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Maintaining Control When Counterpressing
How to create stability while winning the ball back as fast as possible
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Introduction
Counterpressing is a concept that has been developing and tweaked by a number of different managers. This concept is most commonly associated with Jurgen Klopp’s ‘Rock’n Roll Football’. No matter how it’s applied the goal and definition of Counterpressing remains the same: Trying to win the ball back immediately after it’s lost. Whether this is done through man orientation, space orientation, option orientation, etc. is irrelevant if your team can’t establish control at their base.
Stability in a teams deeper lines of defense gives players higher up the freedom to press with intensity and jump immediately when possession is lost. If the team cannot create control in deeper areas than the type of Counterpressing doesn’t matter. Coaches have said that when teams build from the back properly there shouldn’t be risk. The same is true for Counterpressing. When teams counterpress properly they shouldn’t be taking a big risk in their transition.
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