Mateo's Week — A Quick Recap
A short read on the week that was, so nothing gets lost between sessions.
A good week. Two backyard sessions and a match, and the scanning is starting to look like a habit instead of a reminder. The left foot is still the project — sharp against the wall, still hidden when the game gets fast.
- Scanning — check-your-shoulder receiving. He's looking before the ball more often than not now.
- The left foot — wall passing and finishing. Clean in reps, not yet chosen under game pressure.
- The next-ball reset — one giveaway in the match, and he got straight back into shape. Small, but that's the whole thing.
The half-turn in the match — he opened up, took his first touch forward, and played through the lines. Three months ago that's a square pass back the way he came.
- Keep the scanning cue on every touch, even the easy ones.
- One game where he's allowed to take the left-footed option even if it's not the safe one.
- A pre-game routine run-through before Saturday.
One thing to keep an eye on: does his head come up before the ball arrives, or after? The scan before the ball is the tell for everything else.
