How to Play High Pressure

Nobody likes to be put under pressure and everyone handles pressure differently.  Some will panic, some will stay calm, and some will rely on their instincts.  Being under pressure forces us to make quick decisions.  Those under pressure will have to rely on their gut and it’s the indecisive ones that will crumble. 

In the game of soccer, 99% of the time the team that makes the least mistakes is the team that will go on to win the match.  If you can put the other team under pressure you will force quick decisions which will ultimately increase the number of turnovers.  Turnovers cause a change in possession and possession as we know is 9/10ths the law.

However it is impossible to be constantly applying pressure for an entire match.  Not even the most fit person on the planet would be able to handle this type of endurance.  So you will have to pick and choose the appropriate times to apply pressure, and everyone must be on the same page.

Pressure should begin as soon as possession is lost.  The person who loses possession will initiate the immediate chase to get possession back because they are closest to the ball.  The majority of time this will start in the attacking half.  This is where you will start to push higher and tighten up on your marks.  Your team has to recognize how they will shift positions in order to apply the high pressure.

How and where you apply pressure really depends on the formation of both teams.  There will be times where your outside backs will have to press up to the opposing teams outside mids, and in turn, your center back will have to shift to the outside back position; you will now be playing with three in the back.

As you can see, the shifting can be cumbersome and confusing.  That’s why not a lot of teams are able to play high pressure systems.  Because of the shifting, teams who play high pressure often become vulnerable to the counter attack. 

 

 

If you don’t win the ball you need to get back into your own defensive half, regain your formation and keep it compact.  The two hardest times to attack are when you are under pressure and when there is not a ton of space.  You have to be able to transition from high pressure to composed/compact defending.

So first, we are applying pressure with our immediate chase after we lose possession.  If we are not able to win the ball back we fall back into our compact defense and make it difficult for the opposing team to penetrate.  High pressure in the attacking half and compact defending in your defensive half.