Welcome to the July 2022 edition of Elite Soccer. In this month’s issue we have five new training practices written for us by a selection of leading professional soccer coaches and sporting academics. 

We begin this issue with a Premier League session shared by Paul Heckingbottom, the manager of newly promoted Sheffield United. It’s a session that encourages players to make forward runs – both on and off the ball – from any position on the pitch.

We’re delighted to welcome Joe Montemurro back to the pages of Elite Soccer. Formerly the manager of Arsenal Women, Joe is currently in charge of Juventus Women and he has penned a session that is all about collective defending principles. It focuses on team organisation when pressing from the front and defensive organisation when the press is beaten by the opposition.

Cameron Toshack recently served in the Premier league as assistant head coach to Jesse Marsch at Leeds United and he has contributed a training plan that’s all about the defensive transition and building possession.

Fresh from managing Hellas Verona in Italy’s Serie A, Gabriele Cioffi has shared a session that is all about attacking deep, while football academics David Eldridge, Craig Pulling, Chris Pocock and James Feist, further explore research they have done at the University of Chichester into the different types of practices that may develop scanning behaviour.

I hope you find that this month’s sessions will assist your coaching and please let us know how you get on. 
We will return next month with five more sessions to help develop your team.