Barcelona’s master craftsman reveals the training drills that fine-tuned his precision passing
“Our team struggles to keep hold of the ball, especially in midfield. What drills should we be doing to make better use of our possession?” Rob Woodhead, via Twitter
Xavi says:
"Possession football is as much a state of mind as anything technical. Thirty years ago at Barcelona, Johan Cruyff installed our style, which transferred to Spain under Luis Aragones.
We had no other option because other teams and countries had better physiques than us, but we were among the best technical players in the world.
The first thing you should do is the rondo: a circle of players keeping the ball away from two in the middle. Do that for 20 minutes before every training session and game. It’s a mental game. If you lose the ball, you go in the middle to defend.
You have to conserve the ball and learn that the worst thing you can do is lose it, because otherwise your whole team is defending. This philosophy is ingrained in us and has become second nature.
Possession drills, played without goals, are also essential. You learn how to play with one or two touches and give the ball in the best condition to your team-mates. Talent and years of practice: these are the fundamental bases for tiki-taka."
Andrew Murray is a freelance journalist, who regularly contributes to both the FourFourTwo magazine and website. Formerly a senior staff writer at FFT and a fluent Spanish speaker, he has interviewed major names such as Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah, Sergio Aguero and Xavi. He was also named PPA New Consumer Journalist of the Year 2015.
