THE PRESS GANG KNOWING WHEN TO CLOSE DOWN IS JUST AS IMPORTANT AS HOW PDF

Press it like Pep

It is always healthy to practice what you preach. As you can see from this image from an 'El Clasico' back in 2001, Pep Guardiola was always prepared to put a shift in as a player - and he asks the same of his teams from the sidelines now he has become one of the game's great coaches.

When he became Barca's head coach in 2008, he moulded the squad in his image - as creative and comfortable on the ball as before, but with more discpline, tactical intelligence and, crucially, hard work off the ball. The pressing tactic honed in those early days at Camp Nou become just as effective when Guardiola took charge at FC Bayern and then Manchester City. On page 5 this week, we look at the why, when and how of pressing and the advantages it gives you when it comes to wining the ball back. 

This is followed by a three-part session plan on pressing over pages 6, 7 and 8. These sort of practices are often done in tight areas - but what if the training spaces you have are often too small for your group of players? Are they limiting the sort of sessions you can put on? Well, Carl Wild says it doesn't have to be that way.

Our consulting coach - who is the course leader of the Football Coaching and Management degree at sports university UCFB in Manchester - outlines this week the sort of activities you can run when space is at a premium. Finally, our Q&A this week is with Matt Spear. who for 18 years was the head coach of NCAA Division 1 program at Davidson College in North Carolina - where he had previously himself been a student athlete.

Matt is now a life coach and talks to editor-in-chief Steph Fairbairn about spotting the signs of burnout.

To hear the full interview as a podcast, click the link at the bottom of page 10 or subscribe for free via your usual provider.