Pressing & counter pressing & other things
So we got better in the press and counter press second half today (West Ham) but we’re still
A long way off where it needs to be
We need a better balance of players picking up to players looking to be in space, more players picking up a player in a great position to join the attack or provide an option when it’s needed and on to and we need to get tighter in it, we had a player pressing a lot today and our player near their second man nowhere near close enough so allowing an easy pass that then let them bypass 2 of our players far too easily and that’s not good enough
Learn to block the lines again too, be in a position you can quickly press one or two players while also stopping them playing through the lines
We need to set up better to win second balls at corners and put them straight back in to the far post Have players well positioned to pick up the second ball from who is taking the corner into what area and those who were near post making sure they’re quickly repositioned to attack the ball back in
Get organised with greater intensity so we’re always giving an option to counter a team immediately after their corner or free kick we always did this under Jurgen avs need to get back to it
Talk and direct each other much more in our positioning movement and picking up
Always use variation go long back to front or diagonally on occasion and quickly support that longer ball with a player looking to win the second ball, the Wirtz chance today cane from Virgil doing just that
Keep 2 players up and one a bit deep central and get the runs in behind functioning and medium diagonals and switches back on again
We did this better today by not getting too many players ahead of the ball so there was space for us to do it, drive the ball forward when you receive it and it’s on too as Grav Kerkez & Jones did a few times today and when they do make runs for them to thrn support them and if behind thrn pick up the player they were doing
Don’t pass it back needlessly when we have 3v4 or 3v3 or players in their back line and a ball on, back yourselves, avoiding the option it could easily be intercepted and we get broken on and create and score and ask questions d and apply pressure
Work in training on the players combining against 4 or 5 on quick breaks to finish the moves off
These are all basics of what we have long been best in class at we have met fall away completely under Slot and we need back
"If Everton were playing at the bottom of my garden, i'd close the curtains”