Juego de Posición under Pep Guardiola

Por ADIN OSMANBASIC el 9 abril, 2015

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Pep entrenamiento7
Introduction
14 out of 19 trophies were won in his time at FC Barcelona. 4 trophies out of a possible 6 were
won in his first season with Bayern Munich. This piece will analyze the Juego de Posicion,
football philosophy of Pep Guardiola in his second season with Bayern Munich.

The Italians know it as “Giochi di Posizione[1]” and the Dutch call it “Positiespel.” In English we
will call this philosophy of football “Positional Play.” Viewing football through the prism of
Positional Play is perhaps the main reason for the success of one of the greatest football
coaches in history.

*Note: I expanded upon the philosophy of Positional Play in an interview with ‘LeftWingSoccer’.
The interview is a follow up to this piece which includes questions about Positional Play
coaching, tactics, strategy, and more! You can find the interview here.

The Principles of Positional Play

Positional Play is a philosophy that has many principles but the fundamental principle is the
search for superiority. There are various ways to gain superiority and various types of superiority
that can be achieved. Once superiority is found the team can use the situation to dominate the
game. All other principles stem from this idea as mentioned in this extract from an exclusive
interview I had with Marti Perarnau[2]:

“Positional Play does not consist of passing the ball horizontally, but something much more
difficult: it consists of generating superiorities behind each line of pressure. It can be done more
or less quickly, more or less vertically, more or less grouped, but the only thing that should be
maintained at all times is the pursuit of superiority. Or to put it another way: create free men
between the lines.

Positional Play is a model of constructed play, it is premeditated, thought about, studied and
worked out in detail. The interpreters of this form of play know the various possibilities that can
occur during the game and also what their roles should be at all times. Naturally, there are
better and worse interpretations. There are also players that never manage to adapt to this
model of play, which however, are sensational players and they manage to contribute many
virtues to their team.

But in general, the interpreters of this model need to know the catalog of movements that need
to be executed in depth. As in any piece of music, one same score gives rise to many different
interpretations: faster, slower, more harmonious… more or less a concrete interpretation that
you like, but what should be kept in any case is that the tune is similar to the original. Positional
Play is a musical score played by each team who practice it at their own pace, but it is essential
to generate superiorities behind each line of the opponent pressure. The team that interpreted
Positional Play in a most extraordinary way was the Barcelona of Pep Guardiola.

When the coach left, the team continued playing the same game,but they were gradually losing
focus and intensity in fundamental movements to the point that it became a very flat and
predictable variation of play with a tendency to pass horizontally that ultimately reduces the
possibilities of generating superiorities after lines of pressure of the opponent. This was one of
the main problems Barca suffered in the last two seasons, although it was not the only one.

In Bayern Munich, Guardiola has promoted the Positional Play that Louis van Gaal introduced
five years ago. But the one Bayern is practicing right now is a game that is much more oriented
to a vertical axis than a horizontal one and this version requires a high degree of technical
excellence because it seeks to construct the above mentioned superiorities not based on
horizontal but vertical passes. This is an extremely ambitious interpretation of Positional Play.”

– Marti Perarnau

Superiority in positioning is necessary to be able to penetrate the opponent’s defensive lines,

move the ball efficiently, and to have stability in possession. One form of superiority is numerical
superiority. Having a numbers advantage means that your team has a free man. The goal is to
find the free or unmarked man by moving the ball, positioning, or player movement. The free
man in your attack has the best situation on the field and is very valuable to the attack. This is
exemplified in this quote by Juan Manuel Lillo[3]:

“Look for the 3rd man (free man) to be able to turn and face the play.”

– Juan Manuel Lillo

For example, when trying to escape pressure it is recommended your team looks to play a long
flat pass to the 3rd man. This is a key principle in avoiding counter attacks. The 3rd player
provides an option for a long pass and as a result as they usually have more space and a more
efficient view of the field. It is common to see the top teams execute a layoff pass after playing a
long escape pass.

A long pass generates pressure at its destination as it gives the defense more time to read its
flight as well as more time to arrive. So, once a long pass escapes pressure and the pressure
gathers near the destination of the pass the ball is laid off to another teammate. This allows the
ball to be given to a player who now has a better view of the field and much less pressure
around him than the player who played the layoff pass.

The free man must always be supported in order to take advantage of their value. To provide
this support, Guardiola’s teams usually underload the farthest point away from the ball, i.e. they
leave the furthest diagonal point roughly unoccupied while the team supports areas around the
ball aggressively.

These underloaded areas are the least important for the immediate play, though they also play
a role. Guardiola’s teams seek to have superiority in the center of the field. Permanently
occupying the center means that players always have an option to pass to. The manner in
which Guardiola’s players support each other means that the player will always have at least 2,
and preferably 3, passing options.

This of course forms triangles and diamonds in the playing structure. An infamous example of
Pep abandoning this principle is the 0-4 loss to Real Madrid in the Allianz Arena. His Bayern
team played in a 4-2-4 formation which meant that the central areas were not controlled and the
players in the center were not supported. This area of isolation caused Bayern to lose the ball in
dangerous areas and have difficulty generating dangerous attacks.

A classic example in the search for numerical superiority in Positional Play is called
“SalidaLavolpiana,” or “The way out of La Volpe[4].” This is a variation of progressing the ball
out of the back in possession. Many times Pep will have players drop into the defensive line if
the opponents pressure with the same number of attackers as Pep’s defenders. The value of
this idea is mentioned here by Lillo:

“Positional Play consists of generating superiorities out of the defensive line against those who
are pressing you. Everything is much easier when the first progression of the ball is clean.”

– Juan Manuel Lillo

Using the goalkeeper is also another way to establish superiority out of defense, progress past
the opposition lines and move up the field to create an advantageous attack. Salida Lavolpiana
is a variation in which the central defenders fan out wide and a central midfielder drops into the
resulting space. This briefly creates a back 3 in addition to having the goalkeeper as a base for
the progression of the ball.

This is used most often when an opponent pressures 2 central defenders with 2 strikers. This
movement creates a 3 vs. 2 situation out of defense, meaning a free man is available. The
fullbacks push up into midfield as the central defenders fan out not only to provide a pass
option, but in order to provide numerical superiority in midfield as well. This ascending
superiority provides an advantageous path towards the opponent goal. Juan Manuel Lillo
mentions this as one of the principles of this style of play:

“Pass to the next lines of play.”

– Juan Manuel Lillo

Pep Guardiola uses these principles of play himself, as everyone has become accustomed to
seeing the wide central defenders and the midfielders dropping into the defensive line. Marti
Perarnau talked about the origin of SalidaLavolpiana here:

“Although in Spain it became common in the 2009-2010 season of Josep Guardiola with FC
Barcelona, it is in Mexico where this concept is used most. La Volpe practiced this with his
teams since the mid90s, including the Mexican National Team during the time when Guardiola
played for Dorados de Sinaloa, during a time when the Catalan coach could approach La
Volpismo.”

– Marti Perarnau

Another form of superiority is one of qualitative superiority. This is an idea that is well known.
Searching for 1 vs. 1’s, 2 vs. 2’s, and more with your best players vs the opponent’s worst
players is a common strategy in football. This is perfectly exemplified in this quote by
PacoSeirul-Lo[5]:

“There’s numerical, positional, and qualitative superiority. Not all 1 vs. 1’s are a situation of
equality”

– Paco Seirul-Lo

As mentioned in the above quote by Paco there is another form of superiority besides the 2
already mentioned. This is a superiority of space or positional superiority. In this form of play the
players are arranged at various heights and depths. This staggering creates interior spaces and
passing lanes within the opposition’s formation. There is a large focus on the spaces “in
between the lines.” Players look to position themselves in areas between the opponent’s
horizontal and vertical lines of defense.

Sacchi

There are specific zones that must be occupied by players in specific moments. The specific
zones or positions that must be occupied depend on various circumstances. A certain set of
players within the team occupy the specific zones in relation to the ball, though the players who
do this can vary because of the flexible interchanging of roles. A player determines where they
will move by referencing the position of the ball, their teammates, the opponents, and space.
ArrigoSacchi[6] made a similar point when speaking about the defending of his great AC Milan
team:

“Our players had four reference points: the ball, the space, the opponent, and their own
teammates. Every movement had to happen in relation to these reference points. Each player
had to decide which of these reference points should determine his movements.”
– Arrigo Sacchi

These superiorities or overloads provide interesting effects in the game. Combinations become
tighter and quicker when a space is overloaded. It’s possible to break through the defense on
the near side of the field, to open spaces on the far side of the field, and it allows for the stable
possession.

The staggering of your team’s positioning in possession directly translates into better structure
when counterpressing after the ball is lost. Counterpressing refers to pressing the ball
immediately after possession is lost; awell known factor of Pep Guardiola’s teams. The offensive
and defensive aspects of the game cannot be separated in Positional Play.

The team’s offensive ideas have a direct impact on their defensive work. Therefore, the team’s
ideas in possession set the tone for all other aspects of the match. Guardiola even has a
“15-pass rule,” in which he believes that his team cannot be properly prepared to cope with
transitions or build a well structured attack until they have completed at least 15 passes. This
provides enough time and stability for players to move into their roles within the offensive
structure and strategy. Johan Cruyff[7] talked about the success of Barcelona in defensive
transition due to their aggressive ball-oriented support while in possession here:

“Do you know how Barcelona win the ball back so quickly? It’s because they don’t have to run
back more than 10 metres as they never pass the ball more than 10 metres.”

– Johan Cruyff

Oscar Moreno[8] elaborates on the importance of controlling all phases of the game
simultaneously here:

“Provoke the proximity of the maximum number of opposition players around the ball.
Recuperate the ball imminently when lost in spaces where we are united. Divide the play of rival
team while not dissociating ours. All with the idea of having awareness of, during the prices of
attacking, I am generating the futures conditions defensively or vise versa.”

– Oscar Moreno

This relates both to defensive stability coming from offensive stability, and another aspect of the
way Guardiola sees football. For Pep, this also applies to the idea that general concepts within
the phases shouldn’t be separated. Some concepts which are used exclusively for defense can
also be used for offense.

For example, in football the defense are the ones that are proactive, meaning that they
determine how the game will be played due to them defending their zones in order to block
access to the goal. The defense makes the rules, the offense reacts to the defense and try to
score goals to win. Pep tries to change the state of modern football, while other managers
attempt to win the game.

His offense attempts to be the proactive one, to determine how the game of football will be
played, to take away the control of the game from the defense. Meaning the offense determine
how the defense will react instead of the defense determining how the offense will play with the
ball. He uses the ball to manipulate the defense. This is a key shift in the balance for control in a
football match.

To add onto this idea, through hard training his players are able to work well with each other to
control phases of the game where nobody seems to be in any real control. For example, when
Pep’s teams lose the ball they counterpress immediately, as mentioned above. This means that
even in transition phases they seek to act rather than to react to the change in play and rhythm.

They press immediately and determine what the opponent will do in the moment of transition,
rather than dropping off and allowing the opponent to decide how they will transition. They cope
with all conditions of the game better than the opponents do. The conditions for all of these
concepts to come into play are constantly being generated, even while in possession and
creating the offensive structure.

Within the structures created in possession, a main principle of supporting the ball is creating
triangles or preferably diamonds. Formations are not entirely important to Pep Guardiola. They
are merely numbers. He cares more about the perfect coverage of the field in relation to the
ball.

Forming triangles allows players to have better orientation on the field and creates uniformity in
movement. Depending on the ball’s position the players will position themselves in a way that
allows them to move it into important areas of the pitch. If the ball is on the left flank in attack,
the positions that must be occupied are completely different than the positions that must be
occupied if the ball is in front of your own penalty box.

Players can perform specific movements while in these positions in relation to each other.
These include but are not limited to: overlapping runs, diagonal inside runs, and providing a
back pass option. There are general “rules” within these methods of structuring the player’s
positioning in relation to the ball. These do not have to be followed strictly but are recommended
to provide continuity and flow to the game. The idea is that a maximum of 3 players may occupy
a horizontal line on the field at one time, while a maximum of 2 players may occupy a vertical
line at one time.

If a system has natural triangles in its design than it is that much easier for the players to form
triangles in possession. This is one of the many reasons we see formations with variations like
4-3-3 or 3-4-3 being used in teams who play this way. Every player is connected to one another
and they move like chains throughout the field in order to have the best structure in possession
and support their teammates and the ball. Oscar Moreno mentions the interconnectedness of all
the players on the field here:

“Every action implies the subsequent action for receiving the ball.”

– Oscar Cano

Another key principle of Position Play is the manipulation of the opponent.

“The objective is to move the opponent, not the ball.”

– Pep Guardiola

Every single action that happens on the field must have a purpose. The ball doesn’t move just to
move. The ball is moved in order to move the opponent, to gather them on one side while you
plan to attack the other. Every pass has the intention of building up to the action of eliminating
opponents. If it isn’t possible to eliminate opponents then the players will keep the ball and look
to get the opponents to move out of position. The ability to do any of these actions is supported
by the structure in possession talked about earlier.

The free man is an extremely important character in terms of manipulating the opponent. This is
achieved mainly through switching the ball to the opposite site of the field once the opponents
have gathered on one side. Usually the free man is the unmarked player on the opposite side of
the field and he has the best value to the attack. The ball is a tool that is used to eliminate
opponents and manipulate their defensive balance. The ball isn’t held in possession just for the
sake of having the ball; Possession is a consequence of this style of play.

Teams that use this philosophy of Positional Play determine which spaces they want to attack
based on the game strategy then use a distraction in another area before striking the opponent
in the desired area, i.e. playing on the left side to gather the opponents there, in order to finish
the attack on the right or playing in deep areas to lure the opponents out in order to finish the
attack in behind the opponent in the open spaces. We see that specific mentality of play even in
counterattacking teams. Juan Manuel Lillo summarizes this concept here:

“The principle idea of Positional Play is that players pass the ball to each other in close spaces
to be able to pass to a wide open man.”

– Juan Manuel Lillo

We have looked at the principles of Positional Play and strategical examples of the principles,
but it is also important to look at how this philosophy relates to the specific movements and
ideas of its players. The ball can move via dribbling, passing, or shooting. A player must master
when and how to do any of these movements in order to create an advantageous situation for
the team.

Pep y Johan

Each movement can cause the opponents to concentrate their positioning more towards the ball
which opens other spaces on the field. Lionel Messi and especially Andres Iniesta are masters
of this. They create spaces by drawing many players towards them. It can be considered a sort
of “offensive pressing trap,” because they invite pressure from many players then escape it and
conquer the resulting spaces with their teammates. Johan Cruyff talked about the types of
players he wants specifically:

“I want players who can make decisive moves in small spaces, I want them to work as little as
possible to save energy for that decisive action.”

– Johan Cruyff

In general, players should always choose passes that provide continuity to the game and they
should always look to secure the passes by supporting them. For example, if the opponent is
compact the orientation of the game should be changed with longer passes. If the opponent is
not compact then it is better to combine in short movements to exploit these spaces quickly.

Both types of passes should be used flexibly though. The players will look to move the ball as
quickly as possible so that the opponent cannot react in time and so that the forwards have the
edge in game rhythm. In terms of positioning, standing between the lines attracts the attention
of more than just one player, which can be beneficial to others.

The men between the lines, called interiores, dominate Positional Play. They are in between
their opponents and this separation from their opponents is precisely what causes the gathering
of opponents in specific areas. They are masters at eliminating their opponents and avoiding
movements that attract opponents to an area where the opponents have defensive access to
the ball. The players positioned in between the opponent’s lines should constantly move in order
to have an open passing lane between them and the ball, or between them and a player who
has an open passing lane in relation to the ball.

Staying out of the cover shadow of the opponents means that the opponents cannot block you
with their positioning and invites more than one opponent to worry about this player. The
specific manner in which a player receives the ball could also affect how they are marked.

Movement of the ball and the players is how signals are communicated in football, so if a player
checks into a space to receive a ball very quickly, the defenders might match this intensity and
follow the player and leave a free space to be exploited, or a free man. SiegbertTarrasch[9]
talks about chess in a way that is comparable to this aspect of Positional Play:
“Weak points or holes in the opponent’s position must be occupied by pieces, not pawns.”

– Siegbert Tarrasch

Meaning that your very best players should be the ones who are the men in between the lines.
They are the ones who will most skillfully exploit the holes in the opponent’s defense as well as
perform the most valuable actions for the team. Examples of these players in Guardiola’s time
with FC Barcelona are: Xavi Hernandez, Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta, and Sergio Busquets.

The fullbacks or wingers are usually very wide and open on the sidelines of the pitch. They
stretch the defense and create interior spaces and passing lanes. The opening of these spaces
provides a better environment for the interiores and creates superiorities and free men in the
most strategically important area of the field the center.

The defenders build the game from defense and should determine the beginning of the attack. If
the opponent is sitting deep and the strikers aren’t pressuring it is the job of the defenders to
move towards the opponent and attack them in order to disorganize them. These are all main
principles that Guardiola uses with his teams when teaching Positional Play.

*Note: Here is a video made by Felipe Araya and FootballHunting of Pablo Adrian Guede’s CD
Palestino, a first division Chilean side. Guede is an Argentinean coach who in his playing days
was a striker for various clubs, such as: Nueva Chicago, DeportivoEspanol, Xerez CD, Malaga,
and Elche. In his time in Elche he befriended the former FC Barcelona head coach (and
assistant coach to Pep Guardiola) Tito Vilanova. He has coached CD El Palo, Nueva Chicago,
and just recently took over the job as manager of CD Palestino from former coach Emiliano
Astorga. Guede introduced the Juego de Posicion philosophy of football and has taken CD
Palestino to their first Copa Libertadores in 35 years.

Palestino Juego de Posición from Football Hunting on Vimeo.

Pep Guardiola
Pep Guardiola’s first season with FC Barcelona’s first team was during the 2008/2009 season.
In 2007 he was a writer for El País. Even at that time it was easy to see his philosophy of
football shine through his writing. At a time when Frank Rijkaard[10] surprisingly used a 3-4-3
against Zaragoza in the 2007 season, Pep Guardiola had this to say in his article:

“I think, and maybe I’m wrong, but what I see is: [Barcelona] like to organize themselves
according to the ball—that they attack and defend with the ball and understand that it is
unacceptable that the ball is there and we are here. The players feel that, instead of moving
towards the ball, the ball will reach them where they are. They feel that, in order for the
attackers to succeed and appear in the newspapers, [they] need a good ball from the midfield
and they, to do so, need a good ball from their defenders. I will pass it on to you and you pass it
to them.

Ronaldinho knows that he is better with Eto’o and Eto’o knows he is better with Ronaldinho.
They have their aspects, but are better together than alone. They insist on knowing where the
free man is at every moment, and know that it is better if that man is Iniesta rather than a
winger. They know that Xavi and Iniesta are compatible. And why wouldn’t they be, dammit?
They understand, as all good collectives should, that when you start on the right, it is better to
finish on the left end and a back pass does not indicate fear, but the beginning of another, better
play.

They feel that the time will come and that possession itself is nothing, but rather a means to
reach the goal. That it is better that the ball reach the extreme end of the pitch via the center
rather than from up the sides. And with all this, sometimes, occasionally, they also lose. They
lose through lack of will power, by not getting their shirt sweaty enough. Or because they have
recently eaten too much and too well, and they have lost their appetite.

Yes, they also lose for these reasons, like all teams around the world. But they also lose
because sometimes, Xavi or Iniesta or Deco will steal the ball from the midfielders when
perhaps they should not. Or because the ball that starts on the right is on track to finish on the
right. Or because the third man is seldom used. Or because Ronaldinho has to receive more
passes from Marquez and fewer from Sylvinho…Or because the attack-defense transition, to
have it or not have it, was seen and unseen, and now maybe the best is slower.”

– Pep Guardiola

This extract perfectly exemplifies the views and passion of Pep Guardiola. This is what makes
him one of the best ever. In regards to Positional Play, Pep said only 3 teams in the world truly
play this way. Swansea City under Laudrup, Rayo Vallecano under Jemez, and his Bayern
Munich. This alone shows that there can be some problems with the complexity of this concept.
It may be difficult to implement in training and for the players to grasp. Each coach has their
own variation of Positional Play that fits their team and their personal philosophy.

Guardiola’s teams play defense very aggressively. The main focus is on zonal marking instead
of man marking. Zonal marking gives the initiative to the defense and they determine the
offense of the opponents, while man marking is a reactionary defense at best. In man marking
players must react to whatever the opponent does, meaning a loss of control. While in zonal
marking the defending team determines where and how they will defend and the opponent must
play against them to control the game. There is a focus on the passing lanes between the
opponents.
The opponents all seem open to the ball carrier but the defenders are closing the passing lanes
while all pressuring the ball together. Guardiola’s teams counterpress. The moment the ball is
lost is the perfect time to press the opposition because the opponent is disorganized, especially
the player who won the ball.

The player who won the ball usually loses his awareness of how the game and the field
positions have changed when he wins the ball. So the player who lost the ball leads the hunt
and Barcelona press the ball in a “wolf pack,” blocking the passing lanes to the opponent’s
teammates while closing down the player on the ball very quickly before he is allowed to escape
or the opponents regain stability.

“Move the opponent, not the ball. Invite the opponent to press. You have the ball on one side, to
finish on the other.”

– Pep Guardiola

Guardiola’s recent teams have been the best in the world and they follow these principles. They
have purpose in every pass and look to take opponents out of the game very frequently. Many
times you will be able to see players not passing the ball until receiving some sort of pressure.
Boateng and Dante will sometimes stand completely still with the ball until a player presses and
then they pass the ball away.

This shows the complete dedication to manipulating the opponent’s movements with the ball.
Sometimes Iniesta will be in the middle of the field and he will just stop doing anything. This
famous move is called “La Pausa” or “The Pause,” He stands completely still while opponents
begins to pressure him and abandon their defensive positioning, creating holes in the defense
and free men for Iniesta’s team.

Pep penals vs Leverkusen

Another interesting aspect of Guardiola’s teams was the use of a “False 9,” a player who is the
center forward, but does not occupy the center forward position at all. An interesting quote by
Guardiola perfectly summarizes his views on this style of play:

“Everyone is allowed to move into the box, but none are allowed to stand in it.”

– Pep Guardiola

Meaning he expects every single player to contribute to the support of the ball and the build up
play before entering the penalty box to finish the move off. This means his strikers don’t usually
just stand up front and wait for the ball, but are actively and fluidly involved in the build up play,
while even the midfielders and defenders can finish the move in the box if the situation allows
them too.
This provides interconnectedness within the team as well as confusing the opponent. When
Messi was introduced as the False 9 vs Real Madrid in the Santiago Bernabeu for the first time,
Madrid’s central defenders admitted they had no idea how to defend Barcelona, and they lost
6-2 on the day.

In regards to superiority in possession, this quote by Angel Iturriaga[11] perfectly captures the
talent of Mr. Guardiola:

“Guardiola has sublimed Positional Play. He introduced variants in taking the ball out [of
defense] that didn’t even cross La Volpe’s mind. He is an innovator and an excellent scholar. I
think it is impossible to repeat that virtuoso cycle. As a coach, I would say his capacity to
manage a group and egos stands out, his capacity to work and his capacity to change matches
tactically. He is able to use 4 guidelines in a match and change them depending on how the
rival is situated.”

– Angel Iturriaga

The variants Iturriaga speaks of are actions such as: the defensive or central midfielder
dropping towards the sides of the central defenders, defensive or central midfielders dropping
into the spaces in between a formation with 3 central defenders, the fullbacks pushing high and
inside towards the center, and more. These variants allow for interesting changes in build-up
play. Like Lahm being able to receive towards the sides instead of in the center and progressing
diagonally towards the opponent goal.

Continuing with the idea of progressing the ball out of the defense, this quote by Guardiola
shows his style of thinking and strategy when facing opponents:

“In football each player is responsible for another except in the [2 central defenders] vs. [1
striker] tip of each team. We start our 2 vs. 1 with a central defender driving out towards the
opponent goal, causing an opponent out to prevent his progression, freeing his [partnering
central defender] (generation of free man). Danger! If we lose the ball the opponent strikers
have a 1 vs. 1 against our defenders. Each team decides how they will play now.”

– Pep Guardiola

Guardiola is willing to take the risks necessary to be successful. It may not look like a
dangerous situation, but it takes real bravery to leave your team matched up man for man
against the opponent forwards while your team is in possession trying to create a chance and
the defending team is sitting back waiting to counter. It takes bravery to split your central
defenders extremely far apart from each other to the touchlines of the pitch while under
pressure. All of this is done in order to constantly adhere to the principles of Positional Play, no
matter the cost.
Guardiola chooses different players in his starting lineups based upon how he interprets their
movements and their synergies between other teammates on the field. He plans specific
movements in regards to the opponent and what the strategy on the day calls for.

His tactical moves always fit the team and he doesn’t change the team in order to fit his tactics –
or else they will play very badly. In terms of being a manager, Guardiola has his philosophy, is
great at creating strategies against his opponents, excellent at the specific tactical movements
required to execute the goals of the strategy, and is also world class when it comes to in-game
changes.

When it comes to training this philosophy, Guardiola has a specific training pitch in which he
trains his players:

pep-field-194x300
Pep Guardiola’s Training Field.
He trains his players on this pitch and trains them to orient to these specific lines on the field.

“The only important things in our game are what happens within these 4 lines. Everything else is
secondary.”

– Pep Guardiola

The four central lines are of utmost importance. This is where the men in between the lines play
and it is the most important portion of the field for Guardiola. There are 4 vertical lines and 5
vertical strips of space on the field. The flanks are the outside vertical strips, the 2 inside strips
are called “interior corridors[12]” in Positional Play, and the central strip is the center.

The interior corridors are arguably the most important spaces within the center, as this is usually
in between all lines of the opponent defense. From here, players can have the biggest impact in
eliminating opponents as well as moving diagonally towards the goal, which has its own specific
benefits that will be mentioned in the game analyses.

On this field, Pep trains his players how and where to move in relation to the ball. If the ball is on
the left flank and Ribery has the ball, there are various movements that can be trained to
support Ribery while maintaining great positional structure and stability. For example, Ribery
can begin dribbling inside, and Alaba the left back will move from the interior line to occupy the
left flank that Ribery is exiting, with a possibility for an overlapping run.

Meanwhile, the near side supporting central midfielder like Schweinsteiger would move deeper
and toward the left outermost vertical line of the 4 central vertical lines. This means that Ribery
is dribbling inside towards goal, Alaba is giving him an overlapping run option, and
Schweinsteiger is moving deeper and in between the two – forming the tip of the triangle while
the other two attack.

At the same time, the rest of the team is reacting to these movements in order to have the most
efficient positional structure and stability in play. During the training of these movements the
general rules of never having more than 3 players on a horizontal line at the same times and
never more than 2 on the same vertical line at the same time is being obeyed and thought about
constantly by the players. So even the far side players are chain-reacting to these movements
and forming the optimal far side structure to be able to attack if the ball is switched across to the
center or the opposite flank.

This is just one example of a specific movement that could be trained using this field. Guardiola
can add defenders and train specific situations and eventually the players can play on any field
without a need for guidelines to help orient themselves. The players over time learn all the
variations and principles that come with training on this field and use it flexibly and
interchangeably. Eventually the players move extremely fluidly and all have the same mindset
and sense of orientation on the field.

Note: Here is a famous video posted by tz.de on YouTube of Guardiola training his Bayern
Munich team in the art of Positional Play during the winter break of his first season with the
team. He talks about the length and angling of the central midfielders in relation to each other in
order to have optimal positioning to penetrate the defensive lines, specific runs/movements the
players should be doing, decision making with the ball to manipulate the opponent or maintain
stability, and more.

Along with that form of training, Guardiola also plays various other games that improve the
fundamentals needed when it comes to Positional Play, e.g. game intelligence, movement, body
angle and position, clean passing technique and dribbling, awareness, and more. Another
example of a game that is used in training constantly is the very famous Rondo:

rondo
An 8 vs. 2 Rondo.
The most common Rondo seen in Guardiola’s training sessions is in a 10x10m square in an 8
vs. 2 “Monkeys in the Middle” game dynamic. Usually it is played with one touch passing, but
that can be changed depending on the parameters. The size of the square as well as the
amount of players on each team are variable as well. This is an example of the most basic
Rondo Pep uses.

The goal is usually to reach 20 or 30 passes in a row without an interception. Once that is
achieved the players all tease and applaud towards the players in the middle. If you watch any
of the recent training videos uploaded by Bayern Munich on YouTube you can hear players like
Mueller counting each pass out loud.

The focus of the training can be either the defenders (Monkey in the Middle) or the attackers
(Circle). Usually the defenders can switch out with an attacker only when they intercept the ball,
not when they poke it away – promoting intelligent positioning. Once this happens, the attacker
who lost the ball then joins the defender in the middle while the defender who intercepted it joins
the circle.

In a Rondo, there are specific passes like a 1st line pass, a 2nd line pass, and a 3rd line pass. A
1st line pass doesn’t bypass any defenders. A 2nd line pass bypasses a defender but doesn’t
split the two defenders in the middle. A 3rd line pass is the ultimate goal and is a pass which
goes between the two defenders in the middle. The players on the outside may move around
and change their body position at any time.

The goal is to manipulate the defenders in such a way that you can play a penetrating pass in
between them. During the exercise the intensity and speed of the ball is extremely fast and
requires great technique and concentration. The players constantly adjust the angle of their
positioning in relation to their teammates, sometimes taking a step backwards or forward on the
edges of the square, sometimes turning their hips in a certain way so that they can play the next
pass or receive a pass efficiently. They can also move closer to their teammates in order to
invite pressure before playing a longer pass out of pressure to continue the passing streak.

There are various fundamentals that are trained very intensely during this game, like intelligence
and technique under pressure. This applies to both the offensive players and the defenders in
the middle. That is why Guardiola uses this drill almost every single practice.

A similar game that is used very often is called a Positional Game:

positional-games
A 4 vs. 4 + 3 Positional Game.
This game is played in a more rectangular area with the size of the area varying depending on
the coach – similar to Rondos. The touches should be limited to 1 or 2 touches, though it is
variable depending on the team and coach. In this game there are 3 neutral players (yellow) and
a 4 vs. 4 possession game. The objective is to keep the ball as long as possible. Once the ball
is lost, the two teams of 4 switch. There is a catch, though. When the ball is lost, the team that
lost it can immediately counterpress.

This trains the ability and impulse to counterpress immediately when the ball is lost as well as
the possessing team to immediately escape the area of pressure when the ball is lost. Along
with similar fundamentals that are trained in Rondos, this game trains positioning in possession
in between defenders, which adds complexity and pressure because there are 6 offensive
players on the outside with 4 defenders in the center + 1 offensive player between them.
Some may argue that these games are missing actual goals to finish the play, but football is
mostly progressing through zones with the movement of the ball and players in relation to the
ball, rather than finishing on goal. In fact, if a team can progress through the field consistently
well, they most likely won’t have finishing problems.

There are variations of these games that are possible with a “zone progressing” goal, meaning
the goals of the drills are to keep the ball and manipulate the opponent while simultaneously
progressing through various zones. These are very quick and high pressure games.

It goes back to the saying of Johan Cruyff where he said he wants players who can make the
correct decisions in the smallest spaces. These games are used frequently in order to sharpen
the players and teach them the most valuable aspects of football. During all of these drills
Guardiola uses freezing of play and talking to his players to explain concepts and to coach the
players. All of these aspects in training translate to the play of the team in real matches.

Game Analyses
Manchester City vs. Bayern Munich

Tuesday, November 25, 2014

bayern-build-vs-city-300x230
Bayern’s Positional Structure in Possession.
In this scene we see how Bayern support the man on the ball very aggressively. Including
Neuer, there are 5 players supporting Benatia within the immediate area. On the far side the
Bayern players make sure they are positioned so that they remain connected to the players in
the immediate vicinity of the ball, even if they can’t support the ball themselves. This allows
Bayern to play through the Manchester City pressure quite easily and progress up the field with
ascending superiorities.

It also means that if Bayern want to finish the attack on the opposite side of the field in regards
to the ball position, they are well structured to attack that area. Notice that the players all
stagger and position themselves in a well oriented manner in adherence to the general rules of
positional structure in the philosophy of Positional Play. This creates many triangles and
diamonds which Bayern use to dominate the situation.

boateng-midfieldvs-city-300x281
Bayern utilizing the potential of the free man out of defense.
Bayern use the 2 vs. 1 situation with Boateng and Benatia vs Aguero to their advantage in this
scene. Here the back 4 are occupied by just Ribery and Lewandowski, meaning that Bayern
already have a free man in midfield. To add onto this, Benatia invites pressure from Aguero and
then Boateng receives the ball as the free man in the back line.
He proceeds to break through the first line of City’s defense and join the midfield. This creates a
7 vs. 5 overall match-up in midfield that Bayern can exploit and use to break through the
opponent midfield. Also, notice that Alonso has dropped into the space on the left side of the 2
Bayern central defenders, in-between Bernat and Boateng.

bayern-10-men-chance-300x214
Bayern manipulating Manchester City’s defense even with 10 players.
This scene takes place just before Bayern score their first goal after they have received a red
card for Benatia’s tackle on Aguero. City was very easily manipulated by Bayern even though
Bayern was down a man. This may be due to psychological factors in the game.

City realized they had an extra man, therefore they began pressing quite aggressively. Even
though they pressed aggressively, City still occupied deeper zones with their defenders. This
means that their pressure was not supported by further layers of pressing and they couldn’t gain
any defensive access to the ball.

Bayern were still capable of using one player to eliminate 2 or 3 opponents in certain situations.
In this scene there are roughly 5 players around Xabi Alonso while Hojbjerg positions himself
excellently to maintain a passing lane between him and Alonso while still being positioned in the
most dangerous hole in the City defense. The principles of moving the opponent with the ball
and using the free man in the most dangerous areas still created a goal even against
Manchester City with an extra man.

ribery-offensive-press-trap-300x200
Ribéry drawing in many Manchester City players before releasing the ball into the opened
space.
This scene shows the buildup to the goahead goal Bayern scored with 10 players against a full
City squad. Alonso passed the ball to Ribery in the center, who held the ball for a moment to
invite extra City pressure before releasing the pass. The principle of starting the attack on one
side and finishing on the other is apparent here. Also, Ribery managed to eliminate roughly 6(!)
Manchester City midfielders with one pass.

This philosophy still shows its dominance in a Champions League match with 1 less player.
While Ribery had adequate support near the ball, Boateng took up a position in the largest hole
of the City defensive shape while maintaining connection to the ball. On a side note, Robben
positioned himself very wide because he knew he was still connected to Boateng who could
potentially receive the ball and potentially give him a pass. Once Boateng received the ball he
played a long diagonal to the far post and Lewandowski headed in the goal.

Bayern Munich vs. Borussia Dortmund

Saturday, November 1, 2014

boateng-laser-pass-300x250
Boateng playing one of his great laser-like passes through the lines of defense.
In this scene Boateng plays one of his impressive laser passes through the opponents midfield.
Borussia Dortmund focused their entire defensive game plan on congesting the central areas of
the field. This is because they knew this is what is most important for Pep Guardiola and his
style of play.

Boateng received the ball from the left side of the field so when he turned to face the far side,
there was a bit more space since the opponents have gathered on the near side. Boateng
attacked the area farthest from Dortmund pressure and the scene ended in a dangerous
Robben shot on goal.

The value of diagonal play can be observed here. Diagonal passes eliminate both vertical and
horizontal lines of the opponent defensive shape. This eliminates a large portion of the
opponent players while moving towards their goal and attacking through a zone that is usually
underloaded by the opponent. Also, when attacking the field from one side diagonally towards
the other the players have a connection towards varied zones, like the flank or the center. While
attacking from the center means you have the same option on either side.

It also provides an optimal view of the field. If your players are attacking at a diagonal angle,
that means their backs are facing the corners of the field which – are the least important. Also,
depending on the position of the attack moving diagonally inside mean going towards the goal,
while moving diagonally from directly in the center means slightly moving away from the goal.

In this scene Boateng was slightly offset towards the left and played a diagonal which 3
Dortmund players threatened but couldn’t reach. Once the ball broke through the pressure zone
and reached Lahm, Bayern had an advantageous attack in central areas of the field.

neuer-crazy-263x300
Neuer – not to be outdone by Boateng, plays one of his incredible penetrating passes.
This scene exemplifies the value of Bayern Munich’s German goalkeeper. Manuel Neuer is
considered by many the best goalkeeper in the world. Goalkeepers play a large part in the
building game out of defense in this philosophy of play. Using the goalkeeper means you
automatically have an extra pass option. It’s 10 vs. 11 because the opponent’s goalkeeper will
not press high up the field due to the risk of leaving an open goal.

Using the goalkeeper in special ways in tandem with the defensive line is something we see
frequently in Bayern. Here Neuer plays a long diagonal flat pass into the center while being
pressured. The pass is incredibly accurate and Robben lays the pass off to Mueller who breaks
through the Dortmund midfield in order to attack the defensive line. The effect of layoff passes
are also visible in this scene. When a long pass is played, pressure gathers around the
destination point. Once the pressure gathers and Robben plays a one-touch layoff pass to the
forward facing free man, Müller, Bayern have an extremely advantageous attack.
AS Roma vs. Bayern Munich

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

robben-free-man-300x207
Robben as the free man vs. AS Roma.
This scene is from Bayern’s 7-1 victory over Roma. This shows the principle of the free man and
his value to the attack. Bayern positioned their most dangerous player alone on the far side of
the field as a free man. Robben is normally a winger so this position was perfect for him. Roma
plays very compact horizontally which leaves the far side of the field open. Guardiola prepared
for this match very well in terms of strategy.

Robben received the ball here and attacked directly towards goal, ending up in a 1 vs. 1 against
Ashley Cole which is a very favorable qualitative superiority for Bayern. Note that once Robben
goes diagonally inside to attack, Lahm immediately runs towards the flank in order to balance
Robben’s movements and proved stability in the positional structure.

bayern-central-superiority-300x246
Robben stretches the AS Roma midfield and allows for the ball to be played to Bayern’s 3-man
strikeforce easier.
This scene is the buildup leading to Gotze’s goal and Bayern’s second goal on the night. Here
the effects of Robben’s constant threat are visible. Since he was causing so many problems
Roma began orienting their players more towards him. Robben was a constant threat that night
and even scored 2 goals. Because of his output, the Roma defensive shape now lacked
horizontal compactness.

That opened up vertical passing lanes into the trio of Gotze, Mueller, and Lewandowski through
the stretched defensive connections of Roma. These 3 players are excellent in tight spaces and
in combinations. This is another form of a qualitative superiority, only in a different manner.
These 3 vs. the back line of Roma caused a goal in this scene. This was a great strategical
game for Guardiola. His initial strategy opened up holes for the secondary strategy and Roma
had no answers

Bayern Munich vs. SC Paderborn

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

bayern-overload-paderborn-300x218
Bayern overloading the right side.
Bayern varied their formation from the usual in this match. In this match they played a 4-2-3-1
formation with a specific strategy while still adhering to the principles of Positional Play. Bayern
looked to focus on the interior corridors in this match and overload them to break through. Their
numerical and positional superiority on the right side of the field is where the first goal stemmed
from.

Here we can see the players still supporting each other in triangulations even when the play is
very congested and tight on one side. This large amount of players around the ball meant
Bayern had many players in good positions in case the was a ball loss and an opportunity for
counterpressing. As you can see, Robben cut inside with the ball and Rode overlapped. In order
to open space for Robben moving inside, Mueller moved to the flank as well.

Gotze and Lewandowski came close to the ball for a potential combination and break through
while Lahm and Alonso provided safe back pass options. Rondos and Positional Play games
have a strong resemblance to this scene specifically. This is an interesting example of a varied
Bayern strategy and its relation to training.

Hertha Berlin vs. Bayern Munich

Saturday, November 29th, 2014

robbery-halfspaces-300x277
Robben and Ribéry in the interior corridors.

“I look for [the opponent’s] point of weakness, and I try to put [skilled] players in those positions.”

– Pep Guardiola

This scene shows an interesting variation to the Bayern attack. In this game Ribery and Robben
played mostly in the interior corridors instead of the flanks where we are used to seeing them.
The idea behind this was that Hertha Berlin leave their central areas in midfield exposed
because their wide midfielders man mark Bayern’s fullbacks. This means that Berlin’s formation
is roughly a 6-2-1-1, which can be easily manipulated in the midfield.

Because the holes in the opponent formation are on the sides of the two central midfielders, in
the interior corridors, Guardiola decided to let his 2 most dangerous players play in these zones.
From here, Bayern attacked with Ribery and Robben diagonally towards goal with the positive
effects of these movements mentioned in an earlier game analysis. Bayern’s goal in this match
stemmed from such movement. The free men in between the lines are the most important
players for Positional Play, and this match Bayern’s two best players were used in the most
important positions in Guardiola’s Positional Play philosophy.

Conclusion
I would like to conclude by talking about the reason why Guardiola hates the term “Tiki Taka.”
This term implies possession of the ball with no purpose, with no movements to disorganize and
eliminate opponents. The idea of Tiki Taka is to keep possession for the sake of having
possession.

Sometimes Guardiola will lose a game and people will say he plays this way, keeping the ball
but not doing anything with it. Another reason he is accused of this sort of play is that many
teams saw his style of play and tried to copy it without knowing the core principles, and in the
end wind up with nothing but pointless possession.

The Spanish National Team that made history from 2008-2012 had times where they played this
way, and the players in that team were Guardiola’s players. Maybe similar accusations will arise
if Germany start playing poorly now that he coaches Bayern Munich, though they just won the
2014 World Cup with a style of play similar to his Bayern Munich team. In the end, these are not
his teams, but other teams that may give this idea of possessing the ball a bad name.

So yes, possession of the ball psychologically frustrates the opponents because they cannot do
what they want to do. Continuity and flow of possession for a long duration does bring a sense
of control. But possession is merely a consequence of the offensive game of Pep Guardiola and
his principles.

Possession is not the goal, though the possession of the ball provides the innate defensive
aspect that one team has the ball and the opponents cannot score because they don’t. Scoring
goals, defending, and keeping possession are consequences of this philosophy of play, not the
focus. The focus is to play good football and to win by doing so. Pep Guardiola wants to win in
any way possible, but he believes this is the very best way to win.

Footnotes
[1]: Maurizio Viscidi is well known in Italy as one of ArrigoSacchi’s best students and assistants.
He is also a well known “Giochi Di Posizione” coach. Maurizio has worked as Director of Youth
Development, Technical Coach, and Assistant Coach under Cesare Prandelli and Antonio
Conte for the Italian National Football Team.

[2]: Marti Perarnau is a former Olympic Athlete who is the author of the very popular “Pep
Confidential” book where he spent an entire year with Guardiola during his first season at
Bayern Munich. He is also the author of Perarnau Magazine.

[3]: Juan Manuel Lillo is a pioneer of Juego de Posición. Pep Guardiola has said many times he
goes to Lillo for advice. Lillo coached Guardiola as a player in his 2005-2006 season as a
manager at the Mexican club Dorados de Sinaloa.

[4]: Ricardo La Volpe is a famous Argentinean coach. He won the 2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup
with Mexico. Pep Guardiola notably fell in love with his 2006 Mexican National Team. The
Mexican National Team lost to Argentina in the Round of 16 2-1 after extra time in that World
Cup. These results brought Mexico to 4th in the FIFA World Rankings.
[5]: PacoSeirul-Lo is a fitness coach in FC Barcelona. He was the Head of Fitness Coaches
under Johan Cruyff when he was appointed in 1993. He is a Spanish Sports Scientist who
studied Kinesiology at the Instituto Nacional de EducacionFisica in Madrid.

[6]: ArrigoSacchi coached AC Milan from 1987-1991 and 1996-1997. He won two European
Cups back to back in 1989 and 1990. Sacchi is famous for his contribution to the Zonal Marking
style of defense.

[7]: Johan Cruyff is arguably one of the best players and coaches in the history of the game. He
won 3 Balon d’Ors. He was coached by the father of “Total Football,” RinusMichels. Pep
Guardiola considers Cruyff his largest influence, being coached by him and winning 4 La Liga’s
from 1991 to 1994.

[8]: Oscar Moreno is the author of “Modelo de Juego del FC Barcelona.” He is currently a coach
of CD Alcoyano.

[9]: SiegbertTarrasch was a German master of chess. He had many books on chess and
contributed many things to the game of chess.

[10]: Frank Rijkaard was a great central defender and defensive midfielder for Ajax and AC
Milan, playing for coaches like Cruyff, van Gaal, and Sacchi. He was also the manager of FC
Barcelona from 2003-2008, winning the Champions League in 2006.

[11]: Angel Iturriaga Barco is a Spanish writer and historian. He is the author of various
dictionaries about FC Barcelona and about Spanish Football.

[12]: Interior Corridors are also known in German as the word Halbraum, literally translated as
Halfspaces. My colleague Rene Maric created a tactical theory piece on the importance of this
zone here.

● * Adin Osmanbasic is a football coach and analyst.