Positional Play in Modern Football: How to Use Guardiola’s Attractive Way

What is Positional Play in Modern Football?

Positional Play or “Juego de Posición” is a methodology, a way of play that provides to the plays a set of guidelines, a cognitive map on the pitch that can use in order to apply in the most efficient way the team’s Game Model. The most common misconception is confusing Positional Play with Possession Play. Even though on many occasions to play Positionally you need to have possession of the ball, they are not obligated to be used together. Saying this, we can play possession without using positional principles, and using positional play we can also adopt a more direct way of play.

The book will reveal the most important aspects of the specific football philosophy in a simplified form. The aim is for the reader to understand the key principles and the general guidelines and concepts behind this methodology. The content is influenced by Guardiola’s philosophy and training methods but also by other supporters of Positional Play. Of course, the methodology goes beyond plain tactical guidelines and includes theory from the areas of neuroscience and complex systems, but here the main objective is to offer to all coaches and football lovers the opportunity to understand the basic rules of thumps.

Additionally, the book contains 7 exercises that will allow the theory to get a more practical form and the coaches will be able to see how they can train the Positional Play in a simple way.

Contents

• Coaches Football Quotes on the Positional Play Concept
• What is Positional Play?
• What is the Guardiola Positional Grid?
• General Principles
• Continuous Spatial Distribution
• Spatial Awareness
• Ball Circulation
• Generating Superiorities
• The Free Man
• The Half Spaces
• Exercises to train the Positional Play
  • Switch the point of attack to the wide winger
  • Creating a back three
  • Creating superiorities in the central attacking area
  • Identify the proper position based on key points 
  • Build up out of the back using a positional play grid
  • Shadow drill using a Positional Play grid