Football Manager – Tactical Style – Gegenpress
Football Manager comes with a set of pre-set tactical styles. These styles were first introduced in FM19 and they support both the tactical novice as well as the tactical veterans out there. In this article, we’ll go through the creation of Gegenpress tactical style, its roots and its use in the modern game.
How does Football Manager define Gegenpress?
“Gegenpressing relies on every player in the team working hard and, above all else, being fit and mobile enough to press the opposition immediately after losing the ball”
Gegenpressing is, at its core, a very simple and understandable concept and tactical style. After losing the ball, the team using Gegenpressing tries to press against the ball to prevent an oppositional counter and – instead of transition into the ordinary defensive organisation, whatever it may be with the aim of getting the ball back as soon as possible and transition from defending to attacking.
Gegenpress – A systematic approach
It is difficult to determine exactly when a systematic approach to pressing first originated, but it’s safe to say that the Dutch national team, managed by Rinus Michels utilised a rough approximation of the technique during the 1974 World Cup. The fundamental features of a high-pressing system and tactical style were all there to be seen: swarming defenders, hard tackles, and a frustrated opponent resorting to long balls or forced into poor passes.
Arrigo Sacchi, a legendary manager adapted the methods used by Rinus Michael for his Milan teams of the 1980s and 1990s. Sacchi’s team aimed to regain possession higher up the pitch, with the target of getting the ball back in the opposition’s half. The thought behind this was it would lead to more goals. Sacchi player instructions in terms of defensive positional play partnered with high defensive line guided modern managers towards the modern era of Gegenpress.
“We had several types of pressing, that we would vary throughout the game. There was partial pressing, where it was more about jockeying; there was total pressing which was more about the ball; there was fake pressing when we pretended to press, but, in fact, used the time to recuperate.”
Arrigo Sacchi
This masterstroke by Sacchi, paved the path for the modern era in terms of the tactical pressing as shown in the images below credit to Rene Maric from The Tactical Room and RM at Spielverlagerung
Goal: Ensure stable defensive shape, then start regular pressing again
Goal: Stop or prolong the oppositional counter while creating the own defensive shape in the first two lines
Goal: Stop the counter, win the ball, attack again by yourself!
Gegenpress – The modern approach
The pressing methods of Gegenpress tactical style are most notably used by the current Liverpool manager, Jürgen Klopp and Manchester City manager, Pep Guardiola. Pep’s synonymous tiki-taka tactical style uses high pressing when his team are not in possession of the ball. Guardiola’s style of play focuses on ball retention in order to preserve the attacking shape. When his team lose possession of the ball, Pep’s men utilise both collective positioning further up the pitch and high pressure in order to regain the ball as quickly as possible.
Looking at the tactical styles by most modern managers, most utilise high-pressure defending as a means to an end to regain possession. Klopp removed the middle man and adapted an approach that saw counter-pressing as an actual part of his team’s attack.
Klopp usually deploys a 4-2-3-1 with width provided by the full-backs. When defending, a high backline effectively packs the midfield which allows players to hunt the ball in “pressing packs”. This makes passing through the central area of the pitch difficult for opponents. All of this is done at a high intensity with the aim of regaining possession of the ball.
“The best moment to win the ball is immediately after your team just lost it. The opponent is still looking for orientation where to pass the ball. He will have taken his eyes off the game to make his tackle or interception and he will have expended energy. Both make him vulnerable.”
Jürgen Klopp
Essentially, Gegenpress operates on the basic assumption that a team that has just lost possession (especially while attempting to counter) is in its most vulnerable state. The more rapidly you exploit that vulnerability, the more likely you are to score.
Ralph Rangnick – Pioneer
Recently, we have seen Ralf Rangnick regarded as one of the architects of pressing in German football, influencing Klopp, Tuchel and countless others. Speaking about his second spell in charge of RB Leipzig (in 2018-19), Rangnick explained that 60 per cent of the team’s goals scored that season came less than 10 seconds after they had won the ball from their opponents. Unlike Klopp, who has been wedded to a 4-3-3 system throughout his time at Liverpool, or Tuchel, an advocate of a 3-4-3 formation, Rangnick doesn’t have an established system that he uses from club to club.
Ralf Rangnick has always been fond of the high pressing game. He likes his players to press early to win the ball high up the pitch. This early pressing quickly turns into the attack, helping players find opposition jumbled defence’s gaps close to their goal. There are certain principles of the Rangnick pressing game. He wants his player to pressurize ball-carrier with a numerical advantage with at least one player.
Ralph Rangnick – Execution
To execute his plan, they make certain traps for opponents to put them in a challenging position with several players pressing with numerical superiority. They constantly press, forcing the opposition to play into their trap. Hence, winning the possession back. After winning back the possession, the transition phase leads to a quick counter-attack where the players will play vertical passes, allowing players to get quickly towards the goal. According to Rangnick, the players should complete their counter-attack within ten seconds, as this is the time window with a higher possibility of scoring.
His offensive and defensive transition are similar. During the defensive transition, the pressing is accomplished with several players, and within eight seconds, players should have the ball, as their opponents are still disorganized. Although many football pundits talk about Klopp when it comes to high-pressing, although the real advocate of the high-pressing game is Ralf Rangnick.
Gegenpress on Football Manager
On Football Manager, the recommended tactics for Gegenpress are:
- 4-1-4-1 DM Wide
- 4-2-3-1 Wide
- 4-4-2 Diamond Narrow
Each player in a Gegenpress tactical style must be capable of reading the game. Understanding their specific role in any given situation, and adapting quickly in order to keep an opponent firmly under pressure. Gegenpress teams nullify the threat of counter-attacks that wreak havoc against teams that rely on a more traditional defensive approach.
To make Gegenpress work, make sure your entire team has good anticipation, natural fitness, stamina and work rate. Your team is going to be buzzing around constantly looking for their moment. Players must be capable of rapidly closing down space and hassling an opponent in an intentional manner. Doing so without committing the sin of fouling or the sin of diving in and leaving your teammates exposed. This also means you need to be ruthless and sub out anyone that’s looking a little tired for a pair of fresh legs.
Gegenpress – Problems to watch out for
Gegenpress requires incredible discipline and considerable training in order to be pulled off successfully. However, when it does happen, it’s a thing of beauty that can’t be easily contained. Don’t use Gegenpress if you have slower more physical players, as they’ll be left behind due to the intensity. The slower less physical players won’t press effectively which will leave gaps. If one player doesn’t do their job, the entire structure can collapse. It’s no good to apply high pressure to nine players if the tenth is wide open for an easy pass. Weak spots can be taken advantage of by long balls, which pull you apart and plenty of goals are conceded.
In the animated clip below, we’ve tried to demonstrate the high pressing involved in Gegenpress. You’ll be able to see the transition from defending high, to regaining possession and turning it into a goal-scoring opportunity. Swamping the central areas, allowing the ball to go wide, where the striker will find space in the box.
Site Referrals
Differences between Sacchi’s, Klopp’s and Guardiola’s Counterpressing Concepts
What Is the Gegenpress and How Does It Work?
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