THE END OF POSITIONAL PLAYING

Last Wednesday I watched Barça-City (U-19). Beyond confirming that the Barca youth also wants to play as the 1^st team (without wingers, a less constructive play in midfield, etc.), one of the things that caught my attention was the fact of watching many mistakes of tactical kind in our team.

Thursday, via twitter, sirocco_10 was telling us as that a scout of Villarreal was explaining him the change of mentality that there is in many big clubs with respect to youth football. For you to have an idea, those who do not know too much how this goes on, remember that, in general, grassroots football develops in 4 stages: iInitiation (up to 12 years approximately), Development (16 years), Performance (19 years), Competition (21). What is it happening? Very simple: the big clubs are focusing more on Performance and Competition (both, at training level and at scouting and recruitment level), than in Initiation and Development.

And that is bad. Very bad. For football in general, but particularly for Barça even more. By all the famous "model,  and its implementation, means.

I'll explain. The last 25 years (since the arrival of Cruyff to Barça’s bench, although this doesn’t like to many), Barça has developed a special model of training and playing. Not unique (at the end of the day, Cruyff took it from Ajax and mixed it with the things that Laureano Ruiz was doing), but so well implemented that it has led us where it had led us (League, Champions League, National Teams... ), and that it has deserved the unanimous recognition worldwide (football and non-football).

The problem is that the "model" was more than a form or style of playing football. The "model" contained all the Principles of Football (I wrote about it a few years ago on the magazine of Martí Perarnau). If there’s anything good at the Coaches Courses of the RFEF is that they establish Principles (Offensive and Defensive), that I have not seen in any other country. In fact, in many countries, according to who you talk, some will say that the Principles are one or the other.

This means that any boy who had gone through the Barca youth football knew the "game", the "what", but also the "how" or "why" of a given situation on the pitch Not now. And this "not now," includes the pause and the delay. The pressure, the possession, the width, the 1-4-3-3 can be used in many ways to play, however, pause and patience are linked unequivocally to positional play. And, pause and patience allow to have lines together, allow unmark support (the "3^rd man", " the free man"), allow to close the pitch correctly and allow much more.

All this, however, is no longer. And it is not that you don’t see it with the 1^st team. It is not seen at Barca B, neither at U-19. But it has its logic. Beyond that grassroots teams should play as “seniors" do, the fact is that the vast majority of players at B (17, I think they are), they have not played for U-19 and many of the U-19 are not trained at home. And, they do not know the positional play; however, it seems that many do not know neither the Principles we spoke earlier. And, the coaches (Gerard and Gabri), it seems that neither or, at least, it seems they do not care whether they are applied or not. And instead of teaching (Professional Formative Football, it’s called now B and U-19, but still "formative", right?), they want to win at any cost.

But there is more. Until now, they were looking for, particularly for grassroots, skilled players who could play the ball, able to run with it, pass, dribble ... Not now. Now bigger and stronger players are searched. And they tell us that Rakitic replaces Xavi, or Andre Gomes or Denis Suarez replacing Iniesta. Or, if Busquets is not playing, Mascherano can do it easily. And they are so calm. As if it was the same! As if there is any relation between a dribbling of Messi or Iniesta with one of Rakitic or André Gomes. No. No relation. The firsts dribble because their quality. The latters, because their strength. Make no mistake.

And it’s also said that, of course, you have to play with the players you have. The coach must adapt to the characteristics of their players. I think it's great, but, all these players have come because Luis Enrique, don’t’ they??? And those who have come for the B, to do something similar, is it a Gerard Lopez thing, right?? Or is there someone who believes that coaches have no say in making the squad??? And the respective Technical Secretaries (Robert Fernandez, Pep Segura) seek what they want or do they follow the ideas of the coach? And all this is done following the guidelines given by the Board, because, of course, do not forget that the boss is the Board. And they are the ones who decide what "model" the Club has to follow. They are, nobody else.

But, about the Board and I’ll talk another day, if that. Let’s go back to our "positional play". They tell us that grassroots (Amateur Formative Football, until 17 years, as said at the beginning with Initiation and Development), continues to work in the same way as before. I really doubt it. But it is that, besides hesitation, it is an inconsistency. That is, until 16-17 years we teach them one thing. From here on, a very different one. And all this, while we are taking kids from outside for the B and the U-19 who are not trained in positional playing.

But, what about the coaches?? Until recently, the majority of coaches in grassroots football were people who had spent many years in the house or were former players who knew the model. For one reason or another, many of these are no longer and those who have returned have done with other ideas. It is somewhat sad that coaches trained in the club go around explaining the model and, when they come back, they do not apply it. It is what it is. It is said that, in the not too distant future, Xavi could be the ideal coach for Barça. I do not doubt it. Now, I doubt that he comes with this Board and I doubt, even more, if he can apply positional playing with everything I have said so far. And if not, look at the difficulties of Guardiola to apply it, first at Bayern and, now at City.

I have no doubt that Barça will continue to win competitions, even when Messi leaves. We will play in a different way, with players that will be different and, with a majority of outside players. But we will win, for sure. At the end of the day, the vast majority of “socis” and supporters only care about winning at any cost.

Now, "that" that dazzled the world and many have not yet learned that it is NOT called "tiki-taka" and it is called "positional play", take off the illusion. It will take years to see it again. If we see it again.

Jordi Pascual

You can follow me on twitter: @JordiPascualP

AS YOU PLAY...

I've said it once, but now I will be more extensive. For a long time, it has been said, and it is said that "as you train, as you play", referring to that, what was worked and how it worked in practices was reflected in the games. Today, for me, the situation is reversed and we have moved to "as you play, as you train".

What does this mean? Well, very simple: If we want our team play in a certain way, we will have to train in a certain way. I mean, why we have to do "Rondos" and "Possession games" when the team plays counter-attack style or a live direct play style? Or, why do we have to practice plays where the full-back passes to the midfielder and this one to the winger to cross, if this will not be done during the game?

A few days ago I read in a blog about the use (and abuse) of the Small Sided Games (SSG). These SSG are the "fashion" now, and you're not a good coach if you do not use them. But, what should we use, if we do? Well, those useful for your way of playing. An exercise with so much pressure when you do not press when you lose the ball makes no sense. An exercise for building up from the back with the ball when then we don’t play this way neither, does not make any sense. An exercise where our striker is heading the cross of the winger, when we do not have this wingers to do the crossing, it makes no sense. And, well, whatever you want.

Any type of exercise or activity that is related to the way we play is good. Any type of exercise or activity that is NOT related to the way we play is bad. Regardless if we talk about SSG, Automatism, Prepared plays, etc. It has nothing to do with that.

The question we must ask ourselves when we prepare our sessions is not what we do?, If not, why do we do it? Why this activity and not that one? Why I use this exercise? Why this one is not useful? Because everything has to be linked to our style of playing. Therefore for this, only, that's enough.

And, the exercises should include, to the extent possible, the 4 moments of the game (Attack, Defense, and the two Transitions). For me, it makes little sense exercises where the attackers have to score a goal and when defenders clear the ball the exercise finishes and we start the attacking move again. But, what about the game? What do we want to be done? Because if what we want is that the defenders just clear the ball, it’s good as we did. But now, if we want to play a counter or we want the defenders to play from the back, we have to make it be present when training, right? And besides, if we want the ball to go to the center or to the flanks, we have to put this "condition" in the exercise. If we have not practiced it before, unlikely we will see it in the matches.

And, all this comes from the same place: to have a clear and defined “style of playing”. To know what we want to do in every moment of the game, with the ball or without it. In our half pitch, or in the opponent’s half. In our box, or in the rival’s. If this is not clear to us, we can hardly prepare our training sessions so that they are in line with our way of playing. The "style of playing" is the starting point of everything. Without "style of playing", there is nothing.

As you play, as you train. If you don’t know how you play, hardly you will know how to train.

Jordi Pascual

You can follow me on Twitter: @JordiPascualP