For those of you into this sort of thing…
a screen capture of Rodgers training notes from one of the Indonesia sessions seems to have found its way on to the internet, and from that we can extrapolate some ideas of the kind of work that Rodgers has the team doing, and what concepts are being worked on so far.
The Session –
The session is broken up into 6 sections. It moves progressively from warm-up to large game situations, with a 5 minute cool down period at the end. It follows a very Iberian coaching method pattern, displaying the Mourinho influence in much the same way that Villas Boas’ sessions do. The main emphasis is on possession as the central objective of the session, with specific work on penetration and width from the fullbacks.
Section 1 –
The first section is the basic warm-up, which is done in a relaxed manner, but building up key movements from specific to general. The idea is to build up to greater mobility utilising the movement patterns that will be used in the sessions. These movements will be mostly forward and lateral movements, turning, sprinting from a slow start, and quick changes of direction. This section lasts 15 minutes, building in non-contact, non-pressure activity into the next section, which will introduce more ball work and raise the intensity a little.
Section 2 –
This section involves rondos, or the circle keepaway games that all teams do. Assuming that the keepers will have their own separate workout, this probably makes the numbers at 8v2, in tight areas, probably with a touch restriction. This touch restriction keeps the ball moving quickly and also means the same players aren’t left in the middle for the whole drill. The tight area also allows for the intensity to be controlled, so as not to be too intense and thus increasing the chance of injury by working too hard too early. The key points for this exercise are quality touch, observation, body shape and reaction speed – as well as positioning , turning and reaction speed for the inside players. All of these are factors that are central to playing a high possession on pressing game. This section lasts for 10 minutes. At this point, the players are nearly ready for tactical work.
Section 3 –
This section is a technical exercise, which can take the form of passing, dribbling, heading, shooting, or passing patterns. It is a short section, at 5 minutes, so is really designed more to fine-tune technical sharpness for the rest of the session. This is the last chance the players have to make sure they are “on point” with their technical work, as low quality technique will ruin the session and make the tactical work fruitless. In light of that, the key factors of this section are quality of execution and correct timing, and it is almost always done without pressure of defenders, or low pressure, in order to allow the players to focus more on their quality of work.
Section 4 –
This section is getting closer to the “meat” of the session, and introduces the central concept of the team’s attacking game, plus some idea of the defensive game. The exercise is a 5v5 possession game, with neutral targets. In the training notes, the neutral players seem to specifically be Spearing and Robinson. What is interesting about this is that Spearing played as a right full in the Preston game, and the objective of the session seems to be the play of the fullbacks, and having them as the neutral targets might be a way of showing Spearing how to play with the patience of maintaining that position, and working on Robinson in the same area too (or using him as a “mirror” for Spearing to observe in terms of movement and timing of movement). The dimensions seem to be 30x30 yards. The key organisation to the exercise is for the two teams of five to possess the ball and play to their designated target. Both teams’ players have a maximum of two touches. This affects the play in that the previous technical points of body shape, reaction, speed of lateral movement, first touch and timing on the attacking side - and instant pressure and reaction on the defensive side – are magnified with the ball moving so quickly. Players have to think ahead, and think of two things – maintain possession and then penetrating at the right moment. For the neutral target players, the keys are lateral movement, patience, movement with the movement of the ball and quick acceleration along the line. This exercise is broken down into 3x2 minute blocks, and so is either operated as two grids, or two teams working and one team in active rest. It leads nicely into the next section.
Section 5 –
This is the bones of the session now, with more emphasis on team-shape and – again – the operation of the fullbacks on the outside. The exercise takes place on a half-field with a goal at each end. The field is divided into three channels – a large central channel, and two wide channels, about 10 yards wide. There are two teams of 10, and each team playing a different formation. Team A is playing from a 4-4-2 with a second striker. This team consists of: Kelly, Skrtel, Agger, Enrique; Downing, Gerrard, Lucas, Coutinho; Alberto as second striker, and Aspas as central striker. Team B is playing in a 4-2-3-1 formation, consisting of: Johnson, Toure, Wisdom, Flanagan; Allen, Henderson; Ibe, Sterling, Assaidi; Borini. The field is split such that the fullbacks from both teams are going 1v1 in their channels, leaving the central players playing in an 8v8 central game, putting a 2-4-2 (Team A) against a 2-2-3-1 (Team B). The game is played in 2x7.5 minute sections (for 15 minutes total), with goalkeepers. The patterns being worked on are the fullbacks staying wide and playing from wide positions with the ball, and the fullbacks cutting in with the ball to central areas. This is pretty much what we’ve come to see from our fullbacks since last season. The idea is probably to integrate the new players into how the fullbacks will be playing, as well as working on the patterns for the fullbacks themselves. The play is live always, meaning that when the ball goes out for a goalkick or corner, it gets played in from the keeper’s hands instead, so there is very little “down” time in the drill. This section is where team shape and patterns of movement are worked on.
Section 6 –
This is the cool down section, and is concerned with static stretching and flexibility, and getting the muscles back to resting length while taking some precautionary measures to prevent delayed onset muscle soreness. At this point Rodgers will also debrief the players on the session, while asking questions to gauge understanding of the topic that was just worked on. This section lasts 5 minutes.
Attention to Detail –
What was interesting about the image that contained the session are the notes in one corner of the page. If the session is legitimate, it showed some very interesting things about Rodgers’ attention to detail. One important note was to remember to honour the fans that had turned up to watch the training session. Putting this down on a session plan shows how much Rodgers values the people who support the team. There is a section that refers to “Sleep – moderate to low” – this probably refers to jet lag, and how intense the session can be due to a possible lack of sleep from the players. The most interesting note, though, is the reminder about the absence of paths in the hotel. This attention to detail is what separates good managers from average ones, and it is this kind of thing that gives encouragement that Rodgers on the right path to bringing success to Liverpool. The devil in coaching is, indeed, in the detail, and paying attention to something as innocuous as the state of the walkway at the hotel shows that Rodgers is concerned about any little thing injuring the players (a missed step can mean a sprained ankle). Added to that the probable recognition of the sleep condition of the players shows that Rodgers is leaving no stone unturned and no detail untouched in his quest to make Liverpool great again. We can’t tell if he will succeed for sure – but it certainly won’t be for a want of trying or lack of preparation.