ORTHODOXY

The original of this entry can be found in the following link:

http://www.martiperarnau.com/tactica/la-ortodoxia/

Thanks to @martiperarnau

ORTHODOXY
A few days ago, following an article by Martí Ayats (@martíayats) on "Control", he, Martí Perarnau (@martíperarnau), and myself, we had a little debate on twitter about the subject of orthodoxy in football and, if IT was well regarded . Martí Perarnau asked me if I was able  to write an article and, here.
Today it seems that, to write about whatever topic, you have to look for difficult words or award different namesto things that already have one. If you don't do so, it seems that your are "old" and that your ideas are outdated.
Many of us have been using, in Coaching Course, the books by Mariano Moreno when he was the Director of the Coaches School of the RFEF. You can liket it more or less, but the truth is that the books include a definition of Principles of Football (Offensive and Defensive) and, a Terminology, which is lacking in many countries. In England and in the United States, there are many differences between what some consider principles and for others not. This, as is often said, is neither good nor bad. This is true. From there, sure you can open a debate about if what you have there improved or renamed, and sure it can be.
Guardiola's Barça received compliments and congratulations from around the world of football by playing so showy, which obviously accompanied the results. If not, hardly, they have reached such a high degree of unanimity. Beyond the "positional play" , the "false 9", the "lavolpiana" building-up and a whole lot more, for me, in the strict sense as Coach, what characterized this team was the application stricter of the Principles of Football that we talked about before.
We saw the "delay" of Xavi , saw "uncheck" (breaking, with Villa getting behind the defense to receive a pass from Iniesta, and support, with Messi "falling" to join Xavi and Iniesta to have a 3v2) , we saw "support" with Busquets dropping between the Center Backs for playing form the back with the ball, but also what we were saying about Messi. We saw "ball conservation" (Of course!). We saw "changes of direction " (from right to left and vice versa) and "spaces" and "walls" ( hundreds of them) (N.A: wall is 1-2 combo).
And this, in attack. In defense, we saw the "pressing " (And what a pressing!), the "cover" and "swittching" between Alves and Pedro or, between Pique and Puyol, we saw the "anticipation" and, together with it, the "interception" (How many balls per game stolen?) . The "delay" (also defensive). We saw "charges" and "tackles" (Mascherano, Keita and Yaya Toure scraping balls is a "classic") .
We saw all that in that team. And much more. All this I just put are Principles of Football. Those which are explained in the textbooks of Coaching Courses in Spain .
I keep putting some stuff, literally, of these books :
- Switching between retention and accelerated ball game. The hability to change the pace is an important factor for the effectiveness of a team.- Although the game of attack must always be oriented in depth, in no way excludes lateral and backward passes, to open gaps within the opposing defense .- Pressure and speed is one of the essential principles of an effective attack .
I could spend hours putting more things from these books. I don't think it's needed. In the same way, I don't  think anyone should hide to follow, and use, these principles. You can be great or creative doing things in a "regulated" way. Does the winger comes in and the full-back overlaps him? Well, okay. Does the full-back go inside and the winger outside? Also worth. 1 central midfielder. A double pivot. A "big" center forward. A "false 9" . Three "Shorties" in midfield. A Center Back with 1.75m. Classic wingers. Wingers with "switched side". Anything goes, as long as we apply the concepts, except to have the team split in two, while we know what to do with and without the ball .
All this (which Pep did at Barca) is pure orthodoxy. It's what the books say. No more. No less. That is already a lot.
Let no one be afraid to be orthodox, to follow the canons. Cruyff said the hardest thing was to make things easy. And I think that he was quite right. Invent what we want, that creativity is always good, of course, but do not confuse the terms (N.A. literal translation is "to mix bacon with speed") or orthodoxy with immobility, which are different things.
I just hope that if one day Guardiola read these lines, he forgives me for calling him orthodox. The geniuses, geniuses are.
Jordi Pascual

You can follow me on Twitter: @JordiPascualP

GUARDIOLA DIDN'T INVENT ANYTHING

So written it sounds strange. And, after reading everything it's possible than more than one will curse or will  tell me that I have no idea, it can also be.

The fact is that, after seeing Guardiola many years as a player, coach and now as a lecturer, I have increasingly more clear that what he has always done the best is being a pupil. Cruyff, Capello, Lillo, Bielsa, Menotti, Van Gaal, etc.. Guardiola has learned from all of them. He has  heard, he has seen, with many of them in person, their ways of working, their methodology, their understanding of football. And having done that, it has gathered all together with his innate intelligence and leadership skills, communication and work and has made an outstanding blend.

Now, to invent, what is said to invent , I think he hasn't done it. The "1-4-3-3" is used for many years, the "1-3-4-3" was introduced by Cruyff, at the defensive rigor, Capello, rigor and control, of Van Gaal, the spirit of group by Lillo, the philosophy as a concept for working, from Bielsa or Menotti, etc.. But he has had this point to know what was the most profitable of each and then, and later, as a good student, he is best the known understanding the "Principles of the Game" and applying them. In this, I think he is the best, no doubt.

On the Web there are, in the last days, some lectures given recently in South America. Above all, one where he talks about why he changed the position of Messi, who has become a "TOP". I've seen it, as many people, and I come to the following conclusions:

1) Guardiola knows as any other coach how his players are. What "features" they have at technical, tactical level, etc.. What they know and what they can do. The strengths and weaknesses. If they are fast, explosive, patients, "diesel", if they good headers, to the right or to the left. If they run better with or without the ball, etc. This is something that all those who say we are, or want to be, coaches, should know very carefully.

2) Guardiola is a student of football. Of his team, of his opponents and, of any group of eleven guys who play football against another group of eleven dressed in different colors, whatever the place on earth. Scan everything he sees and always looks for the "why" Why do they do this move? Why they don't do that? Why do they go to the right? Why to the left? Why they do not go? Why ...?

3) And, as I said, Guardiola applies the "Principles of football" as anyone. Contrary to what people may think, Guardiola is the most orthodox of all coaches. All of him is pure orthodoxy "Rationa occupatios of space (The ball give us the order)", "Changes of orientation (start on one side, finish at the other)", "Walls (2v1)", "Free espces (winger comes in, full-back appears at the outside"), "Conservation of the ball", "Change of Pace", "support (the false "9")", etc.. and defensive principles, too: "Pressing (do you remember, don't you?)", "Cover", "Markings", "Permanent support" etc..

That is, Guardiola has not implemented anything we did not know, especially for  those who have done the Caoching Courses with the books of the Spanish Federation. What happens to us is that many times we want to be more Catholic than the Pope, and want to invent the "garlic soup" and, apply names to things that already exist and are already named. And all this is already invented. The concepts are the same for everyone. What sets us apart is how we apply and, above all, why we apply this or that way. In this, Pep it's a big "inventor", because he does what his teachers told him. He has achieved what the "Master" Johan Cruyff used to say: The hardest thing is to keep things simple. And he does.

Jordi Pascual

You can follow me on Twitter: @JordiPascualP