Participating in a soccer game is a great past time. However, getting familiar with some soccer terms is hard especially for beginners. It is necessary to know the meaning of these words especially if you are into soccer. Like any other sport, soccer has its own set of vocabulary. This usually makes communication more convenient as you play the game. Some soccer lovers have gotten to know the terms without exerting too much effort. These people were not taught formally. They simply learned the vocabulary.

Blending in with certain individuals who speak such words may be helpful for you to be familiar with the words they speak. This applies to learning soccer terms. A lot of the most popular soccer players became fluent in using the terms in the same way. Ricardo Kaka can be a good example. This athlete was able to get familiar with some terms because of playing the game frequently. Therefore, learning the terms goes together with learning the game. One way of confirming unfamiliar soccer terms is through the use of the internert. Nonetheless, below are ten of the commonly used words in soccer which may help you get an idea. Advantage is the term used when the referee allows the play to take place despite seeing an act of misconduct. This is often favorable for the team who has done the foul. Furthermore, attacker is the term used for any player who is a member of the team which has the ball. Caution is a type of warning given by a referee to a player who has committed an act of misconduct during the game. Dangerous play is a foul which refers to an act done by a player which is harmful to any member of the opposite team. A free kick in soccer is equivalent to a free throw in basketball. This is usually given to a team as a result of an infraction committed by another team. Handling refers to the use of a player’s arms or hands in controlling the ball. This is evaluated as a penal foul. There are many other soccer terms which you may encounter as you play the game. The aforementioned terminologies are just some of the most spoken words in a soccer game.

Learning these does not require an actual dictionary. Participating in trainings and enjoying the game is the best way to learn it. There are various sports teams like the Barcelona sporting club which can help you enhance your skills in soccer and become fluent with the terms used in the game, especially if you are an avid fan. Getting to know these terms is not difficult. However, these terms will not be put to use if you wouldn’t be able to play the game itself.

Premier Soccer Site

Carlo Ancelotti trying not to listen to his critics. (c) UK Guardian

Albert Einstein defined insanity as “doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.”  And it is insanity that cost Carlo Ancelotti his job as the Chelsea manager after the 2010/11 season.  As a die-hard Chelsea follower I can not tell you the countless hours I spent yelling at the tele for Carlo to make a change.  It just baffled me that with the resume Carlo has and coming off an FA double his first season as Chelsea’s manager, that such a frustrating season would follow.  But hey, it provided us coaches with a good lesson, when things aren’t going right for your team, make a change.

The campaign started brilliant.  In the first two games we scored twelve goals and gave up zero.  We didn’t concede our first goal until our fourth game against West Ham.  Our first loss coming on the 25th of September to Man City 1-0 from a lucky shot from Carlos Tevez that went through one of our defenders legs, off the post, and in the back of the net.  Even though we lost 2-0 to Liverpool (Anfield will always be a tough place to play at) the downfall of the season really came with the 3-0 lashing we got from the Blackcats of Sunderland, at the Bridge.  Anytime you give up a goal before halftime it’s going to hurt and the Blues defense let Nedum Onuoha walk through for an easy goal right before the stroke of halftime.  The Blackcats didn’t just sit in, the combination of the creativity of Asamoah Gyan and the pace of Danny Welbeck was just too much.  It was just one of those matches where it wasn’t our day, and in a competitive league such as the EPL (English Premier League) you can’t afford to take a day off.  After this game, we lacked confidence and had a shocking away loss to Birmingham City 1-0 (who was just relegated).  It’s losses like this that come back to haunt you.  Fans such as myself began to question how can a team with such great potential, come off such a great season last year, have a start to the  season you could only dream of, and have such a dramatic collapse?

It’s quite simple actually.  We picked up some big injuries and didn’t make changes.  The glue that has held our team together for so long Super Frankie (Frank Lampard) was forced to have hernia surgery early in the season.  The recovery processes took longer than expected, and shortly after he recovered he injured his groin, which left him out for several more weeks.  Carlo Ancelotti’s defined 4-3-3 system relied too much on Lampard’s presence.  Newly acquired Ramires was still getting used to changing leagues and players like Michael Essien and John Obi Mikel were not able to provide what Lampard does game in and game out.  Lampard’s leadership and control in the midfield is what Chelsea lacked.  I remember watching games and noticing we would keep possession around midfield, but we weren’t going anywhere with the ball.  This is where we missed Lampard’s keen vision and ability to feed our strikers in behind the defense.  We began to give up goals on the counter attack and a very important part of our system, Ashley Cole, stopped getting forward and providing crosses. So what could have Carlo done differently to save his job at Chelsea?  What changes should have been made?  How could Chelsea’s trophy-less season been saved?

• Change to a 4-4-2 - Towards the end of the season we did move to a 4-4-2 system and we started to get results again, but it was too late.  As mentioned before Carlo was defining insanity by not making a change, we were getting same result after same result.  You are going to faced with injuries and there will be times where players can’t make games for whatever reasons,  you need to be able to make adjustments based on the personnel you have.
• Encourage Creativity - Possession is good and an important part of the game.  However, when all your possession is at midfield and you aren’t attacking, your possession becomes pointless.  Go forward and with pace.  Allow your outside backs to get involved in the attack and provide crosses.  Have your forwards making continuous runs and encourage your midfielders to find the seems in behind the defense.  You want to encourage creativity but make sure it’s in the right areas.  Don’t mess with the ball in your defensive half!
• Finish Out your Halves - I can remember three games off the top of my head where we gave up goals either right before half or at the end of the game (3-0 loss to Sunderland 45′, 3-3 tie to Aston Villa 90′, and 2-2 draw to Newcastle 90′).  Those late goals against Aston Villa and Newcastle could have been the difference between finishing first or second, they were 4 big points that we dropped.  At that point in the game your players should be full of adrenaline, scrapping for every loose ball, and assuring you don’t give up that costly goal.  As a player, it comes from within and you should be willing to sacrifice your body to get the result.

There will be stressful times as a coach where things aren’t going right for you and it may only take a minor tweak in your system to get better results.  Sit back and watch, take notes, recognize where your team breaks down, and make adjustments.  If you watch any professional game you will see coaches or staff taking notes at all times.  A prime example is with Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho.  When he got sent off in the first leg of the Champions League semifinal vs Barcelona, he was taking notes and passing them onto his staff.  You need to be constantly accessing yourself as a coach.  Even when things are going right, they can always be better.  Don’t settle for just being good, be great!

Soccer Classroom