Gegenpressing Queries

[WalkerRFC]

Hi all,

I'm trying to recreate the Klopp style gegenpressing with my Rangers side. Relative to the league, I've brought in players with high work rate. So far, I've won every game and things are going well.

However, the standard of opposition isn't great and against better sides, I suspect I may have to have my pressing the best it can possibly be to win and I'm not convinced it is yet.

This is what I'm playing:

View attachment 132650View attachment 132649


Areas where I've had concern - my strikers on the right and left don't track back enough giving the opposition too much time on the ball. Up the flanks, we don't press well enough - perhaps pushing my fullbacks forward would help?

Would a different shape altogether help? I.e. a 433 with wingers or a 4231 or 4231 with 3 AMCs?

Also, any advice on how to get my 3cms to press any better would be much appreciated. We can often be left 2v2 at the back, but that's just what can happen playing with gegenpressing if you don't press effectively enough.

TIGHTER MARKING - this has divided many, with some taking the stance that if you're closer to your opposition you can stop them playing better, whereas others think if your players aren't sticking close to an opponent they can shut down the opposition man in possession. What do you think? I had it on for most of the season then took it off to try and notice a difference.

Thanks!

 

[WJ]

The formation is your defensive shape, so that's where your first thoughts should be. If the left and right strikers aren't doing much, that's not where you want them.

 

[Bigpapa42]

The shape definitely doesn't seem conducive. The players your three strikers are mostly likely to hassle are the opposition defenders, possibly fullbacks, and maybe a DM. That's really only leaving you with three midfielders to combat however many midfielders the opposition has. You could maybe use specific man marking to get the two outside strikers going after specific opponents, but that could end up pulling them so far out of position that it wouldn't make sense to have them starting there.

As WJ says, you are probably going to want to move the strikers. Putting them out wide in the AM strata would work. Although it would change the shape quite a bit, you could even put them in the CM strata. They will contribute more defensively there than in the AM strata, and you can use role and/or PIs to get them going forward. That's usually easier than putting them in a less defensive-minded position and trying to get them to be more defensive-minded.