How to Trial New Players - Team management

Whether you are putting together a new team, getting in players to strengthen during the season, or the next door neighbor is badgering you to let little Jonny join your team, you need to be able to assess their playing ability. And there are better ways to do it than training matches.

Here’s the ball - show me what you can do

When you give trials to players who want to join your team find out if they have a football brain by a series of simple tests.

Set up: Two defenders and a goalie. Three midfield/attackers. Defenders on the goal line, attackers on the half way line.

Method: On your whistle both sets of players move off. The defenders' aim is to win the ball and stop a shot; the attackers' aim is to create a goal. Give the ball to the player you are trialing, let him use his brain to take the 3v2 situation to a conclusion. If he is any good he will create a goal scoring chance.

Change the challenge

After each run through take away one of the attackers so you now have 2v2 and then let him run at the defenders on his own. Watch how he deals with the situation of having more players, then less players than the defenders he is facing.

Stack the odds against the trial list

On the final run, when he is faced with two defenders what should he do? I would shoot from distance over the advancing defenders and try to catch the goalkeeper off guard. But maybe there is a better way.

Give them a second chance

During this trial game where a player has not made the best decision about the pass he has chosen, you can stop the game. The ball goes back to the player who made the pass. Now at this point you, the coach, ask the question “what was the better pass?” Give him a chance to shine.