Conditioned Game: High Pressure and Pressure after losing possession Vs Dropping back and Counterattack
To learn how to defend with high pressure and, in the following play, to defend back in shape gives your team a lot of resources that you will need in different moments of the game
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.
Movable Rondo
Regular tactical rondos have plenty of small and quick decisions but do not have any movement. If, to a regular tactical rondo we include the possibility/need for deciding whether the player has to or does not have to move, it will make our players achieve a higher level at decision making, since they will be considering teammates, rivals, the ball and the free spaces.
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.
Conditioned Game: Pressure in middle block
We will use an easy condition that will make our players close the interior spaces in a better way, to not allow the passing lines and to do not let the defenders get right in shape to defend deep balls.
Winning the ball back and play with the players on the rival´s side.
Once the ball is won back, the first option that all the coaches like is to try to move up the field and to try to benefit from the possibility of a defensive imbalance. Let’s practice it.
Attacking Choice: on the sides or from within
The choice between keeping the ball or switching the play together with a change of pace to progress through the opponent half will make your players smarter when it comes to tactics.
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.
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.
Conditioned Game: 8 Zones, Speed of Play and Change of Pace
The best way for advancing in the game is to not to repeat too many passes in the same zone. Just by setting up one rule and different zones we will be able to create the scenario where the players will discover, by themselves, the perfect offensive timing.