When it comes to the cup, unlikely heroes are capable of upsetting the odds. Unfancied Coventry City turned the form-book upside down to beat Tottenham in the 1987 FA Cup final. Wimbledon caused one of the biggest shocks in the history of the competition when they lifted the trophy in 1988 after defeating the mighty Liverpool. Championship-bound Birmingham City shocked Arsenal in the 2011 League Cup final to win their first major silverware since 1963.
Fortune plays a part in a giant killing, but you can’t rely on Lady Luck to make an appearance. Equip yourself with a well-drilled game plan and it could be your team conquering the red hot favourites.
The Nike Academy’s assistant coach, Matt Wells, believes a soild defence and quicksilver counter-attack are the essential strengths for any underdog.
To arm your team with this weaponry, Wells created a drill for FFT, specifically designed to teach your players the system.
"The theme for this practise was, ‘How do we set up as the underdogs in a cup final to sit deep, strike on the counter-attack and try and nick a winner?’,” Wells told FFT.
"First off, you want to be nice and compact. The opposition will start to get impatient and start trying to force passes through you - that's where you get your interceptions and on the front foot.
"Then, can you look to slip players through early and get shots off on goal? You still want to look to get bodies forward, but you don't want to go gung-ho and suddenly they counter-attack on your counter."
Watch this video and bring down the big boys to notch up another cup shock for the minnows.
You can find out more about how you can get involved with the Nike Academy by visiting facebook and NikeFootball.com.
Also see:
Win your title decider
Nick a point to stay up
Breaking down a team that defends deep
Score a last minute goal to make it to extra-time
