“Defenders are marking me very tightly now I’m the top scorer in my league. How do you find space when a centre-back is all over you?”
Dominic Pearson, via Twitter
Ian Wright says:
“Timing runs is the best way to get the better of a defender. Start making your move just as the person passing to you receives the ball. I’d always run just as Dennis Bergkamp was looking down to control the ball. That is your chance to get past someone.
Hitting the ball early inside the box is a great way to score more. The higher up the leagues you go, the less time you will get, so it’s crucial. In a drill, have the ball rolled to you from different positions and focus on keeping your first touch really close or hitting it first time. Get your shot off, no matter how unbalanced you may be. Work hard on getting the best contact possible in a short amount of time.
In a game, I wouldn’t generally look to see where the keeper is – I’d anticipate their position. It’s about knowing where the goal is. If you then take a chance and get the shot away early without looking, they’ve less time to set themselves, so you have better odds of scoring.”
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