Pressing

[double0]

Very much so, and if you hinting at me being such then you are completely wrong.

I just find it tedious, when people like Windy and Cowlin are elevated to some sort of higher status as fans because they produce their own tactical analysis etc which is completely null and void and will never alter the team or anything that happens on the pitch

Not suggesting anything or judging anyone's enjoyment or understanding of the game. Different strokes for different folks.

 

[wizgell]

Not suggesting anything or judging anyone's enjoyment or understanding of the game. Different strokes for different folks.

Cool, no worries. As I say was just an observation, not looking for an argument

 

[Beni]

Pressing is more to do with mentality rather than fitness, you have to want or have the desire to press and close down gaps as a team, if one person goes to press then the next person needs to be smart enough to know where to block the angles or who to push up on. What Mourinho called lazy pressing he means we just didn't press smart enough which suggests that it's a mental block.

You're right, pressing is about mentality, having the intelligence, and awareness of the opponents positions and knowing where to position yourself to be in a passing lane to cut out the initial pass, and close enough to press the player if the pass makes it. Fitness plays a part of course, but is more a factor, if the press is not done correctly.

The new stadiums pitch dimensions (105mx68m) are the same as Barcelonas, and they are, or were under Guardiola the best pressing teams around, and notorious for winning the ball back high up the pitch. It was not all down to fitness, more to do with players onboarding where to be and what decisions to be made out of possession

There is no point pressing the player with the ball, when you're 10 yards away, for then to suddenly realise that they need to close down. The player with the ball will just nonchalantly pass to a teammate when you get 2 yards away from the initial close down, and likely get it back with the 1-2 due to the opposite momentum of the player closing down and man with the ball.

Its all about our starting positioning, having the knowledge when to close down and shut off passing lanes. However it is pointless pressing the player with the ball for example Kane/Dele in the original post, to have the rest of our team not switching on and being in a position to anticipate what the next pass could be and shut off the passing lane, or be positioned close enough to the receiving player to keep up the press that Kane/Dele started.

 

[Locotoro]

I think Jose said it well when he said the defence is not just the 4 defenders and the goalkeeper. Every player has a role in the defensive phases.
The problem I believe is that our defensive line was too deep when we tried to press so the space to press was too much to make up. If we have a defensive line that is playing 5 metres further forward we would have looked much better. If we had a defensive line that was faster we would have looked better.

 

[sparx100]

It will be interesting if we can get that press in play with Bale. I dont recollect him working that hard when not in possession (and I completely get why) but I think everyone has to commit to the press to me it effective.