Guardiola's Bayern passing circuit: wall pass, long ball and third man
Four-station circuit Pep Guardiola ran in his first pre-season at Bayern: wall pass after getting beyond the mannequin, long switch, first-time lay-off, through ball and finish. Every player rotates to the next station.
B aparece tras el maniquí, A hace la pared y cambia en largo a C. A ocupa B.
Objective
Chain wall pass, long pass, lay-off and through ball with the right timing, reading the trigger pass for each movement and communicating before receiving.
Organisation
Half pitch with a goalkeeper. Station A with balls about 40 m from goal on the right side. Mannequin 10 m in front of A with station B next to it. Station C cone on the opposite flank 30 m from A, and station D on the edge of the box on A's side. Two or three players at A and one at each other station.
Development
- 1B checks away and appears behind the mannequin calling for the ball; A plays a one-two with B (pass and first-time return).
- 2A hits a long pass to C, who has moved outside the cone to receive facing play; A jogs to take B's place.
- 3B reappears behind the mannequin and receives from C; B plays to D and jogs to take C's place.
- 4D lays off first time to C, who has moved into the middle after the pass, and sprints diagonally towards goal.
- 5C plays the through ball into D's path and jogs to take D's place; D finishes first time, collects the ball and joins the line at A.
- 6Five-minute blocks; after each block switch the side of the circuit to finish with the other foot.
Coaching points4
- Before every movement, one step the opposite way to get behind the mannequin or the cone.
- The receiver calls for the ball with voice and gesture: the passer only plays on the signal.
- A's long pass is driven and low or waist-high, to C's far foot.
- D's lay-off goes to where C is arriving, not where C was.
Common mistakes3
- B shows behind the mannequin too early and receives standing still.
- D lays off before C has moved in, so the third man has to slow down.
- Going for power on the finish instead of placing a ball that already arrives on the run.
Variations3
- Sequence 2: B takes a touch and reverses a through ball for D.
- Sequence 3: on receiving from C, B plays a one-two with C before C plays the through ball.
- Mixed sequence: B decides which variation is played on each repetition.
Progressions2
- Passive defender on D so the lay-off must be with the far foot.
- Two balls in play, half a circuit apart.
Regressions2
- Shorten the distances and allow two touches at every station.
- Remove the finish: D ends with a control and dribble back to A.
Tips
- Colour-code each station and explain the A-B-C-D-A rotation before starting.
- Plenty of balls at A and a second keeper or ball collector behind the goal.