⚽Positional Play

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Hello and welcome to the latest edition of our newsletter! In this issue, we’ll focus on the following topics:

1. ⚽Positional Play

2. ❓Survey on Game Analysis

⚽Positional Play

Pep Guardiola is regarded as the most influential proponent of possession-based football in the 21st century. With FC Barcelona, he won numerous national and international titles, with Bayern Munich, he shattered the Bundesliga's points record, and with Manchester City, he claimed six Premier League titles. Even in the birthplace of football, Guardiola's possession style faced little opposition. However, Guardiola remains a highly controversial figure among football fans. His style, which revolves around his team's high possession value, is not to everyone's taste. Critics often argue that Guardiola's approach is heavily reliant on individual players. With Barcelona, Bayern, and City, they claim, any coach could achieve success.

The reason Guardiola's teams are able to maintain such fluid ball movement and play so many passes is not primarily due to the individual players. There is a deeper reason: Guardiola gives them precise instructions on how they should position themselves. This is the true revolution of Guardiola's approach. The quality of the players is secondary to the fundamental idea. What matters more is the execution of a well-defined plan. This philosophy is called positional play. Players are assigned specific positions during ball possession, where they must make themselves available. Over time, the concept of positional play has been adopted by many coaches. Even those who have never directly worked with Guardiola's style are familiar with many of the principles that define positional play. These principles are taught in coaching education and training programs.

Positional Play Depends on the Opponent

Football tactics revolve around the principle of optimally utilizing the space on the pitch. Even in possession-based football, the search for the best use of space is one of the key questions players and coaches ask themselves. The team’s spatial arrangement must be made in a way that highlights its strengths. However, there is no magical formation that automatically gives a team an advantage. It’s not about occupying specific positions just for the sake of filling them. What matters is that the attacking team creates advantages over the defending team.

Simply put: Everything the defending team aims to do, the attacking team tries to prevent. This is the first important insight of positional play: Football is always a confrontation between two teams. The positioning during possession must be done in a way that prevents the defending team from achieving its goals. Therefore, many principles of positional play are not absolute rules but function in relation to the position of the defenders.

Passes as the Cornerstone of Positional Play

The starting position on the field is initially the same for the attackers as it is for the defenders they face. All players try to orient themselves on the field. The reference points through which players perceive their position are the same for both offensive and defensive players. The four reference points remain the player’s own position in space, the position of teammates, the position of opponents, and the position of the ball. There is always a relationship between the positioning of the attacking team and that of the defending team: The reference points of teammates and opponents depend on the positions of the players.

However, there is a significant difference between offense and defense: Only one team controls the reference point of the ball – the team in possession. They determine where the ball is. The opponent will try to reach the ball but initially has no direct control over it. For this reason, passes are perhaps the most powerful tool for an attacking team. Passes are the simplest way to change one of the four reference points for all the opposing defenders. When the ball is passed from one player to the next, it always requires a response from all the defenders. Professional teams aim to constantly provoke this reaction. We know the drill: The center-back passes to the full-back, who then passes it back to the center-back, and so on. The opponent must react and adjust their defensive shape.

Even Sepp Herberger, coach of the German World Cup-winning team in 1954, understood that: "The ball determines the tempo, not the fast players!" The ball moves faster than players can run. Herberger also knew: "The ball has the best stamina." In uncertain situations, it's always better to let the ball do the work rather than running yourself. The pass has a second advantage: The shorter a player’s time on the ball, the harder it is for the opponent to apply pressure. When a player holds the ball for too long, the opponent can position themselves to apply pressure. By moving the ball quickly and frequently from player to player, this becomes much more difficult for the defending team.

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❓Survey on Game Analysis

Today is a perfect day for all football fans! Exciting top matches are on the schedule, promising us great moments and thrilling action. Whether you’re a die-hard fan or a neutral observer – there’s plenty to enjoy!

Now, it's your turn: Which match should we analyze for you this Friday?

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