PEP TALK

Written by Dan Salkey

New Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is undoubtedly one of the best coaches in the world especially when it comes to patient controlled build up and creating attacks from the back, an essential skill for any Turnstyles team.

Picture Source: Sky Sports

In this Engine Room post we focus on how Mr. Guardiola is getting his new players into shape for the upcoming season in the hope that some of these lessons rub off on our young players.

DIET

The first tip we can take from Mr. Guardiola comes before even stepping out onto the pitch. Before every season there are always questions over some players fitness having been out of the intense routine a playing season provides. When questioned about certain players from the Manchester City team being fit their new manager disregarded the claims but then went onto say this:

“I want my players fit. For me weight is so, so important. For me, the weight is so, so important. We need to run, to fight, to jump – to have the ball. After three days, then another three days, then another three days. When you are not fit, that’s when the injuries come.”

Evidently fitness plays a key part in being able to play at the intensity that a system like Pep Guardiola’s requires. Whilst his teams seem to control the ball effortlessly they require absolute fitness to retain possession, as quickly and as high up the pitch as possible when it is lost.

Whilst we cant expect our young players here at Turnstyles to have as regimented a diet as pro footballers any aspiring player should recognise sooner rather than later that what you eat and how you train has a massive effect on how you perform on match day. Remember to eat plenty of lean meats and stay away from fatty fast foods no matter how delicious!

HIGH INTENSITY BALL WORK

The former Barcelona manager’s second tip brings us onto the field of play. Whilst Guardiola wants his players to be fitter to keep up with his pressing style he doesn’t believe in doing this with monotonous running drills. Players instead return to mountains of footballs with high intensity training with the ball being the key focus, backed up by this quote from Fabian Delph:

“The intensity has gone through the roof. It’s so intense – high pressing, very energetic. It’s been tough but it’s been very, very good.”

 As our players know at Turnstyles we have the same ethos of working and training with the ball constantly at our feet but at a high intensity. Just look at this video of Coach Nathan inspiring the players with an example of a high intensity training session undertaken by Guardiola at his last club Bayern Munich:

Pictured: Academy Director – Nathan Jr Eno

PLAYER TRUST

Finally Guardiola stressed the need to be able to trust his players and instil a team community among them to foster a strong relationship between everyone at the club. An example of this is his policy when it comes to selecting a first team captain in the absence of Vincent Kompany:

Picture source: Daily Mail

“Vincent is the captain and when hes not playing the players have to choose. They know each other better than me. Its their responsibility”

The players selected Fernandinho as their captain, a player who Guardiola himself recently claimed is capable of playing in 10 outfield positions. Clearly he was a solid choice and the manager was right to have faith in his players and furthermore foster a trusting relationship between the coaching staff and team. All of our coaches hope to do the same at Tunrstyles and trust the players to want to learn rather than forcing them to listen. Turnstyles like any great academy is a family and we hope the players see it as such.