LCSFYL U9 SL 2025/2026 (London County Saturday Football Youth League) - PW Dons

We played in 1-2-3-1.

Our team was physically strong than the opposition, and had overall better players technically wise too.
However, as extremely normal in these ages, tactical awareness is still a part of the game to flourish, when the meantime, the individual plays are still normal to happen in a regularly basis.

The opposition had a few approaches to our goal, and were lethal by scoring 2 goals in 3 clear chances they had in the first half.
I had one session with them before this match, so for me as a coach, is to allow them to make mistakes, to experiment different positions. The results, honestly are not the most important thing in these ages, but yes, their enjoyment, and learning process as individuals (first) to then build up team play.
Therefore, at half-time, I changed a few positions, but mainly focused on giving them morale and building their resilience to turn around the game. So the focus was mainly on their psychological components, and then just focusing on something simple, when a player dribbles an opponent calls the attention of a second defender, that means we can find someone free to pass, and then move.
The boys were all fantastic, and we manage to equalise the match in 5 minutes.
Then, they scored the 3-2, but we kept on being the better team, as the chip of trying to use each player individual attributes towards to the team by creating several 2v1s (pass and move), and then we managed to come back again, and score 3 goals.
Final score: 5-3
Congratulations on the effort, and the belief that when we all enjoy playing and we all support each other, we are closer to achieve better things.