Ruben Amorim's High Tempo Possession Drills
As Ruben Amorim arrives at Old Trafford this week, what better way to prepare for his arrival to the Premier League than dedicating a full MSC Breakdown to his training exercises. With his attacking style of play over the years, Amorim has built a reputation of high tempo football and it seems that he has a very similar profile on the training ground. Although it's impossible to know everything about a coach by watching a selection of training sessions online, it is always interesting to do a little research and see what stands out. In this Breakdown we find some unique ways to adapt exercises for a specific reason, plus a consistent theme throughout.
Below is a YouTube breakdown detailing three exercises. If you enjoy this content, please subscribe to our MSC YouTube page.
Please find the information and dimensions for all the exercises below:
7v7v7 Possession Game
21 players are split into 3 teams of seven
Exercise takes place inside a 45x20 yard area with a 5-yard median
One team starts as the defensive team (blue)
Two possession teams are organized with a back four around the perimeter, and three center midfielders on the inside
Objective of the game is for the inside players to combine with the back four and complete 5 passes before transferring the ball across
Four pressing players can go at each time
If the ball is transferred across, the pressing team must re-organize their numbers to get four players to press immediately
If the defensive team win possession, they can score in any of the mini-goals
4v2 Transfer Rondo
Seven players are organized into three pairs and one neutral
Exercise takes place inside a 10x20 yard area with a halfway line
One pair starts as the defending team (blue), one pair starts on the outside (red), one pair acts as target players (green) and neutral stays in the middle
Ball starts on one side and a 4v2 is created with the possession team looking to complete 5 passes before transferring it across to the other target player
As the ball is transferred, the wide pairing move in support and a new 4v2 is created
Blue team is constantly pressing
Games last 90 seconds, and then rotate positions
8v8 +2 with GKs
18 players are organized into two teams of eight and two goalkeepers
Exercise takes place on a 40x40 yard area with two 5-yard zones for the GKs
The team in possession can use the GK as an overload, with the objective of transferring the ball across from one GK to the other.
If possession is lost, roles simply switch and team that lost possession are encouraged to counter-press immediately
Nature of the game provides high levels of flexibility and different solutions for teams in possession
