Match specific defending
in Defending
Use this session to teach players the key points involved in being a solid defensive team – namely patience, and the ability to delay the opposition in order to allow for cover and support from team mates. MORE
Dean Smith
After finishing playing in January 2005, Dean Smith started his coaching career working with youth players at Leyton Orient, but he was soon promoted to assistant manager. Returning to his first club, Walsall, he worked as head of youth, but was given the manager’s job in January 2011, initially on a caretaker basis. Staying in the post for nearly five years, he led the Saddlers to the final of the Football League Trophy in 2015 for their first ever Wembley appearance. He managed Brentford from 2015 to 2018, where he built a team respected for its attractive style of play. Smith joined Aston Villa in late 2018.
