Control – arguably one of the most important skills in football, being able to control the ball quickly and accurately prevents the opposition from getting to you and gives you more time to spark an incisive attack. If you have to spend several seconds getting the ball where you want it, then this allows the other team’s players to get to you or into a defensive position.

TOP TIP – Look to control the ball into space. If you have players on 3 sides of you, as the ball comes to you, push it into the free space!

Control also applies to the art of dribbling... The aim is to go past opponents and take the play into areas of the pitch where you can hurt them. Dribbling requires an attacking player to keep the ball very close to his (or her) foot, almost as if it’s tied to the boot with string. However, if your ball control skills are poor, the chances are that the ball will accidentally get knocked too far and either go out of play or be intercepted by an opponent.

TOP TIP – knowing when to release the ball is the sign of a great player, going past 2 or 3 players is a great skill, but means nothing if you lose the ball because you went too far. Always be looking for a player in space to release the ball to and then look to get into space to receive the ball back.