Aspire in the World Fellows Book - 2023

/27 MASTERCLASS So howdo youwork on this, especiallywhen you are running back for recovery? I showed them very ugly video, and they were seeing themselves and they said “Oh, this is very ugly! This is awful!” But I told the players you can change things if you train, and otherwise you will be shown on the video. So, we try to be highly analytical. It is something ugly, but it is necessary. You like to reviewall the data, and you’ve learned from the players depending on how they react to the games. How is your learning process together with the footballers? I cannot say what a player has to do in an area because the player will be able to do it in a better way than I do. What I need to do is try to put the player in the area, and then he can express himself. As a coach, there are lots of areas, but some of the most important areas have to do with individual quality, and you need to leave the individual footballer to execute freely. If you have a clear pass and you want to have an attempt on target, then go for it. You cannot put any walls to talent, you need to foster it. The talented player needs to be involved and committed to the whole team. The 20 meters of pressing after losing the ball, if you are really intense on turnovers and win the ball, then you will be avoiding recovery runs. You need to convince the players it is a matter of commitment. Without touching the ball, how you can manage the defensive distance. Against Argentina, we try to avoid the inside spaces because they play very well between the spaces. We try to be a very compact team in our distances, and in the end, we are able to do it. Without the ball, we have the initiative. We have the initiative because they are playing as we want and where we want. It’s a good defensive way and defensive action. There are always different situations. If you have space to advance, you do it. If you don’t have space, you have to create it. They are different problems and different situations. That’s why I talk about mini matches. If you don’t have space you have to create it on one side, the other side, try to have an overload on the wing and to arrive and the finish on the opposite side. For me, it’s very important to understand what’s happening in each moment. When you can play and damage the space behind the opponent’s defense, or when you have to play to recycle as soon as possible, playing fast, touch and move, be wide and try to create this space that you don’t have. Step by step you are playing in the box and, in the end, you have time to finalize and shoot or cross. For me the more difficult thing is to be able to beat one team when they are a good defensive team you don’t have spaces. Our counter-press in our defensive phase is also very important. We are arriving in the box, but how is my defense, the center-backs attitude and behavior? They have to be focused, always thinking that maybe they’re going to do a clearance and we have to win this second ball. You want to play in the opposite half, and your center-back has to accept this challenge always. If not, you want to have always one player more. Each one, is an individual fight we have to win.

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