To accelerate or to delay the game, to dominate the change of pace of the game.
To control the game pace we need the players to dominate the offensive tactical principals of delaying, change of pace etc.
Defensive Line and Midfield
The fact of facing offensive freedom (continuous decision making) to two defensive lines will develop multiple defensive tactical concepts
Extreme Transitions 2v2
To attack bearing in mind that we have to be ready to defend is one of the most difficult things to put in your players’ mind. If we do not practice it, they will not internalize it.
Small Sided Game Progression
Small sided tactical game in which we will fix the right press distances, the coverages, the defensive exchanges or the defensive support and we will create, for the attacking players, a situation in which they will practice to check to the ball and check away, one-two’s, feints and offensive timings. It will be an easy but very tactical drill, an excellent drill to strengthen the interaction between the players who are close to each other.
Counterattack Vs Dropping Back
There are defensive and offensive concepts which will be easy to practice in whole. A simple provoking rule will help your team practice these two concepts.
4 Squares – Positional Game – Small Sided Game
To practice the ball retention, the switch of the play, the speed of the game and the supports while we introduce different position game concepts will derive in a tactical learning for every player.
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.
Positional Play – Third Man
It is a classical position drill which is used by different elite coaches like Klopp, Guardiola or Sarri. Quick decision making and little movements to create free passing lines at a higher speed than the real game. This will help your players to make the right decisions during the game.
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.
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.