JURGEN KLOPP – DORTMUND DEFENSIVE TRANSITION EXERCISE
0SUBMITTED BYGARYCURNEENON TUE, 27 AUGUST 2013, 02:29
Jurgen Klopp and his Borussia Dortmund took the Champions League by stormLASTseason, on both sides of the ball. Although the Final against Bayern was a masterclass in speed of play and execution, it was the the 4-1 defeat of Real Madrid that really epitomized the strength of defensive system, as Klopp won the tactical battle against Jose Mourinho. The threat of Ronaldo was completely taken away by Dortmund defenders. Klopp’s team defensive shape was compact, working in a 40 yard zone between midfield and the top of their 18 yard box. Unlike Barcelona, they may concede possession in the opponents half, but they rarely over-commit with numbers and therefore make it very difficult to play through.
Klopp’s system is a product of hours of hard work on theTRAININGfield and this is a little insight into how it is brought into the game. This multifunctional exercise includes three training components that players can take from the practice field to a match. There are tactical concepts where each player becomes aware of roles and responsibilities in a functional setting.There is also a defensive transitional element where players must react, drop, and defend an attack. Most importantly however, there is a connection between this exercise and a situation that the defenders will be exposed to in a real game.
SET-UP:
The first part of the exercise takes place ten yards either side of the halfway line. The field is split into four areas across the field and each area is occupied by a defender with an attacker directly opposite. As they match up together, there are two additional attacking players on the outside sidelines. There will be a goalkeeper behind the four defenders on one side and a coach will act as aSERVERbehind the attackers on the other.(See Below)
The first part of the exercise involves the four defenders and the four adjacent attackers. The two wide attackers are not part of this. All players stay in their own area. The attacking players pass the ball square and each time the ball arrives at an attackers feet, the defender directly opposite steps upTO APPLYpressure. As the attacking player passes the ball square and the ball leaves the area, the same defender retreats to their original line. It is a simple exercise of pressure, shifting, and covering but also allows defenders to pick up cues where they will be able to see the ball arriving by the body shape of the passer. This can be hugely important in games because you can then apply pressure quicker and reduce the options of the attacker. (See below)
On the coaches signal, the exercise transitions into a 6v4 towards goal. The ball used in the first defensive positioning exercise is now out of the exercise and the coach triggers the ball into one of the wide players toSTARTthe attack towards goal. (See below)
The first role of the defenders is to retreat towards goal but also to stay balanced. You can see on the video that the Dortmund back four will defend ‘from the inside out’, which means they stay compact and push teams out to wide areas. You can also see that, although retreating is important, they are unwilling to drop into their 18 yard box. This is a critical coaching point because once a back four drops into that area, they are unableTO APPLYany pressure on the ball towards attacking players, as well as being vulnerable to crosses. (See below)
Success defensively relies so much on both individuals working together as a group. If one person switches off, especially at the highest level, it will almost certainly result in a goal. Communication is vital but when this exercise is transferred to a game in a stadium packed with 80,000 people, everyone must be on the same wavelength. The discipline to establish roles and responsibilities must be done on the practice field at full speed. With the exercise being so realistic to the game, you can see that the success Dortmund and Klopp have had, is certainly not a coincidence.