Joining the Park to Pro training centre in September, will be the Cruyff methodology. Currently a famous household name, Johan Cruyff dazzled audiences with his exceptional playing ability and then, the style of play that he implemented at football giants, Ajax and FC Barcelona.
For those that don’t know, Cruyff was extremely successful and to this day, is held responsible for some of the talent and football that is currently on show. Managers such as Pep Guardiola learnt many lessons from Cruyff and this impacts on how he applies his style of play, with Manchester City.
While there is an extreme amount of detail in what was/is implemented, we can learn that there are 3 main pillars that are used within this stye of play. They are;
Possession – Controlling possession of the ball, moving the ball quickly with a few touches to destabilise the opponent’s defensive structure.
Positioning – Positioning of our players on the pitch to allow us to be economical with our effort and well-organised to react quickly when we lose the ball. We also want to prevent counter-attacks and to try and win the ball back in the opponent’s half, when lost.
Pressing – Pressing aggressively to win the ball back as quickly as possible when we lose it. The best time to win the ball back is immediately after we lose it.
By using this methodology, we’ll be able to implement a clear identity within our practices and games. This will enable us to objectively analyse where certain competencies lie within our environment and how we can help our players improve.
For our coaches, this will be a huge learning opportunity for them as well, as we now have private access to an online community that offers plenty of resources, for the above mentioned principles. Each training session will be planned accordingly inline with our intentions, that will then incorporate a platform for the players to execute their own decisions.
Off of the field there will be mentorship opportunities and shared evaluations, which will allow us all to reflect and evolve as a group.
On Monday, there will an explanation on how we’ll be using this methodology.
