Having represented several major European clubs, Geoffrey Kondogbia is a highly experienced Ligue 1 player. Formerly of AS Monaco, Inter Milan, and Atlético Madrid, the midfielder has played under renowned managers such as Diego Simeone, Unai Emery, and Leonardo Jardim. He recently shared an interesting anecdote about the latter during an interview with the media outlet Free Foot. During his first season at the helm of the Principality club (2014-2015), the Portuguese coach implemented a rather unusual exercise during certain training sessions. “The day before a game, we played match-ups where we chose our own positions. Sometimes, I played goalkeeper and Berbatov played central defender! It was a way to decompress and release the pressure before big matches.” This method paid off, as that season AS Monaco finished third in Ligue 1 and reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League against Juventus (1-0 on aggregate) after eliminating Arsenal (3-3 on aggregate, away win) the previous round. If this idea has been tried in the professional world of football, can it also be considered for the amateur world too?
Brief
Kondogbia played for AS Monaco from 2013 to 2015 under Claudio Ranieri and Leonardo Jardim. / © Icon Sport