The CDL Method

The CDL Method is the training methodology of the C.D. Leganés International Academy, a LaLiga club. It is built around a playing model that works on the 5 phases —attack, defense, offensive transition, defensive transition, and set pieces—, individual objectives by position, a weekly work system called Train to Thrive, and data monitoring through GPS and video analysis. Methodological direction is led by Faissal Chehade Chehade, International Methodology Director and UEFA Pro coach, under the guidance of Karim Askoul, Director of the International Academy, also a UEFA Pro.

A school teaches football. A club teaches you how to play its football. The difference isn’t in the hours on the field, but in whether there’s a game idea behind those hours and someone to own it. At C.D. Leganés International Academy, the CDL Method is led by Faissal Chehade Chehade, International Methodology Director and UEFA Pro coach, under the guidance of Karim Askoul, Director of the International Academy, also UEFA Pro. Training takes place at the club’s facilities, the Jesús Polo Annex Stadium and I.D. Butarque, and players under 16 join C.D. Leganés’ youth teams. An international player doesn’t enter a parallel program set up just for them: they join the club.

The teams at the International Academy train 4 to 5 times a week, with a day off. These sessions include one video analysis session and one gym session, at no extra cost. This is a typical week: the exact schedule depends on the microcycle of each week, matches, and club events. Players under 16 join the youth teams of C.D. Leganés and follow their category's schedule. The women’s teams have their own planning.

The 5 phases of the game are attack, defense, offensive transition, defensive transition, and set pieces. The CDL Method defines which actions correspond to each area of the field in each phase, and the player keeps creative freedom to make decisions within that framework. A phase is not trained in isolation: the player understands where the ball is, what just happened, and what is expected of them at that moment in the game.

With data, not impressions. When you arrive, a starting point and individual objectives are set for each position. Every session is recorded: physical load with GPS, gameplay with VEO camera, and Eyeball analysis. What was said in September is checked in June. The result is an individual report with 4 sections — physical, technical, tactical, and mental — built with data from the entire stay. The player can request it at the end, and once issued, it’s theirs and never expires. An opinion about a player that isn’t based on data is just an opinion. And you don’t make career decisions based on an opinion.

Every session is recorded with GPS devices and a VEO video camera. The technical-tactical analysis is done using the Eyeball platform. The data feeds into an individual progress report with 4 sections: physical, technical, tactical, and mental. The report is the same for all programs at the International Academy: Elite Intensive, Performance Year, and Academic Year.

Six habits that define the club's work standard: hard work, patience, consistency, self-discipline, positive attitude, and focus. Below that, three values: humility, excellence, and respect. They’re not a sign in the locker room. They’re the criteria used to correct a player when they make a mistake. A standard. A mindset. A team.

Yes. The CDL Method works on three dimensions together: thinking, action, and emotion. Thinking is developed with precise tactical explanation to nurture each player's understanding of the game; action, with daily physical execution on the field and in the gym; emotion, by building identity and a sense of belonging. The mental part is one of the four that make up the individual progression report.