Anyways….preseason tomorrow and the boys are coming home! Get in
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Pressing and counter pressing is the best wat to start the beginnings of a better passing game, because when you are playing a good pressing and counter pressing game, you always have players in good positions from which they can move into space to initiate attempting to play a passing game when you win back possession, or at least players who can quickly move into space who have certain skill sets that they are able to quickly find the forwards quite directly to create good opportunities
"If Everton were playing at the bottom of my garden, i'd close the curtains”
Anyways….preseason tomorrow and the boys are coming home! Get in
The contradiction there is that if you're excellent at pressing, and counter pressing, you mostly do control the ball
The press has to be a collective team press, with all the players pressing and counter pressing, when our press was at it's very highest levels, not a single team was able to control the ball and dictate play against us, not a single one.
The essence and beauty of a very high level pressing and counter pressing game, as we played it at very high levels, never mind our best is that when you have the ball, you're always defending while attacking as a team, as in players become so accustomed to the press and counter press that it improves anticipation and positioning, so you end up with players taking fantastic counter press positions, that are also fantastic positions to join the attack
When you're defending, your always attacking when defending, because all your players are taking excellent pressing and counter pressing positions, that are also fantastic positions for them to be released immediately when you win back possession
Italy had 31% possession against Spain and won
Man City controlled the ball for almost the entire Champions League final, but Chelsea's pressing game and forwards being in excellent positions to be released immediately when they won back possession won the day
Edit: Also, as demonstrated in our final 10 games of last season, the best way to protect a CB pairing you feel may be able to be got at on the counter is to press and counter press the opposition very effectively so they can't release players on the counter, not to play a no skills other than being quick and powerful Walker at RB
Last edited by Nineteenx; 12th July 2021 at 01:15 AM.
"If Everton were playing at the bottom of my garden, i'd close the curtains”
I tend to agree. Some of the technical ability displayed by the Italian players was very good - same for passing. There's only a handful of English players who came close to their skill. The players have progressed but they're nowhere the level of many of the European players never mind the Brazilians.
SO you play to your players strengths
What are the strengths of the majority of England's players? How do they play as they do at their very best at club level in which 4 or 5 English teams are frequently in the Champions League and Europa League semis and final?
All of them play an aggressive, well coordinate pressing game, all the inside/wide forwards make constant runs in behind, all of them play with attacking full backs or at least one
Who pulls the strings in all those teams to release the runs in behind or find a player more advance capacble of releasing them?
Chelsea - Jorginho, Rudiger from CB and Mount from further forward
City - De Bruyne and Gundojan
Liverpool - Hendo from No6, Virgil from CB and Trent from RB and to a lesser extent and from higher up Robbo from LB
Spurs (although NOT a top team) Kane from dropping off into the false 9 position, the runs in behind giving him the time and space to receive the ball there more frequently - Lo Celso and Hojbjerg
So who are England's best players and those who should be the first names on the team sheet to play an aggressive pressing game and who can release the runs in behind?
GK
Trent Stones Maguire Shaw
Ward-Prowse Henderson Mount
Sancho/Foden Kane Sterling
Shaw and Chilwell are both capable of releasing runs in behind or players in advanced positions to release those players and making well timed runs to be released to release them, I've gone for Shaw at LB
Ward-Prowse is exceptional set piece take, is also good at releasing players making runs in behind for his club and playing high quality switches and is better than most of England's other midfielders at looking after the ball and plays an aggressive pressing game at his club also - So he's in all day long for me too and I feel he and Hendo would strike an excellent one stays one goes in the pressing and interchanging positions relationship
Maguire and Stones are England's best 2 CBs and Maguire finds Shaw quite well at least and releases him higher up to release others quite frequently, so they're my CBs
That's England's best side for the beginnings of playing better football and a high level coordinated pressing and counter pressing game and at least being able to stop teams dominating the ball against them through pressing and creating through being very direct without many passes and being devastatingly effective
Edit: AND having 3 midfielders who are all far better at pressing and looking after the ball in tight areas and with greater intelligence and passing who would all compliment each other incredibly well. Rice and Phillips could be brought in on occasion for a few minutes and be in the squad to get with the program and have the collective of this 3 and the coaches educate them on what they need to do better
Last edited by Nineteenx; 12th July 2021 at 01:17 AM.
"If Everton were playing at the bottom of my garden, i'd close the curtains”
look at the vile thugs fighting
Cleaning up the Scots since the 13th century
Always classy to a fault. Truly shameful
Why would I want to associate myself with dickheads like that?
Glad they lost
This is why the whole world was against England winning. I’m over the moon they lost and was more anxious about this final and then winning than us against Spurs.
As predicted, all the black players being racially abused by good old patriots. Teach them all a lesson and never play international football again. Fuck this team and the vile cretins that support them
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