Well, many of us do. And many of us don't actually know what we're doing. An effective high press looks chaotic to the untrained eye. An ineffective high press looks like two players running around in confusion while their teammates disown them by not joining in. I don't want to call it a buzzword. Buzzword is a buzzword. It does seem to be a fashionable trend, and why not? Some of the top coaches and the top teams use it, and they are highly successful. We also want to be successful, so we copy their ideas.
Before deciding whether to press high, you have to look at where you are in terms of playing to learn, or playing to win. Let's look at this handy flowchart to see what decisions come next.
Don't just do it because all the cool kids are doing it. You've got to be true to yourself. Groove to your own tune, homie.
Like many raging debates that have Twitter commentators foaming at the fingers, it really depends on what your objectives are and what you have available. When the time is right, definitely teach it to young players. It's a very important tactic, and one they will probably be asked to do multiple times throughout their careers for different coaches. How and what you teach depends on the age. Going too in depth into the tactical theory will bore and confuse them. Setting them simple challenges like "try not to let the receiver take a second touch" or "position yourself between the receiver and one of his teammates" will begin to create good habits and have players reading the game better without ever having to tell them it's high press you're doing.
Bayern Munich High Press.
Nike Academy.
Athletic Bilbao pressing Barcelona.
Dortmund pressing.
It's one thing to know whether to press high or not, but another thing entirely to know which method of high pressure to use. How Guardiola presses is different to Klopp, who is different to Bielsa, who is different to Tuchel, who is different to any other coach. It may seem nuanced, but it's actually rather detailed. To us mere mortals, we can just about see where a team stakes their line of engagement (the border of press/don't press). How they go about their high press should be something that us coaches are educated upon.
Forget triggers for a moment. These pictures below will show three basic types of high pressure, with how it works, and also some potential weak points.
It's worth noting that the yellow haze around the yellow players is their cover shadow. Imagine if the ball were to cast a light, the shadow is the area that they protect. It kind of distorts physics a little bit when you realise that the further away a player is, the wider, but shorter, their shadow is. The depth (forward or backward movement) is the area that a player can protect an aerial pass. The players nearer to the ball have a better chance of reacting to a flick or a scoop than the players further away have of protecting a long aerial ball. The width (side to side movement) concerns the area where a player can cut out a pass along the ground (or even below head height). Players near the ball may only be able to react quick enough for one step either side of them. If you are five yards from your opponent, and the ball is passed within a yard of your foot, you should be able to cut it out. More than that, and the chances become slimmer. Conversely, a player further away from the ball will have more time to move while the ball is travelling, so will be able to cover ten, maybe twenty yards, depending on distance and speed. Cover shadows should definitely be a factor to be considered when planning your pressing and marking.
How and why each of the three methods outlined above are effective depends on so many factors. Just what is it you're trying to achieve? Winning the ball back high, or winning the ball back quickly is just too vague. Consider specific areas you want to win the ball, and then weigh up your abilities against theirs. From there, you can look at the best ways to coerce the opposition into doing what you want to them do. Do they have an uncomfortable passer? Is there a player that is heavily one-footed? Is there a player with a bad touch? Are they playing a right-footer at left back due to injuries? How does their midfield support? What does their typical build-up play look like?
It's not uncommon for teams to identify a weak link, and position themselves in ways to take advantage of that. If there's someone with a bad touch, deliberately leave them open, and mark all other opponents, so you can press and make use of their awful control. If there's a player that is a terrible passer, allow them to have the ball, and mark all their easy options. They might either try to force the ball, or hit it into high risk areas, both with little accuracy. These, as well as the natural triggers like back to goal, aerial pass, bad touch etc. act as different triggers in different systems.
You may decide, based on what you know about the opposition and your own players, to do a mixture of the three ideas. Man mark some areas, block one or two key passing options, and swarm certain players in certain positions. The intricacies are very detailed and very delicate. And remember that with every complex idea, you are decreasing the chances of being able to do it effectively. It takes a hell of a lot of time and effort to be effective at complex pressure systems. You don't practise until you can do it right, you practise until you can't do it wrong. And what if teams begin to figure out your pressing ideas? Then you need to adapt and tweak it.
This has become incredibly complex before we've even had a chance to look at pressure traps or reverse pressure.
Pressure traps are positioning in certain ways to relinquish specific areas or players, to lull the opposition into a false sense of security, by perhaps playing the easy ball or obvious pass. Then you strike. Like swatting a fly.
Reverse pressure is, while also pressing from in front of the ball carrier, press from behind too. For example, the ball is rolled out to the central defender, who decides to carry the ball forward. The striker, instead of recovering to a goal side position before pressing, will chase the defender from behind. Teammates will join in the press, and will screen passes so that the options for the central defender are limited. Due to the reverse pressure of the striker, the central defender will not be able to turn and recycle, nor will he be able to pause and wait for better options. The panicked decision making that ensues will benefit the pressing team. With reverse pressure, consider what you want players to do when they are taken out of the game with a second or third line pass. Where do they move to next to assist the defence?
This is only the beginning of understanding high pressure defending. It goes much deeper. I hope this little piece goes some way towards explaining the basic ideas of what high pressure is all about, and what it does.
Stay educated.
No comments:
Post a Comment