Atlético Madrid Possession Drill

Atletico Madrid style possession grid with four lanes and mini goals.
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Diego Simeone frequently uses tight-possession grids with swimlanes to drill Atlético Madrid’s organisation. This version recreates the same behaviours for amateur teams: defenders stay connected in their lanes, attackers combine quickly, and the tempo never drops.

Setup

  • Players: 12 (two teams of six).
  • Area: 35x25 m rectangle divided into two halves and four vertical lanes.
  • Equipment: Cones to mark lanes plus two mini-goals per team (one in each offensive lane).

Place four defenders in the back half for each team and two forwards in the attacking half. Goals sit between the lanes on each end so players must choose which side to overload.

Rules & flow

  1. Start with the ball in a defender’s lane. Only two touches allowed in every zone.
  2. Defenders stay inside their own half and lane; they can slide diagonally but never cross lanes.
  3. Forwards may move between the two offensive lanes on their half and are the only players allowed to score.
  4. A forward cannot score directly from the defenders’ pass. They must bounce it to their partner first to trigger the finish.
  5. If the ball exits, the opposite team restarts in their defensive half.

Encourage defenders to complete a set number of passes (e.g., five) before feeding the forwards. That forces constant rotation and scanning before the killing pass.

Coaching detail

  • Defenders move in a slight diagonal rather than a flat line so they can press and cover simultaneously.
  • Forwards should check off the mannequin line to open a passing window before spinning behind.
  • Keep the tempo high—set two-minute rounds with a quick reset to mimic Simeone’s relentless standards.

Benefits

  • Passing angles: Rotations inside the lanes create windows to punch the ball forward.
  • Positioning discipline: Players feel what it means to defend as a unit and keep distances tight.
  • Reaction speed: The “bounce before finishing” rule forces the receiving forward to scan and play instantly.
  • Transition mindset: Let defenders attack the mini-goals after winning the ball so they practice countering with control.

If you tweak the dimensions or restrictions, share your version with us on Facebook or @footballtechnik so other coaches can try it too.

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