...or confuse intensity and physicality training with technical training and then overly focus on work without the ball to the detriment of the technical development of the fundamentals.

Younger players will see the professionals on social media doing a lot of intense 'physicality' training, and again will logically think that they need to do what the professionals do.

But professional players are already technically elite. Their fundamentals are incredibly advanced. Their technique is locked in at advanced levels, so additional technical work (over and above all the touches of the ball they get during their team training sessions) may not add too much more value to their ability to play the game. Watch the videos below for an example of this:

Watch the videos below for an example of this:

There is nothing wrong with a young player trying to be fitter, healthier, faster, and stronger, and this will no doubt make a difference to a players ability to have an impact in a game.

But if we are serious about developing young players with the potential to go on to do great things in the game, then we must educate players so that they understand that a players ability to interact with the ball [ in a game functional way (that is - 'develop the fundamentals') ] must take priority over everything else. It must come before an elite level session, and elite level objectives.

Watch the video below for an example of this: