A topic that was always of particular fascination to me when working in my technical director role was the development of strikers. On a very basic level, it is because I think goal scoring is the most enjoyable part of football. I fell in love with the game because scoring goals is fun, and because it is how you win matches. 

To be more nuanced, I find this interesting because whilst it is obviously of great importance both in terms of team performance and player development, it’s an area I have found to be quite neglected both in terms of formal coach education and on-the-ground day-to-day practice. Often, I found both coaching courses and interactions with my coaches focused on build up play, or defensive shape. In our environment here in Australia, I attributed this to the increasing globalisation of football where similar trends have been observed in the predominant footballing league, the English Premier League, and the homogenisation of coaching frameworks & models. It was also a consequence of Australia’s national curriculum, which didn’t necessarily exclude goal scoring to the extent that the most ardent critics of it would have you believe, but did not exactly place this concept front & centre in the way you would expect one of the primary aims of the game to be.

Accordingly, the topic of developing strikers (and more broadly, goal scorers) is something we had many debates and discussions about at NWS Spirit FC. The aim of this article is to distill these conversations into some key considerations I believe coaches should be aware of or consider in their profiling of strikers, and then to provide some general observations I believe are important to the coaching of goal scorers.

Poachers

At Spirit, we had a player development framework (the NWSF DNA) which guided our football programs. The “DNA” was a whole-of-club and whole-of-association model. It created a shared approach and language to player, team and club development. There were many layers within the DNA, but as it pertains to player development, the primary focus of our DNA was identifying the “core actions” that players most often repeat in football matches, and focusing on the development of these actions in individuals.

That meant that the DNA didn’t refer to a specific style of play, or formation, as some clubs have done, but rather, on individual football actions. Examples of this included “positioning your body to see the ball, see the nearest defender and see the opposition goal” and “delaying the player on the ball if you are the first/nearest defender” (you can view this in more detail by clicking here). The idea was that as we were developing young players for “the future game”, we wanted to focus on the individual actions that would help them be successful, whatever that future game might look like, by focusing on the core skills/behaviours that occur in football independent of team style, formation or coaching methodology.

These core actions were constantly reviewed, evolved and updated based on our own observations, alongside learnings we gleaned from our coaches & leadership staff’s professional development. One such opportunity arose when we spent time with Sydney FC, who had a similar philosophy in terms of player development and had adopted a simple “mantra” to describe the most common pattern of goals scored in football: a 1-touch finish in and around the 6-yard box. They used “poacher” to describe this, which was essentially a way to encourage both strikers to get into goal scoring positions, and for players on the ball to deliver early balls in behind opposition defences (i.e. to find a poacher).

We felt this was a simple, repeatable and memorable mantra to encourage an important player behaviour, and so adopted it within our DNA as well. In our perspective, it was a starting point for the development of effective goal scorers, as it provided a clear visual for players of where to aim both their runs off the ball, and where/what to try and progress the ball towards. “Poachers” became a common phrase, and also became a cue for players to “follow up” on shots towards goal to take advantage of any rebounds or shots off the post. 

Essentially, good goal scorers were players who constantly looked to get themselves into poacher positions and could finish from these positions (ideally a 1-touch tap-in with no keeper or defender to beat).

Get free enough to shoot

As a “poacher goal” was about two or more players combining to score, the next step to developing goal scorers within our model was to consider the variety of ways in which an individual player could get themselves free enough to shoot and score. Immediately this wording – “free enough to shoot” – became another one of our mantras (repeatable coaching points/phrases), as our study of core actions indicated that top goal scorers at the elite level (again, irrespective of team style/formation/coaching philosophy) have the ability to create space for themselves to take a shot. In some environments, this is referred to as “creating separation” from a defender to shoot.

Specifically at Spirit, on a surface level, we kept the methodology for coaches quite simple. The primary focus was on adopting a predominantly games-based approach with a heavy focus on 2v2/3v3 small-sided games, mixed with overload practices (i.e. 2v1, 3v2 scenarios), along with variations of 7v7, 9v9 and 11v11 – and within this, encouraging coaches to develop the players “core actions” by using constraints to encourage the desired behaviours from individuals.

It's important to acknowledge here the hard work of Dimitrios Tomaras and Jack Urgun who were instrumental in bringing this to life in leadership roles at Spirit FC, and are well worth connecting with on Linkedin

Accordingly, the “DNA” did not really provide an intensive level of detail for coaches. That is to say we did not necessarily have extensive documentation on the specific techniques players can use to “get free enough to shoot”, as the broader focus was on facilitating the games-based approach effectively, using constraints as the primary method of intervention, and using score-keeping to enhance competitiveness between players to increase the speed of action.

There were a variety of reasons why we did this that are beyond the scope of this article, but the following section is about going into some of the specific techniques coaches can become aware of as it relates to “getting free enough to shoot”.

Free enough when the striker has the ball

When the striker is already in possession of the ball, effective ways they can “get themselves free” include using the shoulders or hips to deceive the defender, creating a window of time & space to shoot. Sometimes, expert strikers don’t need to perform these feints, and can simply “touch and shoot” with accurate touches of the ball to move the ball past a defender. This can also occur from longer sequences of dribbling (such as what most people would visualise as the “classic Messi goal”), as well as using speed & acceleration in bigger spaces to get past defenders (perhaps a “classic Son Heung-Min goal”).

There is also the scenario where a striker receives the ball when marked tightly from behind, and is able to turn past this pressure to get a shot away (something often attributed to Didier Drogba), as well as moving the ball from side to side to create a yard of space from the defender to finish; both of these types of actions can be seen in the video below.

Free enough before the striker has the ball

Effective goal scorers will also have various movements they perform prior to receiving the ball that allow them to “get free to shoot”. This can include, building on the last example above, “backing into” a defender prior to receiving the ball by using their hips or arms, to create more space for themselves when they receive the ball. On similar but separate lines, strikers also get free from a defender in the air by timing their run and movement to meet crosses or aerial passes. 

Other ways players may get free before receiving includes making diagonal runs in behind (the hallmark of Mohamed Salah) and making multiple movements in different directions prior to receiving the ball (sometimes referred to as blindside runs, or double movements).

Shooting techniques

Once a player has effectively got themselves free enough to shoot, there is then the physical act of striking the ball with the aim of scoring a goal. Again, a non-comprehensive list of considerations is provided below. The aim is to simply provide some considerations for coaches as they work with strikers.

• Striking the ball using the inside of the foot, typically done to shoot across one’s body
  • A further consideration here is striking the ball with curl to “bend” the ball around defenders and/or into the corners of the goal
• Striking the ball using the laces, often utilised to keep shots low and close to the ground
  • Expert strikers may be able to also generate “dip” in the shot to make it more challenging for the goalkeeper to read the flight of the ball
• Striking the ball with minimal back-lift, wherein the striker requires very little adjustment to take a quick shot
• Heading the ball, both in contested (where a defender jumps/competes with the striker) and uncontested situations

Obviously, the world’s best strikers would be capable of scoring goals utilising all these techniques. In the reality of working with youth footballers, they are more likely to simply be strong in one or two of these techniques, and in one or two specific situations. As an example, that might be a striker who is strong at bringing the ball inside from the left wing, and shooting with the inside of the right foot into the opposite/far corner of the goal.

To provide further examples of common positions for goal scoring…

• Receiving a pass inside the penalty box, to shoot from outside the frame of the goal
• Dribbling inside from a wide position, to shoot from outside the frame of the goal
• Receiving a cross/cut-back inside the penalty box, to shoot from inside the frame of the goal
• Running in behind defenders with the goal to your left or right, to shoot against the goalkeeper (and perhaps a recovering defender)

…the point here isn’t to list all the possible goal scoring positions, but to demonstrate that coaches need to be attuned to the variety of situations and locations in which strikers get themselves free enough.

Clearly, the more ways in which a player can get themselves free enough to shoot, and the greater variety of shooting techniques they can use effectively, the more potential that player has to score goals, and as a result, progress through talent pathways. It is also important to recognise there is no issue with a player being particularly talented at one specific finishing situation – defenders knew Arjen Robben wanted to cut in from the right wing and shoot with his left, but it didn’t mean they could stop him!

We referred to this as sharpening a player’s “X-factors”, because we felt that often, a player’s strengths were what helped them progress to higher levels in the pathway.

There are even more considerations for coaches, though, at this point.

Effectiveness in front of goal

Firstly, it is important to consider the level of resistance a player is facing. This generally means observing the quality of defender/goalkeeper, and the appropriateness of pressure being placed on the striker. Strikers can look more effective if they have more time and space than perhaps is “normal” to shoot. The volume of shots they are taking is another indicator, although it is important to also factor in the quality of the striker’s teammates, as this may impact the amount of opportunities they actually have to get themselves free enough.

Another consideration is the actual decision of the striker of when & where to shoot. This includes observing & assessing if they are making effective choices in front of goal. Do they, for example, pass to a more free teammate when the opportunity arises (in our Spirit environment, this means: do they find the poacher when appropriate to do so?). 

When it comes to the actual shooting techniques themselves, coaches should also consider the players biomechanics and stage of physical development. To give a practical example, an U12 player may appear to be an effective goal scorer because, as a consequence of going through puberty at an earlier age to their peers, they can generate more power in their shots, and therefore score more goals by using sheer force to shoot past a goalkeeper. This is where, to identify long-term potential, coaches could instead observe biomechanical features including the players posture as they strike the ball, the position of the non-striking foot, the position of the arms, and the follow-through of the striking foot. The coaches can also observe the player’s decision-making in front of goal, including identifying whether the player makes appropriate decisions about when & when not to shoot. These are “clues” to help identify whether the player will continue to be able to score goals effectively when their peers “catch up physically” as they go through puberty themselves.

Naturally, each of the factors outlined above are linked, and again, there are many more considerations in this process. This is a snapshot of strikers, not an exhaustive guide.

How do we actually develop all this?

Bringing it back to a practical level, a key takeaway I would hope readers take from this article is the sheer breadth and depth in this topic. As stated in the introduction, this is a fascinating area of study, and we’ve barely scratched the surface in this analysis.

That, in itself, is indicative of the process I believe is needed to develop strikers. This is a complex skill with many permutations; it naturally will take time to develop finishing effectively in players. The role of the coach, in my perspective, is to facilitate a training environment where players experience high repetition of finishing actions. This is typically achieved through small-sided games utilising large goals (scaled to the age and stage of the player – so an U9s player might train with 7v7 goals, and an U15s player train with 11v11 goals). Keeping score in these games is important to draw players’ attention to the outcome of their shots, as whether a goal is scored is in itself immediate feedback on the shot they have just taken.

Over time, players will develop their own “DNA” of finishing actions. Due to the unique physical and technical qualities of each individual, they’ll naturally gravitate towards specific finishing situations & techniques. The job of the coach is to recognise when to encourage the maximisation of these specific goal scoring moments so they become a strength of the player, versus when to balance this with encouraging the player to have variety in their finishing so they are more likely to score in a greater range of scenarios.

Constraints are a useful way to “encourage”. As an example, bonus points may be given if players score a particular type of goal (e.g. double points if the goal is scored from outside the box). Another constraint could be to require all players to defend by man-marking, thereby “encouraging” more moments where strikers have to dribble past defenders to get free enough to shoot.

Setting individual challenges for players is another helpful coaching tool. This might mean telling a player their goal for the session is to score at least five goals on their non-dominant foot. It could involve pairing players up and challenging them to provide at least three assists for this teammate. 

Beyond the day-to-day session, coaches should also be cognisant of how strikers often judge themselves. In a low-scoring sport, players who are valued for their goal scoring may become self-critical, or be criticised by others, if they fail to score regularly. This is, of course, naturally going to happen, especially in junior and youth environments with players who are developing their skills. The coach has to have the skill to support the player to develop the appropriate resilience and regulation to manage the inevitable challenges of being a striker, alongside harnessing the “will to score” that so often characterises the very elite.

End notes

And this brings us neatly to the heart of a very frequent debate we had at Spirit; which was to argue whether a formalised pathway can truly develop a high-level striker (defined as a regular goal scorer in a professional football league). As this article demonstrates, it is possible to provide neat visuals and a tidy framework for “what to do”.

But it is much harder to create that willingness to go again and again after missing chance after chance; to run in behind and in between defenders constantly even if you don’t always get the ball, to throw yourself at loose balls in the hope of a random bounce or flick that so often leads to an unexpected goal scoring opportunity. Can a “formal Academy pathway”, that focuses on the linear development of skills, and the progression between age groups and programs, truly develop the chaos & energy that perhaps is needed to be that “high-level striker”.

As we said in the beginning, it is a fascinating topic, and something to revisit in future articles.