BARCELONA COACHING PASSING KEEP BALL VIDEO

I find it very interesting to watch small-sided games with professional players taking part. I took time to study Barcelona’s 15 minute training match – 6v6 (including goalkeepers) with one neutral player. Apart from the huge crowd watching, I find it mesmerising to watch the fast passing moves.

What stands out is the passing out from the back, the individual ball mastery of Messi and the fact that given space they shoot. This means the defending team has to stay tight on the attacking team or they will exploit the space quickly.

BARCELONA COACHING PASSING KEEP BALL VIDEO

The movement is wonderful. How much easier is it to find a pass when you have three or four options? Also note that the goalkeepers play it short so they build up play and move as a unit up the pitch.

It is also great to see the number of passes in such a small area, the size of the area is less than half of the pitch. This means the players are used to controlling and passing in tight areas and get used to quick close control when they receive a pass or they will lose the ball.

Left foot, right foot, passes, shots, chips. Brilliant. And how many times do players go down injured? Hardly at all – they press and intercept no need to slide tackle because they can win the ball back by forcing the opposition to make mistakes.

If you get chance to show your players this session, please do. They will learn such a lot by just watching the way the players work as a team to keep the ball.

BARCELONA COACHING PASSING KEEP BALL VIDEO

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