What is "gegenpressing" (or counter-pressing) and how to execute it successfully?

What is "gegenpressing" or "counter-pressing"? You've surely already heard about it, "gegenpressing" (pronounced "gay-guhn pressing"), which is also called "counter-pressing", is a form of pressing that consists of pressing the opponent just after losing the ball. The basic idea, created by Ralf Rangnick and popularized by Klopp or Guardiola, may seem quite simple but it actually requires rigor and very sharp tactical awareness. Counter-pressing can be worked on in relation to "Juego de Posicion".

"The best moment to recover the ball is right after losing it"
Jürgen Klopp

During gegenpressing, you ask your players to press as an organized block at the precise moment you transition to a defensive formation. The whole team chases the ball and, in the ideal case, recovers it immediately. The objective is twofold: prevent the counter-attack of the opponent first, and regain control of the ball second. The English, and even the Spanish and Italians, call it "counter-pressing" and not "Gegenpressing". Jürgen Klinsmann qualified it as "immediate ball recovery", which perfectly defines this concept.

1. How to succeed with "gegenpressing"?
2. How to work on counter-pressing (or gegenpressing)?
3. When to decide it's time to stop a "gegenpressing"?
4. What are the different types of "gegenpressing"?

How to succeed with "gegenpressing"?

There are several prerequisites for successful "gegenpressing" (or counter-pressing). The decisive factor is the general positioning of the team and its style of play just before launching into this type of pressing. Players must play as close to each other as possible to be able to have a strong and rapid impact upon losing the ball. In parallel, your team members must not stay too close to each other at the risk of not covering enough space on the field. Generally, a well-positioned team and a physical impact at the loss of the ball go hand in hand to succeed with "gegenpressing". The notion of "support player" is also very important:

Gegenpressing and support player

Some coaches also use a fairly simple rule to make their players understand the best way to position themselves: you must occupy the fewest zones possible with individual players, but the greatest distance possible between players within these zones so they don't occupy the same space. Even if, like all rules, they don't cover all aspects of a problem, it's still a good basic indicator to guide your players and prepare your training sessions.

It's also very important that the team responds very quickly and with anticipation. When possession changes, players must already be in movement. It's essential that your players are constantly alert and that they anticipate the loss of the ball. The concept may seem difficult to assimilate, but you must make your players understand that they're going to lose possession, and that it's at this precise moment that everything will be decided. This is why you must emphasize your training sessions on information gathering when receiving the ball, but also information gathering concerning the potential loss of possession.

How to work on counter-pressing (or gegenpressing)?

To work well on counter-pressing, you obviously need to implement a tactic that will allow your players to be in the best dispositions, but you can also propose different training drills to practice gegenpressing.

Whether you're preparing for the Soccer Coach Certificate (BEF), the Soccer Instructor Certificate (BMF), or simply your next session, we propose a drill example to work on gegenpressing. Drill used by José Mourinho at Real Madrid, it will allow you to work on gegenpressing (or counter-pressing) in an 8v4 situation with 4 support players. Be careful to close spaces immediately upon losing the ball!

Delimit a 30x30m zone then place 2 large goals on each width. Then form a team of 4 players and a team of 8 players. The team of 4 positions themselves in the zone and the team of 8 players places 4 players in the zone and 2 players on each length of the field.

The workshop begins with a 4v4 within the zone with 4 support players. The objective for the team in numerical superiority is to perform a series of 8 consecutive passes before being able to score. The objective of the defending team is to regain the ball and score without a limit of passes.

Upon losing the ball, players on the sides must quickly close spaces and press the ball carrier. The idea is to perform counter-pressing and recover the ball within 6 to 8 seconds after losing it.

The rules of the drill are as follows:

• Players in numerical superiority are limited to 2 touches of the ball. Opposing players (the team of 4) have no touch limit.
• The team of 8 players scores a point for each series of 8 consecutive passes.
• The team of 4 players scores 1 point if they regain the ball and score on the large goal. If the opposing team regains the ball within 6 seconds after losing it, they score 1 point.

When to decide it's time to stop a "gegenpressing"?

This is a question that comes up very often when discussing "gegenpressing" (or counter-pressing): how to know if it's the right moment to stop pressing and get back into position? Many teams have difficulties deciding when to stop pressing, that is, when to stop pressing if you can't recover the ball? When should you stop the effort and reorganize?

First of all, it's important to understand that counter-pressing is not a disorganization of your team. It's a deliberate and extremely well-planned act. It's therefore also necessary to plan the withdrawal if the pressing fails. There's a commonly used theory: the five-second rule. Immediately after losing the ball, your team must press with maximum intensity and speed for five seconds.

If your players haven't recovered the ball within 5 seconds following the loss of possession, and there's no chance of recovering it immediately, they must get back into the initial defensive formation. Depending on the team and the physical form of your players, the number of seconds can vary. We therefore recommend adapting these general rules to your team to get the most out of "gegenpressing".

What are the different types of "gegenpressing"?

To better understand "gegenpressing" (or "counter-pressing" for those allergic to the German language), we'll analyze 2 emblematic coaches who helped popularize this concept: Jürgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola.

Guardiola's teams, for example, apply what he calls "juego de posición" (a "positional game" for non-Hispanics), which makes them very well positioned as a collective to be able to perform counter-pressing. The positioning of the collective and its dynamics define to what extent you'll be able to perform "gegenpressing". No one knows this better than Pep Guardiola. Here's a "gegenpressing" drill example applied by Guardiola at Manchester City.

Guardiola's "Gegenpressing": 4 vs 4+2 in a double square

During pressing, Guardiola's players often try to immediately force opponents into long balls or intercept their passes. Moreover, they use it every time they lose the ball, and you can verify this during practically all matches of the Spanish coach. The objective for Guardiola is clear: don't let opponents build attacks, don't let them bring the ball up calmly and try to recover the ball as fast and high as possible.

It's surely for cultural reasons, but contrary to Guardiola, who considers the offensive transition as a means of moving to the tactical organization he wants for organized possession, Jürgen Klopp uses what he calls the offensive "Umschaltmoment" as a means of attack. For him, "gegenpressing" is the best way to create opportunities.

The logic is clear: when his opponents try to counter, they abandon their defensive structure, while your team is still in its offensive dynamic. If you're able to win the ball at that moment, you'll find gaps in your opponents' disposition and you can lead an attack with players already positioned.

Here's where Guardiola and Klopp differ. Of course, Klopp also has the objective of preventing a counter and, of course, Guardiola's team can also counter immediately, but their main objective and motivation concerning "gegenpressing" are different. Klopp sees it as a means of creating quick opportunities, where Guardiola sees it as a means of developing his possession game by being high on the field.

Two philosophies and two different approaches to a concept well anchored in current soccer, "gegenpressing". And all that for the pleasure of lovers of the beautiful game.