Dear all,

For those that played today - well done, I thought it was a really good start - we had more of the possession and scoring chances, the team was positive towards each other and we all worked hard. Please take a read of key learning points to take to next week's game:

Defenders
1. When we have possession, center backs play deep, to ensure the right back and left back have an option to transfer
2. When transferring, make sure we scan left and right and forward, to check where the space is (no auto pilot) and concentrate on controlling the ball quickly and moving it on quickly. Running with the ball is slower than passing it (and if we run with it, we are more likely to get pegged back in our own half)
3. If you can't find a player in space and need to pass through a line of opposition players, take a few steps towards them before you pass through them - this will give them less time to react / intercept

Midfield
1. Dominate your area of the pitch (the middle are between the 23 m lines)
2. Be selective about when you step out of your area - if you step out of your area all the time, we will lose our shape (and you will get tired!)
3. When we are defending, stick close together as a midfield - and act as a shield moving left and right across the pitch
4. Lets get our stat's up (80% pass completion - and higher if we are in our own half!)

Forwards
1. Stay ahead of the ball - if we are attacking, think p-spot, baseline and in particular far post
2. If you can, practice shooting off your right and left foot, forehand and backhand - more power please, shooting more often on the ground towards the far post!
3. When we lose the ball, lets work hard for 10 seconds to get back in front of the ball quickly

We talked about lots of this, but will cover again in the team talk next week. We are in West London (teams tend to be a bit stronger, so please try and be available if you can).

Well done again and hope to see you at training on Wednesday.

Angus