Three top tips for motivating a losing team 1. Body language and use of voice What you are saying must reflect your body language. You cannot be positive with a face that shows your disappointment. You need to be upbeat and full of energy to inspire young players and pick them up when they are down. Hands and face are important. 2. Highlight the positives You can always find positives in games that you have lost. Explain to your players what went right and what you were pleased about during the game. Save any negatives for training night once they have got over the defeat. 3. Rephrase what you say Think about what you are about to say and if it is negative find a way to rephrase it so the positives come out. If you cannot do that then don't say it. Don't shout "never pass the ball across the goal" it means nothing and puts doubts into your players minds about where to pass the ball. Work on that in training. Also use positives like "Win the ball" rather than negatives like "Don't lose the ball" 4. Help player confidence at training When players are hiding in games use small sided games in training where everyone has to do everything which brings players out of their shells and makes them more confident on match day.