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Gakpo says Liverpool were willing to defend one-v-one against Brighton.
Iraola's press relies on defenders winning the duels it leaves behind. Their willingness to accept those situations allows the rest of the team to squeeze the pitch and attack the ball.
Every player who presses needs to trust the team-mate behind him. Gakpo's words suggest that belief is growing: players are accepting the risks that allow the whole system to work.
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1.4.3.3. with a back line of Araujo – Jacquet – Virgil – Kerkez. At St James’ Park, matches often resemble basketball games, and it’s easy to get carried away by the unstable emotions of the stadium. Given Iraola’s nature, that is highly likely, which is why I’d like to use a hybrid RB who, in the attacking phase, would tuck inside and narrow his position, while Jacquet would be given the freedom to step up higher after we lose possession. This would give us an extra layer of protection against Newcastle’s quick transitions and fast attacks, while also buying the team some time to recover its shape. His higher positioning would serve a similar purpose to the role of a No. 6 - in general, I believe he could play there in many situations.
What’s more, we don’t yet know how mentally stable the team has become when falling behind, because last season we often completely fell apart in those moments. So, at the start of the season, I’d rather try to avoid putting ourselves in those situations, rather than adding more problems to the already long list of things Iraola has to rebuild and establish in order for the boys to function as one cohesive unit.
It may be a somewhat naïve approach, especially knowing Andoni, but it could also be the first sign of an internal change in him - showing a touch of pragmatism and an ability to adapt quickly depending on the opponent #LFC
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Szoboszlai should become Iraola’s nominal and long-term RB; it’s the coach’s job to convince him of that. Generally, I had a slightly different plan for the game today
1.4.3.3. with a back line of Araujo – Jacquet – Virgil – Kerkez. At St James’ Park, matches often resemble basketball games, and it’s easy to get carried away by the unstable emotions of the stadium. Given Iraola’s nature, that is highly likely, which is why I’d like to use a hybrid RB who, in the attacking phase, would tuck inside and narrow his position, while Jacquet would be given the freedom to step up higher after we lose possession. This would give us an extra layer of protection against Newcastle’s quick transitions and fast attacks, while also buying the team some time to recover its shape. His higher positioning would serve a similar purpose to the role of a No. 6 - in general, I believe he could play there in many situations.
What’s more, we don’t yet know how mentally stable the team has become when falling behind, because last season we often completely fell apart in those moments. So, at the start of the season, I’d rather try to avoid putting ourselves in those situations, rather than adding more problems to the already long list of things Iraola has to rebuild and establish in order for the boys to function as one cohesive unit.
It may be a somewhat naïve approach, especially knowing Andoni, but it could also be the first sign of an internal change in him - showing a touch of pragmatism and an ability to adapt quickly depending on the opponent #LFC
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Jacquet & Araujo understand their roles and the range of behaviours required in a high press. That allows them to eliminate gaps and maintain cohesion. That’s exactly what I expected from these signings #LFC
Regardless of how high up the pitch they press, pressing teams will always look for players with certain profiles - qualities that are essential for defensive structures to function properly:
identify the trigger → leave your reference zone → take away passing options → apply pressure - either win the ball back or, at the very least, buy time for your teammates to recover and restore the team’s shape.
His long legs and considerable height make him extremely difficult to escape from once he closes an opponent down. He can make the player on the ball feel completely trapped, with very few, if any, ways out. And when necessary, #Araujo is also willing to use a tactical foul, which is another important part of good defensive play.
The ability of a centre-back to delay an attack after the first or second line of pressure has been beaten can be easy to overlook, but it is incredibly important. Sometimes the centre-back’s job is not to win the ball at all - it is simply to slow the attack down and give his teammates those extra few seconds they need to recover their positions and rebuild the defensive structure
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I’d like to see Nyoni come on, because we need a few more players who can handle pressure and control the tempo of the game. It’s clearly turned into a proper basketball game now, and Gakpo’s decision-making in transition has been a little poor. I think Rio and Nioni could both be good options to bring on at this stage to help us manage the game better and ultimately close it out #LFC
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Tonali is exactly what de Zerbi needs. He can drop between the CBs to help with the build-up, position himself behind the first line of the press to link up with the advanced players higher up the pitch, and intelligently shield the defenders in the defensive phase. He complements Fernandes really well, as Fernandes is a ball carrier but is also capable of playing deeper. That rotation, thanks to their similar skill sets, should create a positive synergy.
If you look at what de Zerbi requires from his pivots when it comes to playing through the press, Tonali ticks all the boxes.
As for the price, it’s not for me to judge, but downplaying Tonali’s abilities is a little unserious
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Creo que Chelsea no tiene a los mejores jugadores para pararse alto.
Fuera de sus delanteros y de las ESTELARES acciones defensivas de Caicedo, creo que tienen algunas dificultades para ganar esos duelos claves.
Tuvieron momentos de transiciones favorables, en donde le robaron la pelota al Tottenham y atacaron -casi siempre Caicedo estuvo presente en estas acciones-, pero creo que los de De Zerbi lograron contrarrestar bien la presión utilizando a Maddison para sacar constantemente a Lacroix de su posición.
Esto último es el detalle CLAVE, ya que fuera de Caicedo, Xabi no tiene a nadie realmente bueno para ir al hombre y ser agresivos para apretar el bloque, ya que la mayoría de los defensores que tienen, poseen otro tipo de características.
La intención de presionar arriba existe y eventualmente puede salir bien, pero por perfiles, creo que hay varios defectos a la vista de Chelsea.
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Spurs are creating issues centrally in settled possession phases, which I mentioned was a missed opportunity for the opponents when we played Everton and especially Bournemouth. Spurs are generating 3v2 overloads with Fernandes, Tonali, and Maddison dropping below. With neither Palmer nor Rogers picking up Fernandes, Spurs can produce a free man between the lines. Sometimes Neto is getting dragged inside, which opens space out wide for the full-back and winger to create a 2v1 against Acheampong. If Chelsea's front line does not support the midfield, this performance problem will continue. Or else, Alonso needs to trigger a man-man press.
Well, we've partly got the answer for what the 4-4-2 system does from an engagement level perspective. Although it gives good pressing distances, it doesn't mean that Chelsea will actually want to use them by actively defending. In the first half, Chelsea have been defending passively in the 4-4-2 rather than proactively stepping out, similar to the Bournemouth game. In my opinion, this is fine as long as we still actively press Everton in certain moments. Doesn't have to be all the time. Let's see if Chelsea do this more in the second half. I'd expect us to do so as long as we're not winning.
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New build-up solutions demand new pressing ideas. New pressing ideas demand new build-up solutions.
The never-ending tactical battle.
In the last couple of seasons, there has been a tendency in deep build-up to spread the centre-backs wide and push the fullbacks higher.
This is what I call "Isolating the deep build-up".
With more teams pressing man-to-man, the intention behind positioning the centre-backs so wide was to increase the distance for the “double-role presser”: the player responsible for pressing one of the centre-backs and the goalkeeper.
Once the double-role presser stepped to press the goalkeeper, many teams would use the third-man concept to find the free centre-back. The goalkeeper would play into a midfielder, who would then play a bounce pass to the centre-back, now free to receive. By pushing the fullbacks higher, teams created space for the centre-backs to receive unopposed. And because of the centre-backs being wide to increase the distance, the centre-forward would often arrive too late to apply pressure back.
However, during last season and this one, more teams have started to respond differently. Instead of pressing the goalkeeper horizontally, they step forward frontally, often with a midfielder jumping out to press the goalkeeper while using his cover shadow to block access to his direct opponent.
The quality with which some teams now execute what I call the "Vertical Third Man" is incredible. It allows them to bypass the first line of pressure and find the free player inside. Arsenal did it against Bayern Munich, but if there is one team that has mastered this concept, it is Como under Cesc Fàbregas.
Not many teams have mastered this level of execution yet, unlike the “Horizontal Third Man”, which has been refined over the years to the point that almost any team in elite football can execute it comfortably.
From a pressing perspective, stepping forward frontally to press the goalkeeper can be an effective approach. Bayern Munich with Kompany were among the teams using this solution last season, while Roberto De Zerbi has also applied it with Olympique de Marseille and Tottenham Hotspur, particularly against teams that want to "isolate the build-up."
At first glance, pressing the goalkeeper frontally might seem riskier than pressing horizontally. The main trade-off is that a midfielder has to step out of his position, leaving one fewer player inside. This can create a temporary numerical disadvantage in midfield, which can be more dangerous than leaving the centre-back free.
However, the advantage is that the opposition often struggles to build up short. By applying direct pressure to the goalkeeper, the pressing team reduces his time to find a solution and forces him to play towards one side or go long. Unless the opposition can execute the “Vertical Third Man” concept mentioned earlier, which only a few teams currently master, frontal pressing tends to be an effective way to prevent opponents from progressing comfortably through the first phase of build-up.
If you want to keep controlling games and progressing through build-up, you need to keep developing new solutions. Opponents are increasingly willing to take more risks in their pressing structures to prevent you from controlling games with the ball.
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📽️ في ليلة أوروبية على أنفيلد، صنع ريو نغوموها هدفين في عودة ليفربول أمام فياريال.
لكن الحكاية بدأت قبل الأضواء، في شرق لندن.
من هو ريو؟ وكيف وصل إلى هنا؟ وهل ما رأيناه مجرد بداية؟
دي مش مجرد قصة موهبة ظهرت فجأة؛ دي رحلة تستحق إننا نرجع لأولها.
🧵👇
#Ngumoha #Liverpool #LFC
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Yamal needs a right back ASAP.
Create the rest defence at the LB. Use an offensive RB for Yamal.
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In all of this, even Virgil seemed to lose his bearings, caught off guard by the rotation, the pace of change Nyoni’s (half-joking, half-serious 😉). That’s why a CM signing could only really have happened as a way of adding depth and greater functionality to the midfield.
Nyoni is a unicorn - a player who can completely change the game. I think Iraola will realise that with time and move Szoboszlai to RB, which would help us balance the team and bring that playmaking ability back into the defensive line. That’s crucial if we want to build from the back.
Gravenberch should play as a carrier because we’re living in an era where progression is increasingly built around carrying the ball - a more direct element of the game.
This squad is capable of achieving great things, but it needs good health, a proper understanding of how the players complement each other, and total commitment from everyone #LFC
