Marcelo Bielsa - Coaching Build Up Play Against High Pressing Teams

Athanasios Terzis is a UEFA 'A' Licence Coach and has produced extensive analysis of Marcelo Bielsa in 9 different tactical situations, supported with 9 full training sessions (35 practices). Athanasios is the author of some of the best-selling Football Coaching books, most notably 'Jurgen Klopp's Attacking and Defending Tactics', 'Coaching the Juventus 3-5-2' and 'FC Barcelona Training Sessions', which won the Italian FA Award for “Best Coaching Book” in 2014.

The book includes Marcelo Bielsa's tactics (and playing philosophy) for building up play from the back against high pressing teams with a full analysis of his 4-2-3-1, 3-3-3-1 and 3-4-3 formations. Marcelo Bielsa's attacking philosophy includes a mix of short and long passing, moving the ball to the free player through 'link players', creating numerical advantages, dragging opposition players out of position and exploiting the gaps created.

Marcelo Bielsa is a highly respected coach and is famous for his innovative playing style, tactics and formations. He has had a massive influence on football across the world and on other top coaches, such as Pep Guardiola, Mauricio Pochettino, Jorge Sampaoli and Gerardo Martino. The aim of the book is to use the innovative tactics of Marcelo Bielsa to provide a complete guide of how to build up play effectively against high pressing teams.

To successfully build up from the back, the team in possession has to follow four steps:

Step 1: Provide a free passing option for the goalkeeper

Step 2: Move the ball to the target or free player

Step 3: Create a numerical advantage in specific areas of the pitch

Step 4: Take advantage (exploit) the numerical advantage

Each chapter has extensive analysis for a tactical situation based on Marcelo Bielsa's tactics and is then followed by a full session to help all coaches adapt the tactics into training sessions for their team.

Chapter 1: Building Up Play from the Back Against 2 Forwards
Chapter 2: Moving the Ball to the Target Player on the Weak Side
Chapter 3: Building Up Play from the Back Against 1 Forward
Chapter 4: Creating and Exploiting 3 v 2 Situations Near the Sideline
Chapter 5: Attacking Solutions with a 3 v 3 Situation Near the Sideline
Chapter 6: Creating and Exploiting Space in a 4 v 3 (or 4 v 4) Situation Around the Ball Area
Chapter 7: Building Up Play Against Ultra-Offensive Pressing

Pep Guardiola

“My admiration for Marcelo Bielsa is huge because he makes the players much, much better.”

“That is why, for me, he is the best coach in the world. I am looking forward to seeing him in Lille next season. I am pretty sure his influence on their team, their club and their players will be huge – amazing.”

Mauricio Pochettino

“He is one of the best managers in the world.”

Pep Guardiola
“ My admiration for Marcelo Bielsa is huge because he makes the players much, much better.”

“ Still, I didn't meet one guy, a former player from Marcelo Biesla who speaks badly about him. They are grateful for his influence on their careers in football.”

“ He helped me a lot with his advice. Whenever I speak with him, I always feel like he wants to help me.”

“ It is important for me to say this about Marcelo because it doesn't matter how many titles he had in his career. We are judged by that – how much success we have, how many titles we have won. But that is much less influential than how he has influenced football and his football players.”

“ That is why, for me, he is the best coach in the world. I am looking forward to seeing him in Lille next season. I am pretty sure his influence on their team, their club and their players will be huge – amazing.”
 

Mauricio Pochettino
“ He is one of the best managers in the world.”

“ There is no doubt that he had an effect on me. He helped me to mature when I was starting my career at Newell's, he helped me in the national team, and he's continued to help me in my coaching career.”
 

Jorge Sampaoli
“ We’re followers of Bielsa and of the way he plays the game, but comparisons are unfair, because we’re talking about one of the best.”

“ People always think that by hiring one of us, they’re getting a Bielsa clone, but Marcelo is one of a kind.”

Gerardo Martino
“ I’ve always been a fan of Bielsa, who was just starting out as a coach as my playing career was drawing to a close.”

“ Straight away I warmed to his personality and I take great pride in being compared to him.”