Modern Soccer Coach Podcast

In this episode of Modern Soccer Coach, Gary is joined by former England Rugby Head Coach Brian Ashton for a fascinating conversation on coaching, player development, creativity and decision-making.

Brian led England to the 2007 Rugby World Cup Final and has spent decades working across elite sport, including experiences within Premier League football. He shares the lessons that have shaped his approach to developing players and why he believes great coaching is about much more than simply giving instructions.

The conversation explores the difference between coaching and interfering, why players need freedom alongside responsibility and discipline, how coaches can develop better decision-makers, and why individual development should remain at the heart of the coaching process.

From preparing a team for a World Cup Final to helping young players learn how to think for themselves, Brian offers Curneen a brilliant perspective on what genuine player development looks like.

A must-listen for coaches who want to develop intelligent, adaptable and creative players.

Antal Vergeer is a Learning & Development Specialist with the KNVB (Dutch Football Association), working in coach development and education. Before returning to the Netherlands, Antal spent almost seven years working within U.S. Soccer, giving him a unique perspective on two very different approaches to developing coaches and players.

In this episode of the Modern Soccer Coach Podcast, Curneen sits down with Antal Vergeer to explore the ideas, culture and thinking behind Dutch coach and player development.

Antal shares fascinating insight with Gary into the Dutch approach to the game — from the traditional desire to play attacking, dominant football to why coaches must ultimately adapt their philosophy to the players and environment in front of them.

The conversation also dives into developing creativity and decision-making in young players, why coaches can become too controlling, creating better learning environments, innovation within academies, and why investing in coach development is essential if clubs want to produce better players.

Antal also challenges some traditional approaches to coach education and explains why coaches should be held accountable for their own development in exactly the same way we expect players to be.

A brilliant conversation for coaches, coach developers and technical leaders interested in Dutch football, player development and creating environments where both players and coaches can thrive.

In this episode of Modern Soccer Coach, Gary Curneen is joined by Jake Pickles for a fascinating discussion around one of the biggest questions in coach development: is there actually a right way to coach soccer?

The conversation explores the different theories, methodologies and frameworks that influence modern coaching, from constraints-led approaches and tactical periodization to more traditional ideas around instruction and session design. Jake challenges the idea that coaches should be searching for one perfect methodology, arguing instead for greater adaptability, context and an understanding of how players actually experience the game.

They also discuss the balance between structure and freedom, whether coaching environments can become too controlled, the relationship between efficiency and creativity, and why coaches must be careful that their own game model does not limit the solutions available to players.

A thought-provoking conversation for coaches interested in player development, session design, decision-making and the continued evolution of coaching methodology.

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How do elite players see the game differently — and what can coaches do to develop better decision-makers?

In this episode of the Modern Soccer Coach Podcast, Gary Curneen is joined by Tomás Pereira, Football Analysis Specialist at the Swedish FA, for a fascinating conversation on decision making, learning and how players develop a deeper understanding of the game.

Tomás challenges many traditional ideas around coaching and session design, exploring why repetition alone does not guarantee learning, why football cannot simply be broken into isolated phases, and why the best players recognize relationships and patterns earlier than everyone else.

Tomás explains why elite performers often appear to have more time on the ball — not because the game is slower for them, but because they understand what is happening earlier.

The conversation also explores how coaches can design more representative training environments, move away from simply providing players with answers, and instead develop players capable of solving problems they have never experienced before.

Topics include:

• How elite players process the game
• Developing decision making in training
• Why recognition matters more than repetition
• Mental models and player learning
• The limitations of coaching football in isolated phases
• Designing training for adaptability
• Coaching relationships rather than predetermined solutions
• Why elite players appear to have more time
• The role of variation in session design
• Game-day communication and coach intervention
• Preparing players to solve new problems

An outstanding conversation for coaches interested in player development, session design and developing intelligent, adaptable footballers.

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In this episode of the Modern Soccer Coach Podcast, Gary is joined once again by Joop Oosterveld, who recently took on the role of Head Coach with Lech Poznań II in Poland. Joop breaks down his approach to session design and explains how coaches can place individual development at the center of the training process while still working within a team environment.

The conversation explores how IDPs can live inside game-based training, why Joop believes 85% of a session should include attacking, defending and transition moments, and how coaches can manipulate numbers, spaces, rules and constraints to challenge different individuals within the same exercise. Joop also discusses intensity, physical development, competitiveness, keeping session design simple and creating problems that allow players to find their own solutions.

A fascinating conversation for coaches looking to connect individual player development with the realities of team training.