Counter-Press
Summary
Type of instruction:
- Higher risk – Counter-Press is a higher risk instruction so you can use it to balance lower risk in a playing style or complement higher risk in a playing style.
- Out of possession – Counter-Press is an out of possession instruction so is particularly useful for balancing lower risk out of possession and complementing higher risk out of possession. However, your team must first be in possession and then concede possession for the instruction to become relevant.
Tactical objectives: restricting space.
Counter-Press instructs your team to temporarily focus more on restricting space immediately after winning possession. This can be useful because your team tends to have good opportunities to restrict space effectively as a result of the opposition team needing to reorganise after it wins possession.
Counter pressing attempts to force opposition attacking mistakes and win possession quickly before the opposition team can reorganise or start a counter attack, and can enable your team to spend more time in possession.
However, counter pressing can also result in there being more available space for the opposition team and your team failing to protect space and prevent opposition goal-scoring chances effectively, due to it attempting to restrict space before it has reorganised.
Types of Counter-Press
If your team tends to concede possession in:
- More advanced areas – then your team will tend to counter press from more advanced areas by restricting space closer to the opposition goal, which can set up opportunities to counter attack from more advanced areas by penetrating space between opposition players closer to the opposition goal.
- Higher risk playing styles in possession tend to focus more on penetrating space and therefore tend to concede possession in more advanced areas.
- Deeper areas – then your team will tend to counter press from deeper areas by restricting space further from the opposition goal, which can set up opportunities to counter attack from deeper areas by penetrating space behind opposition players further from the opposition goal.
- Lower risk playing styles in possession tend to focus more on keeping possession and retaining solidity, and therefore tend to concede possession in deeper areas.
Use
Speed of Transition
Counter-Press can be particularly effective if your team has a relatively quick transition after conceding possession. This is more likely to be the case if you use:
- Players with good mobility (Acceleration, Agility, Balance, Pace).
- More direct partnerships and fewer overlapping partnerships.
- Lower risk style methods in possession to a greater extent, particularly low risk mentality, narrow positioning (attacking width), low tempo play and disciplined movement.
Playing Styles
With higher risk playing styles in possession (typically attacking football, direct attacking football and, to a lesser extent, direct plays and pass and move football):
- Counter-Press can be used to complement higher risk in possession by enabling your team to focus more on restricting space immediately after conceding possession, rather than focusing initially on protecting space and reorganising which can waste opportunities to win back possession quickly before the opposition team has reorganised, so as to spend more time in possession penetrating space.
- Your team will tend to Counter-Press from more advanced areas (as this is where possession will tend to be conceded) by restricting space closer to the opposition goal, which can set up opportunities to counter attack from more advanced areas.
With higher risk playing styles out of possession (typically attacking football, aggressive defending and, to a greater extent, high pressure football):
- Counter-Press can be used to complement higher risk out of possession by enabling your team to focus more on restricting space immediately after conceding possession, rather than focusing initially on protecting space and reorganising before attempting to force opposition attacking mistakes and win possession which can waste opportunities to win back possession quickly before the opposition team has reorganised.
- An immediate focus on restricting space can also be useful if you want to use Counter to counter attack from more advanced areas.
With lower risk playing styles in possession (typically defensive football, possession football and, to a lesser extent, short plays and long ball football):
- Counter-Press can be used to balance lower risk in possession by enabling your team to temporarily focus more on restricting space after conceding possession, compensating for the reduced opportunities it has to create goal-scoring chances, due to using lower risk play in possession, by attempting to win back possession quickly before the opposition team has reorganised and so spend more time in possession.
- Your team will tend to Counter-Press from deeper areas (as this is where possession will tend to be conceded) by restricting space further from the opposition goal, which can set up opportunities to counter attack from deeper areas.
With lower risk playing styles out of possession (typically defensive football, cautious defending and, to a greater extent, parking-the-bus football):
- Counter-Press can be used to balance lower risk out of possession by enabling your team to temporarily focus more on restricting space after conceding possession, compensating for the reduced opportunities it has to win possession, due to using lower risk play out of possession, by attempting to win back possession quickly before the opposition team has reorganised.
Regroup
Summary
Type of instruction:
- Lower risk – Regroup is a lower risk instruction so you can use it to balance higher risk in a playing style or complement lower risk in a playing style.
- Out of possession – Regroup is an out of possession instruction so is particularly useful for balancing higher risk out of possession and complementing lower risk out of possession. However, your team must first be in possession and then concede possession for the instruction to become relevant.
Tactical objectives: protecting space.
Regroup instructs your team to temporarily focus more on protecting space immediately after conceding possession. This can be useful because your team tends to need to reorganise after it concedes possession in order to more effectively restrict space and protect space.
Regrouping gives your team the opportunity to reorganise before attempting to restrict space and makes it more difficult for the opposition team to penetrate space effectively and create goal-scoring chances quickly, possibly as part of a counter attack, before your team has reorganised.
However, regrouping can also result in your team failing to take opportunities to restrict space and win possession before the opposition team has reorganised.
Use
Speed of Transition
Regroup can be particularly effective if your team has a relatively slow transition after conceding possession. This is more likely to be the case if you use:
- Players with poor mobility (Acceleration, Agility, Balance, Pace).
- More overlapping partnerships and fewer direct partnerships.
- Higher risk style methods in possession to a greater extent, particularly high risk mentality, wide positioning (attacking width), high tempo play and roaming movement.
Playing Styles
With higher risk playing styles in possession (typically attacking football, direct attacking football and, to a lesser extent, direct plays and pass and move football):
- Regroup can be used to balance higher risk in possession by enabling your team to temporarily focus more on protecting space after conceding possession, enabling it to reorganise after attempting to create goal-scoring chances with higher risk play in possession that moves players out of position.
With higher risk playing styles out of possession (typically attacking football, aggressive defending and, to a greater extent, high pressure football):
- Regroup can be used to balance higher risk out of possession by enabling your team to temporarily focus more on protecting space after conceding possession, enabling it to firstly reorganise so it can then attempt to win possession with higher risk play out of possession more effectively.
With lower risk playing styles in possession (typically defensive football, possession football and, to a lesser extent, short plays and long ball football):
- Regroup can be used to complement lower risk in possession by enabling your team to focus more on protecting space immediately after conceding possession, rather than attempting to restrict space too soon which can give the opposition team good opportunities to create goal-scoring chances before your team has reorganised, meaning your team may not be able to be as patient when in possession.
With lower risk playing styles out of possession (typically defensive football, cautious defending and, to a greater extent, parking-the-bus football):
- Regroup can be used to complement lower risk out of possession by enabling your team to focus more on protecting space immediately after conceding possession, rather than attempting to restrict space too soon which can give the opposition team good opportunities to create goal-scoring chances before your team has reorganised.
- An immediate focus on protecting space can also be useful if you want to use Counter to counter attack from deeper areas.
Related Guides
Other Playing Style Implementation Guides
Related Tactics Guides
- Team Instructions – analysis of team instructions, including player suitability.
- Playing Styles – tactical theory guide.
- Tactical Organisation – tactical theory guide including tactical transition, speed of transition, phases of play and tactics in the transition phases.
- Core Styles – tactical theory guide including the use of the transition phases in attacking football and defensive football.
- Attacking Styles – tactical theory guide including the use of the transition phases in direct plays and short plays.
- Defensive Styles – tactical theory guide including the use of the transition phases in aggressive defending and cautious defending.
- Composite Styles – tactical theory guide including the use of the transition phases in direct attacking football, pass and move football, long ball football, possession football, high pressure football, cautious attacking football, aggressive defensive football and parking-the-bus football.
