete the much lauded Pro Licence; a requirement for those wanting to manage at the highest level.

The FA’s official website is a very useful tool in gaining an insight into each of the levels and their various components. From here you can then look at any courses upcoming in your own area and how to go about enrolling. Level One is focused very much on providing an introduction to coaching; looking at organisation of sessions, player development, health and safety do’s and don’ts as well as involving some fun mini-games and drills which, speaking from experience, work well with all age groups.

Perhaps the most enjoyable aspect of any coaching course is the camaraderie and relationship which you will strike up with your peers; those individuals who are at the same stage as you are in their coaching career and who, generally but not always, have the same experience, skills and limitations. You work together when participating in your sessions, united with your passion for the game and desire to succeed. It’s truly a worthwhile experience.

If there is anyone out there who has read this article and felt motivated into doing something about their subconscious harbouring to become integrated into the football coaching society, then this has achieved something at the very least. To the rest of you I say give it a go. You might be surprised at what you find.

Written by Nigel Law.

Editor’s note: Also see BBC’s Want to be a football coach? article

From Soccerlens.com - Football News