The Moment of Losing Possession

Pressure or No Pressure?

Fussball Coach
July 26, 2024

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Hello and warm welcome to the latest edition of our newsletter! In this issue, the following topics take center stage:

⚽The Moment of Losing Possession
👉3 New Exercises!

⚽The Moment of Losing Possession

Pressure or No Pressure?

The decision players must make after losing possession is: Should I engage in counter-pressing and put pressure on the opponent? Or should I quickly retreat and take up my defensive position? This dilemma significantly influences the initial reaction of players to losing possession. In other phases, this dilemma was difficult to resolve. After losing possession, players need to ask themselves one question: Can we put pressure on the opponent? If yes: engage in counter-pressing! If no: fall back into the defensive formation!

However, nothing in football tactics is really simple – and neither is the answer to this question. Whether a team can put pressure on the opponent depends on various factors. The factors for good pressing also apply to good counter-pressing: The team must put the player in possession under pressure. They must limit the opponent's options. To achieve this, it helps to create a numerical advantage around the ball. Meanwhile, they must always secure their own depth to prevent a pass behind the defense.

Are these factors met? To orient themselves after losing possession, the four reference points are crucial once again:

What is the position of the opponents? Does the opponent have a clear numerical advantage near the ball? What passing options does he have? Can he gain a lot of ground with a simple pass?

What is the position of the teammates? Does our team have a numerical advantage near the ball? Can a teammate put immediate pressure on the opponent? Will I receive support if I go into counter-pressing? Or are all my teammates sprinting away from the ball?

Where is the ball? This mainly involves the nature of the loss of possession. A misplaced pass directly to the feet of a free opponent is a potential great danger: He has firm control of the ball and can continue the play immediately. However, in most cases, the opponent does not control the ball cleanly after gaining possession. Is the ball in the air? Does the opponent need to control it first? Is he in an unstable body position? In these cases, the team gains important seconds to advance into counter-pressing.

Where on the field did the loss of possession occur? If a team loses the ball near their own penalty area, securing the goal takes priority over immediate regaining of possession. Near the opponent's penalty area, more risk can be taken: Immediate regaining of possession offers the chance to finish directly. The opponent, on the other hand, has a long way to counter.

How the players assess the situation influences their reaction to losing possession. If they conclude that they should put immediate pressure on the opponent, they will do so. They will move towards the ball. Some players will directly engage in a tackle. Other players will block the opponent's options. To do this, they can cover nearby opponents or interrupt passing lanes.

If a player concludes that he cannot contribute to putting pressure on the opponent, he will quickly retreat to his defensive position. Similar principles apply as after winning the ball. The players of the team that lost the ball will spread out into their defensive positions, meaning they will retreat and compact themselves. They will orient themselves towards the opponents: No opponent should get the chance to turn with the ball at their feet and start towards the goal.

Channeling Opponents Outward:

These explanations are highly theoretical. A player on the field can hardly consider all these aspects immediately after losing the ball. If he were to orient himself first, he would lose valuable milliseconds in the fight for the ball. At the professional level, these milliseconds can be decisive. For this reason, it is important that the players can trust their teammates: They must know that counter-pressing is possible within their own structure.

Let's assume a player is near the ball after losing possession. He doesn't have a clear overview of where his teammates are. He only knows that no one is as close to the ball-carrying opponent as he is. He can sprint immediately to put pressure on the opponent. How should he do this?

Here, a principle of defensive play comes into play: securing the center takes priority over securing the wings. In the center, the opponent can turn towards the goal and has numerous options to continue the play. However, the sideline limits the opponent's options. So, if a player transitions to counter-pressing without a clear overview of the situation, he should follow this principle: when in doubt, channel the opponent outward. A curved run, for example, is suitable for using the cover shadow to secure vertical or diagonal passing lanes. The opponent has no choice but to play the ball outward.

After a misplaced pass from the left side, the opponent has the ball. The approaching player will now channel him outward in the hope of isolating the opponent there in the subsequent defensive play. Thus, there are parallels between regular pressing and counter-pressing in this situation as well.

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