PRESSING AFTER LOSS: training exercise

Three teams participate in this exercise:

1. The pink team maintains possession of the ball, while the green team tries to take it away.
2. When the green team recovers the ball, their goal becomes to maintain possession. It is then that the white team comes into play, responsible for immediate pressing after loss.

• The white team operates like an elite unit specialized in ball recovery: invisible while the pink team keeps possession, but deadly as soon as it is lost. It activates like a pack of hungry wolves: coordinated, fast, and voracious in regaining the ball.

Variations to enrich the exercise:

• Allow the white team to finish on goal if they manage to recover the ball.
• Have the green team organize into a predefined defensive block when they lose possession.
• Introduce time constraints to train the team to recover the ball within a maximum of 6–8 seconds.
• Adjust the size of the space to work in smaller or larger contexts.

This exercise trains defensive transitions and is one of the hallmarks of my teams. I like to instill a “hungry wolves” mentality, so that the reaction to losing the ball is immediate and collective coordination is total. Every lost ball should trigger our instinct: recover it as quickly as possible (maximum 6–8 seconds), and if that’s not possible, the pack immediately reorganizes into a defensive block.

CROSSING GAME – Training Area Defense

When we face teams that load the box with wide crosses, our defenders must be ready to respond with confidence and efficiency. This drill is designed to develop exactly that.

Key objectives:

• Maintain awareness of both space and opponents

• Position the body correctly for each action

• Be aggressive and decisive in duels

• Keep a solid defensive alignment

The outcome: a team that is hard to break down in crossing situations, with center-backs who are confident and well-coordinated.

In addition, the drill is dynamic and engaging, keeping all players continuously involved, which boosts both intensity and focus throughout the exercise.

My experience has taught me that, fortunately, simplicity still has full relevance in football. A coach’s job is to identify the team’s real needs and design exercises that address them. Keeping this perspective is crucial: it isn’t about complicating things for the sake of complication, but about offering clear, practical, and effective solutions. The objective is for the player to understand them, internalize them, and consolidate them. That is coaching: progressing step by step.

Hi everyone!

Today I want to share an exercise that I particularly enjoy and often use when we face teams that play direct football and force you to “activate” after winning the second ball. As you can see, it’s a very simple exercise that starts with a long goal kick from the goalkeeper into a pre-defined space, where two teams (4 vs 4) will compete for possession after winning the second ball.

The team that wins the ball must complete 5-6 passes before being able to attack. To do this, they have to move the ball out of that space through one of the “joker” players of the same color positioned on the sides, so that this player can then connect with the furthest teammate, creating a 3 vs 3 attacking situation.

Hope you enjoy it!