I have no statistics to back... But just my memory.

Current teams are much much better at pressing than teams back in the day... Aren't you guys not noticing that most of the teams are pressing the same way? Trying to win the ball the same way? Apart from some serie A teams who are still only getting into the game, most teams out there try to operate the same way. Just watch Zenit vs Benfica or Villarreal vs Napoli.... The grand scheme of pressing is the same... Because they assumes it's the best system. It slows down counters and ball has to move alot of time horizontally to reach the goal. By the time the ball is forced to move horizontally teams can re adjust any mistake they have done defensively.

Now that many teams have found a good pressing scheme the ball is being kept alot between the defenders and GK. I have never seen another era where this much back passing and passing between GK and CBs happening.

Gks passing it to CBs to keep possession became a rule rather than an anomaly. Every GKs now takes more touch than the gks of past. They make much less long passes than before as well. This results in lack of action and lack of vereity in the game.

I feel like quarter of any game is now spent between gks and CBs . discuss.

Adit wrote:I feel like quarter of any game is now spent between gks and CBs

That's an exaggeration, but you still have a point. I wouldn't say that the sport is worse, though, like you hint between the lines (lack of action). I feel our back four + CMs have been pretty good at keeping the ball in recent years and I kinda like it. It feels rewarding to see the opposition press you and just pass around their pressing. I can appreciate that as part of the game.

Troll answer: Watch less Man United games.

Real answer: I didn't notice that. There are still not enough good pressing teams in the world of football for me which can press consistently well from the front while playing against teams that actually want to keep the ball and don't hoof it.
For example Spurs is the only notable team for me in England that presses somewhat well but the rest of the league isn't interested in keeping the ball and just hoofs it anyway. Italy the same. Team in La Liga and Bundesliga try to play it out from the back the most but even then far from everyone and the lower table teams end up hoofing and misplacing passes anyway due to lack of quality.
It's probably more than it used to be in the past due to Barca's success in recent years and teams rediscovering the Dutch football style. But still a lot of hoofing going on.

Also: Watch less Man United games.

It's so they can get a counter attack

Building from the back has become more popular because if you get through the opponent's first line of pressure, you have a good counter attacking opportunity. Since teams press more intensely these days it has become more difficult to bypass the initial press, but if you manage to get through it, you'll be able to create chances. Their is also the possession factor. Progressing the play is easier when it starts from the goalie.

This only works if you have a goalie who is good with his feet though. After all, the fact that many teams try to open the game from the goalie on means that the opponent teams usually press the goalie and CBs hard nowadays and thus the ball is often lost in dangerous positions if the defense line isn't able to keep the ball well.

Yeah and it's shit

Under McClaren we would do it as well, our two CBs would go very wide and our DM would come deep and collect the ball and bring it out.

Problem is not every single team has a Busquets or an Alonso and when you dont have their ability to break down lines of midfield and an ability to spray passes to the wing it falls on it's ass.

I think its great. Goalkeepers are people too....

Based Bonera wrote:Goalkeepers are people too....

Disagree.

@Mole:

Funny thing is Spurs don't actually press all that well. It's an alright press, but it's more down to running and hard work than it is a pressing scheme like Guardiola's. I would say the effectiveness of Spurs pressing is more down to EPL team's lack of ability on the ball from the back than it is Spurs actually being quite good at it.

A top team would break it any day, I think, and very often.

I would agree with futbol here, I think maybe more teams are pressing, but I still don't think that many teams are particularly that good at it. This would be a good discussion for jibers to contribute to

The Guardiola effect was seen immediately after 2009 where a number of teams tried to emulate his tactics. Most of them failed and now we're back to where we started. The fact of the matter is that, as Cruyff said, football is simple but playing simple football is the hardest thing.

BarrileteCosmico wrote:The Guardiola effect was seen immediately after 2009 where a number of teams tried to emulate his tactics. Most of them failed and now we're back to where we started.

Again - one of the problems is that you need a goalie with above average passing accuracy who is unafraid to play he ball to his team-mates under pressure for this to succeed or you will end up losing the ball when the goalie just kicks the ball up and away to get rid of it.

One of the reasons why Bayer and Barca are able to retain possession and press so well if the playing quality of their goalies. Victor Valdés was much ridiculed at Barca for not being the best shot-stopper, but as a football player he was able to support Pep's playing style there well, and with Manuel Neuer, Bayern have their additional field player in the goal as well. And there is a reason that Barca signed up Marc-André ter Stegen, too.

The problem is that it is a lot of effort to try and make a goalies good both at shot-stopping and actually playing the ball, and so it is very difficult to pull through with this playing style in perfection.

Not big fan of defenders "absorbing pressure" if u ask me. Mostly because teams press very hard these days and most of the defenders or goalies don't have required ball control to absorb that. So they just lose the ball where they shouldn't. Why not go for safety first approach and kick the ball hard out of dangerous areas at first sign of trouble? Even though that might affect possesion stats p, it treally does fruastates opposition teams.

rwo power wrote:

BarrileteCosmico wrote:The Guardiola effect was seen immediately after 2009 where a number of teams tried to emulate his tactics. Most of them failed and now we're back to where we started.

Again - one of the problems is that you need a goalie with above average passing accuracy who is unafraid to play he ball to his team-mates under pressure for this to succeed or you will end up losing the ball when the goalie just kicks the ball up and away to get rid of it.

I don't know, we sometimes pass it round the back and Mignolet is bang average with the ball.

Art Morte wrote:I don't know, we sometimes pass it round the back and Mignolet is bang average with the ball.

How well is the pressing by English teams, though? In the Bundesliga the opponent players often run at goalies and CBs with a vengeance and if the GKs/CBs are afraid or bad with the ball, they force errors easily that way.