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Performance Keys in a Game Model

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Antoine Griezmann is playing on a World Cup and protecting a ball

What does a club in Japan have to do with Antoine Griezmann, Argentina, and Morocco national teams? In this article, we will talk about what we call ‘Performance Keys’ in the Ekkono Method Pros approach to game models.

These performance keys, part of the Ekkono Method Pros program, help the team elevate their performance throughout the season. At Nara Club (Japan), they identified three performance keys last season, which helped them keep a very solid level throughout the whole season and helped them become champions and promote in the J-League.

Listen to our audio article below to learn all about them!

So let’s start with the beginning, what are the ‘Performance Keys’? These are those concepts that as a team, especially in the Performance Stage, you should select and keep present throughout the whole season. It is important that they are based on your game model, as they will be a very important part of your identity as a team. And of course, they should be present in every microcycle of the whole season.

Antoine Griezmann

The first Performance Key identified at Nara Club last season is related to a concept that the French superstar proved really well during the last World Cup. Griezmann, who played as an attacking midfielder for France, was always thinking about balancing the team, both in attack in defense.

This fundamental helps the team be compact as a block in all phases of the game, and it was the first performance identified by Nara Club, under the Ekkono Method Pros program.

“THE PERFORMANCE KEYS ARE CONCEPTS OR FUNDAMENTALS THAT HELP ELEVATE YOUR TEAM’S LEVEL. PICK TWO OR THREE AND KEEP THEM DURING THE SEASON, INCLUDING THEM IN EVERY MICRO-CYCLE”

Morocco National Team

The second performance key is related to defending our own box. And here, we take Morocco as an example of a team who did this really well at Qatar 2022. Being strong in marking players, and not only the ball possessor but all the potential receivers, including the ones who are far away, helps the team show a very strong level in the defensive phase and avoids conceding clear chances.

Argentina National Team

The last performance key that we want to talk about today is how the team attacks the box. Remember Julián Alvarez’s goal against Croatia? Yes, the one where Messi dribbled past Gvardiol to provide one of the most outstanding goals of the 2022 World Cup edition. But how does that relate to our last performance key?

It is in the way Argentina attacked the opposite box. Up to 4 players were occupying the box in useful positions to finish the action. This fundamental was also identified at Nara as one of their performance keys, ensuring the box was occupied and attacked strongly when the ball is in a crossing situation.

These are some ideas on which could be your Performance Keys for your game model. This does not mean, of course, that these should be the ones you use. It is important, though, to choose 2-3 concepts that match your game model and be consistent with them throughout all the season, making sure they are present in every microcycle.

If you want to learn more about these ideas, you can check the session ‘Performance Keys in a Game Model’, part of our Winter Symposium here.

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