
Wembley Stadium is abuzz with excitement, tension, and sheer disbelief at how good this Barcelona team is. They are up there as one of the best teams of all time—not only for winning three Champions League titles in six years but also for their beautiful pass-and-move tiki-taka style of keep-ball and interplay. It's May 28, 2011, and Barca has just torn apart the English champions, Man Utd, winning 3-1 in a display that was simply breathtaking.
At their heart is the maestro, Messi, who was dropping into a false No. 9 role, making it a 4-v-3 in the middle of the park, overwhelming the Utd midfield. His ability to spin on the ball and dribble with ferocious pace and composure, linking with Xavi, Iniesta, Pedro, and Villa, was a sight to behold. It was live artistry in motion. The stadium—and the world—watched on in awe.
One piece of amazing skill caught my attention in particular, leading to a goal (12:55 into the video). Here's a first-person breakdown, imagining Messi's perspective to help understand the thinking for technique practice:
Messi First-Person Breakdown
Stay here on the touchline, wide right. Provide as much space as possible. We've pinned Utd back in their box; they can't get out with our superior passing and pressure. The team will work it to me. Full-back Alves passes forward, short, to Xavi 10 yards away inside. He has no pressure from Evra and turns easily with the ball. Xavi knows to give it to me at every opportunity. He passes. Relax. Keep my chest facing across the pitch. Nani is closing on the angle down the wing to show me inside but won’t dive in. Control the ball with my left foot studs, away from him. Keep looking across the pitch for a pass. I have the choice to flick the ball back to Xavi, who’s dropped behind into a right-back position. But Park has run forward, anticipating the pass, to close him down.
Mind made up. I’ll take Nani on down the wing. He’s quick, so I’ll need to be sharp. Stand still; left foot ready under the ball to move it. Suck him in close. Now he’s tight—let’s go! Push my left foot fast across the back of the ball and land it in the grass a half-body length away from the ball, feinting to move it to my left, backward down the wing. Shift my whole body in that direction. I see Nani’s body react and follow that direction. Now fast! Bounce off my left foot and shift my body weight back to the right, tapping the ball across my body with the inside of my left foot, slightly away from Nani, onto my inside right foot in a toe-tap/foot-to-foot motion. Now push that right-foot first touch down the wing and burst forward. Nani’s completely sold. I have free space to run and cut into the box. Run as fast as I can as Nani is chasing.
I’ll pause there, as that particular skill movement is the focus. In the One2Pro App, we’ve captured players demonstrating the move step-by-step in Module 12: Tricky Skills—Half-Slide Tap. It’s a fantastic skill to master for 1v1 situations and one where teammates, defenders, and coaches will go, “What was that?” The key is the burst of speed in the action and, of course, the body movement.
Enjoy the practice!
One2Pro:
The use of video with a coach review is fantastic for honing skills and performance. In our One2Pro online coaching app, "Techniques of the Stars" are broken down step-by-step for players to follow and practice.
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Be the One!
Aaron Tighe
Founder, One2Pro
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