The new German tactical school is represented by a group of coaches who have all been influenced directly or indirectly by Ralf Rangnick. He is considered by Jurgen Klopp as one of the best, if not the best current German coach. He has revolutionized German soccer over the past 10 years with a very specific game philosophy. We will first introduce the different coaches who have contributed to this change, then detail the game philosophy, and finally end with some exercise examples that you can directly apply to work on the tactical foundations of this school of thought.
Initiated by Ralf Rangnick, popularized by Klopp, and used by Tuchel and Nagelsmann
This new school of thought within German soccer was initiated several years ago by Ralf Rangnick, who never played at a high level as a player. This is one of the peculiarities of this new wave of coaches: most of them have never played at the highest level and yet today are among the greatest European coaches. This is the trademark of one of the figures who inspired Ralf Rangnick: Arrigo Sacchi, who already said at the time: “I didn’t know that to become a jockey you had to have been a horse first.” Among the coaches who inspired the German, we can also mention Valeriy Lobanovskyi and Ernst Happel.
This trend is also confirmed by the numbers. Last season in the Bundesliga, more than half of the 18 coaches had not had a professional career and had honed their skills as coaches within youth teams.
“I didn’t know that to become a jockey you had to have been a horse first”
Arrigo Sacchi
As for the results, they are just as impressive. Just take a look at the latest edition of the Champions League: 3 of the 4 semi-finalists (PSG, RB Leipzig, and Bayern Munich) have coaches from this new German tactical school. RB Leipzig (where Ralf Rangnick was sporting director and coach between 2015 and 2020) went from creation to the Champions League semi-finals in just 11 seasons!
Ralf Rangnick - RB Leipzig
Sure, the financial aspect is important to understand these results, but it’s not everything. Ralf Rangnick himself explains it as follows: “To succeed in soccer, you need the 3 Cs: cash, concept, and competence.” Let’s now focus on the last 2 Cs: the concept and the skills required to implement this game philosophy.
What is the game philosophy of the new German tactical school?
Ralf Rangnick created the game philosophy of this new school of thought by popularizing it at Hoffenheim and then at RB Leipzig. The game foundations are quite simple: a defense that presses high, a very high intensity upon losing the ball, and the application of gegenpressing. The overall idea is to recover the ball and reach the opponent's goal as quickly as possible. Of course, this is a simplification, but it clearly demonstrates the importance of verticality, with very few sideways passes. You will surely recognize the playing style of Liverpool or Borussia Dortmund.
“The best moment to win the ball is immediately after you lose it”
Jurgen Klopp
One of the most important aspects of this new tactical school is gegenpressing (or counter-pressing). During a gegenpressing, you ask your players to press as a coordinated block at the precise moment you switch to a defensive formation. The whole team hunts the ball and, ideally, recovers it immediately. The objective is twofold: to prevent the opponent's counterattack initially, and to regain control of the ball secondly. The English, and even the Spanish and Italians, call it “counter-pressing” rather than “Gegenpressing.” Jürgen Klinsmann described it as “immediate ball recovery,” which perfectly defines this concept. Feel free to check out our full article on the subject to learn how to succeed and work on “gegenpressing”.
During gegenpressing, the goal is to press the opponent with a numerical advantage of at least one player. Pressing with a numerical advantage and at high intensity will then prevent the opponent from playing long and thus switching sides. Your players then cover only a quarter of the field but by pressing in a coordinated manner, they prevent the opponent's build-up play. Ralf Rangnick often instructs that the ball should be recovered within 8 seconds after losing it, and that a shooting angle should be found within the next 10 seconds.
“Would you rather run 5 meters forward or fifty backward?”
Guardiola, reported by Sterling
A new concept and a unique mentality that accompanies it
For this new wave of coaches, it is always very important to have someone in the club who is responsible for the values and style of play, like a sort of guarantor. This person must then ensure that the attitude of the players, the staff, and the organization as a whole aligns with the club's values. This is where Rangnick defines the 3 Cs necessary for a club's success: cash, concept, and competence.
“If you want to increase your team's playing speed, you must develop faster minds rather than faster feet.”
Ralf Rangnick
The mentality and personality of the players are key elements of success. Moreover, one of the essential aspects of athlete progression is cognitive development, and more specifically the ability of players to make decisions under pressure. This refers to decision-making in tight spaces, and under pressure from opposing players.
Exercise Examples
1. 5vs5 attacking game with 4 supports in tight spaces
Used by RB Leipzig under Julian Nagelsmann, this transition exercise is ideal for working on gegenpressing as well as vertical play, a hallmark of the new German tactical school.
2. Ralf Rangnick's possession game to work on transitions
A rather simple possession exercise to implement but with certain constraints will allow your players to work on transition play and gegenpressing, initiated by Ralf Rangnick.
