Four squares possession
To achieve an appropriate players’ distribution in the free spaces, to switch the game successfully, to choose either checking to the ball or checking away… this drill will make you players think and take decisions.
Supports: Superiority/inferiority
Ball retention, body orientation (One of Guardiola’s biggest obsession) to receive the ball from the exterior neutral player who has advantage through the guided discovery learning method. The defensive anticipations will make the attackers be on the right body shape to retain the ball and switch the play.
Direct Attack: Final Minutes
Maybe your team just uses the direct style of play occasionally (e.g when losing in the last minutes of a game), but it is more than likely that your team will face teams that use it during most of the minutes. To practice it in the same proportion as it is played in your competition is both correct and necessary.
Zonal Defense: Move forward or backwards
In every movement of the ball we do, the defensive situation changes. Did the ball go forward or backwards? Is the player on the ball pressed? Does he have options to pass the ball to a free player? These are some of the several decisions that we have to practice.
Offensive and Defensive Transition 3 Teams with orientation
A tactical drill of polarized transitions in order to make your players identify the risks depending on the zone they are playing. At the same time, we will train the ball retention trying to do it in the most high part of the field possible.
Positional Play – Speed of Play
Another offensive tactical drill to improve the position game (Guardiola, Sarri…). To play the ball facing the player who is about to receive it will allow the receiver to think before getting the ball and to speed the play up.
Transitions: Narrow down the spaces
The following situations are basic tactical and repeated situations in the game: The team that loses the ball has to close spaces, the team winning the ball back has to start winning width, opening up the field. You can practice this drill continuously.
Possession + Finishing
For the team that has won the ball back, is key to give support, to make runs to lose the marker and to look for the free men. For the defenders, the key is to press the player on the ball, to defend the passing lines and to identify the free men.
Rondo: draw in rivals
In this drill, the offensive players will win two points if they repeat the same pass in order to attract the defenders first so they can pass it then to the free farther players. The defenders will have to be coordinated to do the pressing choosing the right moment to do it. These tactical momentums are key and they will appear many times in the real game.
3v3 Positioned to find in depth passes
A partial structure to practice the defensive shape when facing a through ball. The attacking team will practice when the right moment is to make a run losing the markers.