by Izzet Inak

Created on: September 17, 2010

It can either be a derby, semi final match of the Champions League or the match that you will play against the rival school team next weekend. Big matches are being played everywhere in the world whether 50 or 50000 people watch it. These kinds of matches need bigger preparations than the other matches as it is an indescribable joy for the winning team’s coach, players and fans; and here is the ultimate guide on how to prepare for a big match.

Scouting is very important in the football (soccer) world and there are two kinds of scouting. Scouting a player and scouting a team. Scouts that are being used for each purpose are completely different. The opponent should be watched with an appropriate scout for at least 5 matches. Watching only one match won’t give many ideas about the rival team. If you do not have a scout, you need to scout the rival team by yourself. Take notes all the time about their tactics, player abilities, player characteristics and the style of play. Normally most of the coaches do not scout player characteristics but it is as important as any other thing. A defence player may be aggressive and you can tell your forwards to get fouls from him. That way you can force that aggressive player to get a yellow or a red card. If there is a skilled player in the opposition team, you can tell your midfielders, especially the defensive midfielder to harass that player. He can do professional fouls on him which are called Italian fouls. They are pretty much harsh but the referee won’t notice them most of the time.

In the world of football, if you stick to only one plan, your days of coaching will be numbered. You should have at least 3 tactics and you should at least prepare 2 more tactics for the upcoming big match. If you play with the same tactics all the time, you will only make it easier for the rival team to win the game. As you scouted the rival team, see if offside tactics or deep play tactics work; maybe you can play with a playmaker or fast wingers. It all depends on your notes that you took during the scouting.

The coaches do not pay too much attention on the player’s food and liquid intake. They definitely should. Before a big match, players tend to drink more liquid than they normally do and they might appear at the changing room with a full stomach which is not very good. Tell your players what to eat and what to drink before matches.

Even the professional players get stressed before a big game. Take your time to

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