Pressing Trap
Trap Inside
- Deny access to wide areas.
- Win the ball in central areas.
Ask the team to set a pressing trap designed to bait the opposition into playing passes to central areas before triggering a press, forcing turnovers in advantageous positions. Your players will mark opposition wide players more closely, pressing from angles which look to force the opposition to try and play through the middle.
Positive Feedback
- Counter-attacks start from a central position.
- Effective against teams lacking technical ability in central midfield.
Negative Feedback
- Defensive shape is more spread out, which creates more gaps.
- Central attacks are more dangerous if oppositon beat the press.
Balanced
- A balanced pressing strategy.
The team will adopt a flexible pressing strategy, looking to find a balance between protecting central and wide areas of the pitch. The team will be open to triggering a press in wide or central areas, depending on the situation.
Positive Feedback
- A flexible pressing strategy.
- Defends wide and central areas evenly.
Negative Feedback
- Could benefit more from specialising in a targeted approach.
Trap Outside
- Deny access to central areas.
- Win the ball in wide areas.
Ask the team to set up a pressing trap designed to funnel the ball out into the wide areas before triggering a press, where the opposition have fewer options on the ball. Your players will compact central areas and screen passes into the middle, looking to force the opposition to pass into the wide areas.
Positive Feedback
- Able to pin opposition against the sidelines, reducing their range of options.
- Compact team shape provides less space for opposition in central areas.
Negative Feedback
- Counter-attacks start further from goal.
- More vulnerable to switch passes.