Pep Guardiola possession tactic

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​View attachment 432513
The philosophy of Barcelona
Throughout Barcelona's history they have been under charge of great coaches with an obvious preference to those who came from Holland.

The Dutch coaches who took charge of Barcelona where Rinus Michels, (awarded as the best coach of the century), Johan Cruyff, Luis Van Gaal and Frank Rijkaard. All of them had something in common as they had all coached at Ajax Amsterdam in the past.

Barcelona have been heavily influenced by the dutch (Ajax's) playing style, not only because of the managers, but also because of the several Dutch players who played for the club for the previous thirty to forty years.

Fc Barcelona's current set up was built with Ajax as the model. Barcelona developed a youth training program in order to bring through more players from its academy. All of the young players worked systematically improving specific technical and tactical skills and collectively the youth teams were preparing to apply 4-3-3 formation or they were using it already.

The application of 4-3-3 was based on dominating the game by dictating possession of the opposition's half of the field by pressing high up the pitch and trying to regain possession as soon as possible after the ball was lost.

The club also worked hard to set up a scouting network to track young players all around the world who had the qualities to join Barcelona's youth system.

Years of hard work passed by before the team managed to reach the top of Europe (season 2010-11) having eight players out of the starting eleven coming from the Barcelona youth system, an incredible achievement.

Barcelona is the four phases of the game
  • Barcelona in the defensive phase - when Barcelona where not in possession of the ball their aim was to regain it as soon as possible and often near the opponent's penalty area by applying pressure. Many teams during this phase prefer to sit back in a zone near the halfway line and wait for the opponents to come. These tactics usually lead them to having plenty of free space to use when they regain possession. However, Barcelona reached a very high standards of retaining possession in very small spaces and are capable of unlocking even the best and most organised defences. Barcelona did not need to use these kinds of tactics due to their immaculate technical level.
  • Barcelona in the transition from attack to defence - As soon as Barcelona lost possession their main aim was to immediately put pressure on the new ball carrier. This would either result in the direct regaining of possession or the indirect by forcing the player into an unsuccessful pass. During this phase the free player has a very important role and in most of the situations this was the defensive midfielder Sergio Busquets. Many said that the strength of Barcelona was their ability to retain possession and to search patiently for the weakness of the opposition. However, the way Barcelona functioned during this transition phase was equally as strong. The constant psychological pressure that was put on the oppositions by trying to regain possession as soon as possible after losing it, made Barcelona's domination easier to achieve. when the loss of possession took place in the centre of the field and the immediate turnover of possession was not possible (there were not any Barcelona players near the ball zone to put pressure) the main aim of the team was to prevent the vertical and diagonal passes. this was done by tracking back and building a wall that forced the ball carrier to make square passes. By this action the ball was directed towards the sidelines where the application of pressing was possible again. When the loss of possession was taking place near the sidelines and the direct pressure on the ball carrier was not possible, the team (lead by defensive midfielder) would squeeze the play and aim to keep the ball in the same zone to make oppositions attacking move predictable and give time to the rest of Barcelona's players to fully recover. Barcelona's function during this phase was perfect. this was the reason that every opposing team had great difficulties in taking advantage of the free spaces behind the defence that Barcelona's playing style created. The player's consistency in doing their jobs during this phase of transition led the team to have La Liga's best defensive record.
  • Barcelona in the attacking phase - When Barcelona had possession it was wonderful to watch. Having high quality players the team could retain possession making over thirty passes in a row. The basic aim was not to rush during the build-up play, but to search with patience for the weaknesses of the opposition and then carry out the final stage of the attacking phase. The final stage of the build-up could take place on the right side, on the left side or in the centre of the field with the same frequency. Very important elements of the team play during this phase were:
  1. The creation of superiority in numbers near the ball zone and especially on the right part of the field where messi was moving to meet the ball.
  2. the creation of ideal formations (triangles and rhombus)
  3. maintaining width with the forward and full backs runs.
  4. the use of diagonal passes during first and second stage of build-up and the use of vertical passes during the final (third) stage as well as the use of combination play in order to create and use the free space such as give and go, one-two's, cutting and overlapping.
Barcelona in transition from defence to attack- The transition from defence to attack was very quick. the teams playing style of dictating possession in the oppositions half meant the opposition were compact and well organised defensively having ten players behind the line of the ball most of the time. This meant that the positive transition usually had the form of eleven against eleven. if the regaining of possession was taking place in a part of the field where many opponents were above the line of the ball, the team was trying to play out its attacking action with speed using vertical or diagonal passes and taking advantage of the forwards pace. the direct fast breaks were formed as follows - there would be a diagonal move in behind the defence from one or both of the wide forwards (pedro and villa) and at the right moment Xavi, iniesta or messi made the final vertical pass. For the times that the direct fast break was not possible, often when the opposing team had closed down the angle for available vertical passes, the ball carrier would use a diagonal pass directed to the forward that had stayed wide near the sideline. then there would be a run inside and beyond the defensive line from one of the attacking midfielder's (usually Iniesta) or one of the full backs (usually Alves).


- For this tactic set the same formation three times and then training on tactics and match training on tactics, move the ball all the way to the left and put work load on Very high for pre-season. as soon as season starts put general training on Attacking and keep Match training on tactics, move the ball down to 20% match training and 80% general training, and put work load on to high.
- Don't set any opposition instructions.

I'm not sure if this works with low sides, it might not due to player qualities.

Feedback for be brilliant.

Hope you enjoy
 
Last edited:
Theres always a tad of excitement when somebody claims to have made THE Barcelona tactic.
I'l be following this thread to see if people think it work :)
 
Could just do with a few more CCCs and goals. Possession and passing is good.

Just had 60% at the San Siro with my DM 97 passes and MC 107 passes.
 
W4NKER said:
Could just do with a few more CCCs and goals. Possession and passing is good.

Just had 60% at the San Siro with my DM 97 passes and MC 107 passes.
Click to expand...



Thats the the only problem I have with it. Will look at that and try and improve.
 
yup, a proper tiki taka tactic, especially a barcelona one doesn't make use of the striker position, look at my hermoso tiki taka, the reason is to keep the triangle in tact as much as possible, the aim is to pass into the net, not have one up front, as it were, Treq/Enganche are both vible and preferred options in an AMC over an Striker, but if you just want to score more it would be best to utilise a CF instead of a AMC, depends on the team you have and what your aim is really :)
 
iota4u said:
yup, a proper tiki taka tactic, especially a barcelona one doesn't make use of the striker position, look at my hermoso tiki taka, the reason is to keep the triangle in tact as much as possible, the aim is to pass into the net, not have one up front, as it were, Treq/Enganche are both vible and preferred options in an AMC over an Striker, but if you just want to score more it would be best to utilise a CF instead of a AMC, depends on the team you have and what your aim is really :)
Click to expand...


this tactic is based more on the 2010-11 season where messi was playing top. As seasons went on he was transformed more in to an attacking midfielder, dropping deep to pick up the ball.
 
I didnt want to use this tactic until it was fully fluid and i had a relatively easy game JUST in case it didnt work for me.
It seemed to work quite well though. Lots of possession, lots of attacks, solid defensively.
Thought you'd appreciate a screenshot :)
View attachment 432044
 
Could you please post how the tactic/roles/duties/instructions look because i am not home and i am curious to see?
 
hi i cant seem to download this tactic so just wondered whether you could post a screenshot of the tactic and instructions
cheers
 
I don't normally use tactics created by other players (kinda defeats the point, IMO) but I was growing tired of my save and thought I'd try a couple out before I load up a fresh save, see if there was any improvement on results achieved using my own tactics.

I took over a United side in disarray in 2016 (sold a lot of their best players having finished 8th), and have been winning pretty dominantly since 2018 after a two year rebuilding period (hence the boredom)...but never with the consistent ruthlessness this tactic inspires.

birl.png



I've had impressive defensive records before but none that equal this. As well as being seemingly impenetrable at the back, I completely overwhelm everyone going forward too, absolutely dominating possession (I probably had below 60% only once in all of those games - I'd say I average between 65-68%) and create an incredible amount of goal scoring opportunities each game.

It's worth noting that the talent in my side totally eclipses that of the current United squad, so I wouldn't necessarily expect this from any old team, more those of immense quality.

Anyway, good work.
 
Last edited:
Flynnn said:
​View attachment 471275
The philosophy of Barcelona
Throughout Barcelona's history they have been under charge of great coaches with an obvious preference to those who came from Holland.

The Dutch coaches who took charge of Barcelona where Rinus Michels, (awarded as the best coach of the century), Johan Cruyff, Luis Van Gaal and Frank Rijkaard. All of them had something in common as they had all coached at Ajax Amsterdam in the past.

Barcelona have been heavily influenced by the dutch (Ajax's) playing style, not only because of the managers, but also because of the several Dutch players who played for the club for the previous thirty to forty years.

Fc Barcelona's current set up was built with Ajax as the model. Barcelona developed a youth training program in order to bring through more players from its academy. All of the young players worked systematically improving specific technical and tactical skills and collectively the youth teams were preparing to apply 4-3-3 formation or they were using it already.

The application of 4-3-3 was based on dominating the game by dictating possession of the opposition's half of the field by pressing high up the pitch and trying to regain possession as soon as possible after the ball was lost.

The club also worked hard to set up a scouting network to track young players all around the world who had the qualities to join Barcelona's youth system.

Years of hard work passed by before the team managed to reach the top of Europe (season 2010-11) having eight players out of the starting eleven coming from the Barcelona youth system, an incredible achievement.

Barcelona is the four phases of the game
  • Barcelona in the defensive phase - when Barcelona where not in possession of the ball their aim was to regain it as soon as possible and often near the opponent's penalty area by applying pressure. Many teams during this phase prefer to sit back in a zone near the halfway line and wait for the opponents to come. These tactics usually lead them to having plenty of free space to use when they regain possession. However, Barcelona reached a very high standards of retaining possession in very small spaces and are capable of unlocking even the best and most organised defences. Barcelona did not need to use these kinds of tactics due to their immaculate technical level.
  • Barcelona in the transition from attack to defence - As soon as Barcelona lost possession their main aim was to immediately put pressure on the new ball carrier. This would either result in the direct regaining of possession or the indirect by forcing the player into an unsuccessful pass. During this phase the free player has a very important role and in most of the situations this was the defensive midfielder Sergio Busquets. Many said that the strength of Barcelona was their ability to retain possession and to search patiently for the weakness of the opposition. However, the way Barcelona functioned during this transition phase was equally as strong. The constant psychological pressure that was put on the oppositions by trying to regain possession as soon as possible after losing it, made Barcelona's domination easier to achieve. when the loss of possession took place in the centre of the field and the immediate turnover of possession was not possible (there were not any Barcelona players near the ball zone to put pressure) the main aim of the team was to prevent the vertical and diagonal passes. this was done by tracking back and building a wall that forced the ball carrier to make square passes. By this action the ball was directed towards the sidelines where the application of pressing was possible again. When the loss of possession was taking place near the sidelines and the direct pressure on the ball carrier was not possible, the team (lead by defensive midfielder) would squeeze the play and aim to keep the ball in the same zone to make oppositions attacking move predictable and give time to the rest of Barcelona's players to fully recover. Barcelona's function during this phase was perfect. this was the reason that every opposing team had great difficulties in taking advantage of the free spaces behind the defence that Barcelona's playing style created. The player's consistency in doing their jobs during this phase of transition led the team to have La Liga's best defensive record.
  • Barcelona in the attacking phase - When Barcelona had possession it was wonderful to watch. Having high quality players the team could retain possession making over thirty passes in a row. The basic aim was not to rush during the build-up play, but to search with patience for the weaknesses of the opposition and then carry out the final stage of the attacking phase. The final stage of the build-up could take place on the right side, on the left side or in the centre of the field with the same frequency. Very important elements of the team play during this phase were:

  1. The creation of superiority in numbers near the ball zone and especially on the right part of the field where messi was moving to meet the ball.
  2. the creation of ideal formations (triangles and rhombus)
  3. maintaining width with the forward and full backs runs.
  4. the use of diagonal passes during first and second stage of build-up and the use of vertical passes during the final (third) stage as well as the use of combination play in order to create and use the free space such as give and go, one-two's, cutting and overlapping.
Barcelona in transition from defence to attack- The transition from defence to attack was very quick. the teams playing style of dictating possession in the oppositions half meant the opposition were compact and well organised defensively having ten players behind the line of the ball most of the time. This meant that the positive transition usually had the form of eleven against eleven. if the regaining of possession was taking place in a part of the field where many opponents were above the line of the ball, the team was trying to play out its attacking action with speed using vertical or diagonal passes and taking advantage of the forwards pace. the direct fast breaks were formed as follows - there would be a diagonal move in behind the defence from one or both of the wide forwards (pedro and villa) and at the right moment Xavi, iniesta or messi made the final vertical pass. For the times that the direct fast break was not possible, often when the opposing team had closed down the angle for available vertical passes, the ball carrier would use a diagonal pass directed to the forward that had stayed wide near the sideline. then there would be a run inside and beyond the defensive line from one of the attacking midfielder's (usually Iniesta) or one of the full backs (usually Alves).


- For this tactic set the same formation three times and then training on tactics and match training on tactics, move the ball all the way to the left and put work load on Very high for pre-season. as soon as season starts put general training on Attacking and keep Match training on tactics, move the ball down to 20% match training and 80% general training, and put work load on to high.
- Don't set any opposition instructions.

I'm not sure if this works with low sides, it might not due to player qualities.

Feedback for be brilliant.

Hope you enjoy
Click to expand...

Great review about Pep's game. Later this afternoon I will also have a look into your tactic, I'm very curious to see how you applied those ideas. This is also my way of thinking football and one or two things hard to replicate in FM about Pep's Barcelona are not when having the ball, but when our team doesn't have the ball. Not sure if the Hassle Opponents instruction is just poor in FM. Nevertheless, one thing that doesn't happen in FM is when playing against strong teams they don't drop deep as real teams would do against Barcelona. I think these are two aspects harder to replicate: a) strong close down from our players to regain possession (I've been trying to work this out through a mixed marking, both zonal and man) b) the ability to retain possession when a strong team doesn't drop deep and closes down our players. Have you find any of these difficulties ?
 
miguelalves said:
Great review about Pep's game. Later this afternoon I will also have a look into your tactic, I'm very curious to see how you applied those ideas. This is also my way of thinking football and one or two things hard to replicate in FM about Pep's Barcelona are not when having the ball, but when our team doesn't have the ball. Not sure if the Hassle Opponents instruction is just poor in FM. Nevertheless, one thing that doesn't happen in FM is when playing against strong teams they don't drop deep as real teams would do against Barcelona. I think these are two aspects harder to replicate: a) strong close down from our players to regain possession (I've been trying to work this out through a mixed marking, both zonal and man) b) the ability to retain possession when a strong team doesn't drop deep and closes down our players. Have you find any of these difficulties ?
Click to expand...
Absoloutly right..this is a shame the way the players close down...especially in defensive situations..my team gets such an easy and so annoying goals I just cant stand anymore and cant find a solution
 
Mrmuto said:
Absoloutly right..this is a shame the way the players close down...especially in defensive situations..my team gets such an easy and so annoying goals I just cant stand anymore and cant find a solution
Click to expand...

Right, I think we'll have to wait a few weeks until they release the patch fixing a series of bugs related to GK's and defenders :(
 
masta ace said:
I don't normally use tactics created by other players (kinda defeats the point, IMO) but I was growing tired of my save and thought I'd try a couple out before I load up a fresh save, see if there was any improvement on results achieved using my own tactics.

I took over a United side in disarray in 2016 (sold a lot of their best players having finished 8th), and have been winning pretty dominantly since 2018 after a two year rebuilding period (hence the boredom)...but never with the consistent ruthlessness this tactic inspires.

birl.png



I've had impressive defensive records before but none that equal this. As well as being seemingly impenetrable at the back, I completely overwhelm everyone going forward too, absolutely dominating possession (I probably had below 60% only once in all of those games - I'd say I average between 65-68%) and create an incredible amount of goal scoring opportunities each game.

It's worth noting that the talent in my side totally eclipses that of the current United squad, so I wouldn't necessarily expect this from any old team, more those of immense quality.

Anyway, good work.
Click to expand...

I'm glad it's worked for you mate
 
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