10 Soccer Mistakes That Make You Average

Today we'll show you 10 mistakes that separate average players from great players. You're watching AllAttack. Mistake number one, exposing the ball. When average players control the ball, they often touch the ball a little out in front of themselves. Which makes sense, because touching the ball out in front makes it easier to make the next pass. But the problem is, touching the ball out in front doesn't always work. Because if there's a defender within a few yards of you, then touching the ball out in front just gives them an invitation to come and tackle you. So that's why, if you're receiving a ball when a defender's close, and you want to keep possession, your first touch either has to be away from them, or you have to take a touch close to your body before turning away from them. The bottom line is, if there's a defender within a few yards, you have to take a touch that's going to protect the ball. Mistake two, not listening to defenders. If you can't sense the defender when they're closing you down from behind, you're going to lose the ball. Because the truth is, even if you've checked your shoulder and seen the defender incoming, most of the time during the play, you still have to look at the ball. And so you're not going to know exactly how close the defender is just by checking your shoulder. There are going to be times when you're looking at the ball, and you're not sure exactly when the defender is going to get to you. And so that's why great players listen for the defender. When the defender gets real close, they can hear their footsteps and their movements. And then they instantly know they either need to protect the ball, pass the ball, or flick the ball past them. Mistake three, not adjusting passes to your teammates. Sometimes a player will play a great pass in front of a teammate, the kind of pass that a teammate could potentially run onto and get in behind the defense. But then their teammate isn't able to get there, leading to the passer being upset with their teammate. But here's the thing, that failed play, it's not the runner's fault. It's the passer's. Because if you're the passer, it's your job to adjust your pass to your teammate's abilities. And so you have to think, how fast is my teammate? What kind of pass should I play them? And then you adjust the ball depending on them. And that doesn't just apply to situations where a teammate is running. It could be, oh, my teammate is good at controlling the ball with his chest, so I can play the ball in the air. Or this player isn't good at holding the ball up when a defender is on his back, so I'm going to play it in behind. The point is, you should know your teammates and play to their strengths. Look, everyone wants to play a pass that creates a goal. The pass that splits defenders. The pass that goes over the defense and the forward runs onto. But the problem is, many players try it too often. They try over and over again to play the ball through a tiny gap. Or play the ball in behind the defense, even when the defender has a good chance of getting there, causing their team to repeatedly lose the ball. And so that's why being a great player is about decision making. Take a moment and ask yourself, is there a 50% chance or more of me making this pass? Because if there's not, your team will likely prefer you play an easier pass that keeps possession. Most players, when they think about getting better, they think about techniques. They think, if I just have the best shooting, the best dribbling, the best passing, then I should be a professional player. But unfortunately, that's not the case. Because although technique matters, what matters even more is the speed at which you can read the game. For example, take this clip of Tielemans. Every time he receives the ball, he instantly has a defender in his face. And so he has to notice the defender, take the perfect touch, see his teammate, and then play the perfect pass all in about one second. I cannot begin to describe how fast the game becomes as you move up in levels. And so that's why being a great player is less about technique and more about how fast you can think. 6. Not being able to pass with your first touch There are some basic techniques, though, that are essential to playing quickly. And one technique average players often lack is the ability to accurately play first-time passes. Especially difficult first-time passes, where the ball is coming at you quickly. And so that's why to become a higher level player, it's essential that you practice with other players. Other players who will pass the ball to you firmly. Mistake 7. Not communicating When players don't speak up and tell their teammates what's going on around them, it leads to problems. So that's why if a defender has a teammate on behind them, you tell them man on. And if they have space, you tell them to turn. And in general, if you think there's something important that a teammate needs to know, then you need to speak up and let them know. 8. Not taking a touch in front of goal When average players receive a ball in front of goal, oftentimes they feel the pressure of the situation and try to hit the ball first time. And while it's true that sometimes you do have to hit the ball first time if you don't have the time to take a touch, oftentimes, especially in lower level games, players have the space to take a touch. And if they take that touch, they'll give themselves an easier chance to score. 9. Dribbling defenders with your head down Some players are good at dribbling, but they're not good at looking up while they're doing it. Now look, even the best players in the world look at the ball when they're directly taking someone on. That's normal. You have to. But what you should also do is just before you go into a dribble, have a look up and see where your teammates are and where the defenders are. And then after you get past someone, immediately look up again and see your passing options. Mistake 10. Accepting that you're average And finally, one of the most common mistakes in football, believing that you're never going to be good. Believing that your default level is where you're meant to stay. Because while sure, not everyone can be Messi or Ronaldo, the truth is, if you practice and work hard most days out of the week, and do that for months and years, then you will get better. Because pretty much everyone can be a good player. All right, everybody, we hope you liked that video. If you did, make sure to leave a thumbs up right down there. Make sure to subscribe if you haven't, and make sure to check out our other videos. If you want to learn more about football.