Gegenpressing

                After a disastrous week for Italian clubs in Europe decided to write about one among many things calcio clubs have lagged behind – Pressing / counter-pressing .

Gegenpressing 

                Gegenpressing is winning the ball back from the opposition as quickly as possible with well choreographed movements or by setting up traps . In modern day football you see sides making an attacking transition with no more than 3 passes . Which is where counter-pressing serves the double purpose – a) prevents opponents attacking transition b) Helps you win the ball higher up the pitch .

                The difference between a normal “pressing” and counter pressing is – with counter-pressing you try to win the ball back as early as possible , many a times higher up the pitch in a direct way .

                Player positioning  before when a team tries to press is the key to the success of winning the ball back . It requires all 10 outfield players to work as a unit and to think as one . And if a side cant recover the ball with the initial press then the whole pressing fails and have to work back covering their zones . Even if one player switches off after losing possession the whole pressing fails . Which is why it requires highly optimized  player positioning and drills to make the intial press work . Extremely wide formations with overloads may not be suitable to counter press . 

Red Bull Salzburg 

                Among many styles of counter-pressing one side which excelled and surprised many was Roger Schmidt’s Red Bull Salzburg . People are getting to see his work recognized in a larger scale after his move to Leverkusen .this summer .  Which is leeway oriented pressing variation . 

         

                First and foremost target is not to let your opponent play through the middle . In the centre  a player can have many passing angles and its improbable to cut them all or let a single channel open in order to press .

                Most of the times the pressing is based on a trigger – the trigger can be of the opponents choosing a passing lane to weak link in the opposition eleven . Salzburg tend to press in the final third of the pitch which heavily involves immense workrate from the two strikers Alan and Soriano and also immensely gifted wingers in the form of Sadio Mane ( now at Southampton ) and Kevin Kampl  .

                These four work in tandem to set up traps , cut down passing lanes , press the opponent on the ball – which in most cases result in Salzburg winning the 2^nd ball high up the pitch . Which is where Ilsanker’s role in the side is crucial . Yes it’s a whole team effort – when you press a side like Salzburg does you are in theory vulnerable to counters . Ilsanker is the key to the defensive stability of the side – which comes by winning the ball back . 

                When Salzburg lose the ball in most cases he is the first person to press the ball carrier . You will very rarely notice him keeping the ball for more than 3 seconds after winning it , a vertical pass towards more technically gifted team mates will always be made  . He is certainly not he quickest player on the pitch , which he compensates with his positioning . His outstanding offensive and defensive outputs makes him the best in the league . 

                Salzburg create immense pressure on the ball right after losing it makes them one of the most dangerous sides on the counter . Because of such strong counter-pressing they even use them as a offensive ploy to lose balls at certain zones ( depending on the opponent ) to immediately win it back to counter . When they leave a passing lane open for the opponent  – its for the their central mid to win the ball back . When you see them not competing for a header in the final third – its usually to win the 2^nd ball of the opponent . 

                Its humanly impossible to maintain this style of pressing throughout the 90 minutes . There were games where they just let limited passing lanes open and maintain a higher defensive block closer to opponents – to counter exhaustion . Which you can also term it as a plan B , which they rarely use . No matter what the scoreline is or whoever the opponent is their motto is to press and score goals . 

                Their dynamism in their game what attracts so much interest . Direct short / risky passes by keeping their front four close and forming spectacular combination plays to open up defenses is mind boggling . Due to this same factor you wont find them having higher passing accuracy .

Conclusion 

                Roger Schmidt has taken the same style and tempo to his new club and so far has managed to do well with a point behind CL qualification and 5 point behind league leaders . Bayer have also done well in champions league group stages and are currently leading their group table . With Dortmund’s success in recent years with leeway oriented pressing it should not come as a surprise to see Schmidt having a good start 

Bayer Leverkusen pressing against Zenit 

                Its one of those cases where a system/style has multiplier effect on the playing eleven . How often do we see sides having a real go at Juventus ? most of them are content to get anything out of the game by setting up a deep defensive block . It’s a lot easier to hide behind lack of financial wealth than to see the real issue , Likes of  Borrusia Dortmund have shown otherwise .  We can either open up ourselves to new ideas / current trends  or just watch the game move ahead and live in the past