Unai 70

lhattab@paris-idf.fff.
fr 12 Apr 2022
03 Training Methodology
Saturday
1. Work on specific match situations:
• A match is organized where the intended match and the one the opponent is likely to deploy are
simulated. At the beginning, the starting eleven players are used, the game style is imposed and
the concepts developed during the week are executed, but always close to reality, without many
limitations.
• They can add typical match conditions: having one player less, having one player more, system
changes when ahead or behind in the scoreboard, etc.
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lhattab@paris-idf.fff.fr 12 Apr 2022
Chapter 4
Training the Match we

want to Play
04 Training the Match we want to Play
Under Unai Emery’s command, Villarreal CF won a European competition for the first time in
its history, against the giant Manchester United. As always, Emery prepared this match
carefully, giving his players all the necessary information so they could step into the match
aware of what awaited them. The Spanish coach managed to optimize his team in the best
way. In doing so, he balanced the forces against a theoretically superior opponent. Based on
percentage values, Unai Emery prepares his microcycle focusing 70% of his attention on his
team and 30% on the opponent. And, as it was the final and the opponent was a team with
more resources, the match focused more on defensive organization and offensive transition.
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Training Session
Training session the day before the match (Europa League Final).
Context: Pre-activation | Specific match situations.
Length: 60 minutes
1. Motivational speech.
Length: 1’30’’
2. GK’s Activation. Work done by the GK’s coach.
3. Dynamic Activation and ‘21v3 Rondos’.
Length: 10’
64
Training Session
4. Speed | Agility | Quickness exercises and speed-fostering drills.
Length: 4’
5. Upcoming match strategy (defensive organization and offensive transition).
Game ‘GK + (4coaches + 6) v 10 + GK’. The exercises were carried out with a goal placed at the edge
of the box. The exercise always started with a simulation of the opponent’s build-up and, in case of
ball recovery, an unopposed offensive transition took place.
Length: 18’
65
Training Session
6. Game GK + 11 v 11 + GK:
A match to improve concepts that the coach intended to execute in the final.
Length: 9’
7. Exercise with scoring actions:
2(crossing) + 2(scoring) v 2(coaches) + GK. The exercise started with a combination in the lateral
zone, followed by a cross to the box, with two players ready to score.
Length: 5’30’’
8. Set pieces (free-kicks near the box and penalties).
66

Training Session
( link to the videos: https://www.patreon.com/posts/51708316 )
67
Match Strategy
Opponent Analysis:
Manchester United often deploys a 1-4-2-3-1 and, looking at their offensive game, we notice
that the main characteristics of the English team in this offensive stage are dependent on a
short build-up, supported by their two center backs with the interior support of two pivots/
midfielders. These players are positioned to receive the ball “hidden” from the opponent’s
first line of pressure and take advantage of the team’s good positional balance in this phase.
Regarding the offensive build-up, United depends a lot on Bruno Fernandes’ intelligence to
take advantage of the space between the midline and the opponent’s defensive line. The
Portuguese player is quite strong when he has the opponent’s defensive line in front of him.
He is decisive.
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Match Strategy
Executing:
When we witnessed Villarreal’s training session the day before the final, although it wasn’t
much different from a typical pre-activation session, there was one exercise that deserved
our full attention and that was replicated in the match following Unai Emery’s strategic
interpretation for the final.
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Match Strategy
The training drill was GK + 4 (3 coaches) + 6 (1 coach) v 10 + GK. The coaches, who knew
the opponent best, were part of the opposing structure (two as center backs, one as left full-
back and one as offensive midfielder). The two center backs simulated the short build-up
and the direction of the match, the full-back simulated the game on the side corridor and the
offensive midfielder “was” Bruno Fernandes. On the other side, GK + 10 players replicated
the match that Villarreal would adopt, starting in a 1-4-4-2 structure. Considering the
opponent’s analysis, this is what we noticed:
• Conditioning the opponent’s short build-up;
• Controlling the depth using the side corridors.
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lhattab@paris-idf.fff.

1. Work on specific match situations:

Training the Match we

04 Training the Match we want to Play

04 Training the Match we want to Play

Context: Pre-activation | Specific match situations.

2. GK’s Activation. Work done by the GK’s coach.

3. Dynamic Activation and ‘21v3 Rondos’.

04 Training the Match we want to Play

4. Speed | Agility | Quickness exercises and speed-fostering drills.

5. Upcoming match strategy (defensive organization and offensive transition).

04 Training the Match we want to Play

7. Exercise with scoring actions:

8. Set pieces (free-kicks near the box and penalties).

04 Training the Match we want to Play

04 Training the Match we want to Play

04 Training the Match we want to Play

04 Training the Match we want to Play

• Conditioning the opponent’s short build-up;

• Controlling the depth using the side corridors.

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