Receiving is probably the most important skill to master for your players. Receiving aerials, open receiving, receiving on the move… all interesting variations on receiving the ball. This time we’ll talk about receiving to eliminate! Why use it? When? How? And how to train it…

If players don't master how they receive, they never really get to play. The single biggest step you can take is making the first touch do more than stop the ball — it creates a moment to go forward and eliminates pressure. Everything else builds from there.

The player who treats receiving as a pause, as something that happens before play continues, is one step behind. If we're honest, most players, especially in youth teams, are programmed to stop the ball first, then look for their next move. Sometimes that's exactly what the situation gives – but what if the initial touch puts the opponent out of the picture?

What we want, in technical training and tactical decision making, is for players to approach the ball as an opportunity to gain advantage as they're receiving, not after. As Tsoanelo Pholo puts it:

Let's take a simple example: a midfielder playing a lead for a forward. If that forward waits for the ball to arrive, stops it in line with their feet, and then turns, the defender is likely to stick with them, or at the very least, apply pressure that disrupts the next touch. But if the forward's first touch carries the ball across their body and into the space ahead, they're not waiting for the challenge — they're already attacking it.

This is about movement, timing, and intention. A running receive, executed while in motion, puts the defender on the back foot. The pass matters, but the receive is what decides whether the player is merely in possession or whether they've broken the press. Tsoanelo Pholo demonstrates this again and again in session clips — players who have their hips in position to go forward before they receive, who know that "receiving the ball across your body, receiving the ball into the space that you want to go into... that second touch after we've controlled the ball is of the utmost importance" 16:09.

For practical coaching, the question is: Are you designing drills and game situations that push your players to attack space on first touch? Or do your players habitually set up to cushion the ball close to their feet and then scan? Small differences in first touch, body positioning, and use of space make all the difference.

In younger age groups, confidence is a barrier. Many are reluctant to allow the ball to travel across their body or to take their first contact at speed. The risk of error feels high. It's easy to create static drills, but as Tsoanelo Pholo points out, "it's really difficult to eliminate with a receive when you are... static. In all the clips, it's movement" 17:56.

So how do you approach this with your squads? Are you setting up frameworks where first touch always means going somewhere — making the receive count for more than just possession? Or are you reinforcing old habits that stop the game before it ever opens up?