From Community to Professional, this is my prediction for the winning soccer teams in the coming season

The last 19 months have been incredibly challenging for everyone, including our soccer teams. Particularly here in Melbourne, where so far, we have been the most locked-down city in the World, and our players have not been able to train as a group or play any competitive games. Kids have been forced to online schooling and spent long hours glued to the screens catching up with friends through social media platforms, while professional players have also lost their daily routines.  

On the other hand, Clubs have suffered dramatically during the past months in all the areas. Their sources of income have been severely affected, from sponsorships to fees, exploitation of Club’ facilities, tournaments, etc. Their budget has decreased drastically, so they can’t afford to hold onto or buy the best players. Therefore, to make the Club feasible moving forward, it must develop its current players along with their youth and senior careers.  

So which players, soccer teams and Clubs will come out of lockdowns and win for the coming season? From my point of view, it will be ones that put the right plans in place to grow their current talent covering those areas: 

The fitness component is usually the area that drops quickly, so players should have been given specific programs to keep their level of fitness high. Otherwise, as we have seen in other leagues, you can get injured before you are fit enough to play 90-minute games if you are not well prepared.  
Mental Health Staying disciplined on a daily basis, mentally strong, and motivated would prove to be the key to returning to the Club solid and ready to go. Support programs put in place, measured and monitored during these times will reap the benefit when they get back to competitive matches.  
Development of individual technical skills It should be completed daily so that the player doesn’t lose momentum. They should also work on both sides of their bodies, giving them a huge advantage and a greater probability of scoring goals and winning.  

Team’s engagement Although teamwork would have suffered in some capacity, watching videos of games and analysing what the best teams do tactically. As a result, it could have been a better way to use their screens for your overall development. Remote practical sessions with your team could have also enhanced the education for better teamwork. 

I’m sure that many players and teams have been training during lockdowns, and I would congratulate all of them for their extraordinary efforts. But have they been doing the proper training? Are they truly prepared for what’s coming up? I believe that the next season will be the most interesting one in our football history. It won’t be about having the larger budget but testing the team’s resilience and its capability to reinvent itself under pressure.

Let’s see what happens. Now THE SHOW MUST GO ON!  

Photo @jasonrcharters

CON BOUTSIANIS

Now read this ? Are you giving up your kid’s soccer dream?

FOLLOW ME ON SOCIAL MEDIA.  

? *Facebook*: Footballfirstbyconboutsianis 

? *Instagram*: Con Boutsianis 

? My Website*: Footballfirst.com.au 

 ? *Twitter*: Con Boutsianis 

▶️ *YouTube*: Football First Channel