To Press, or not To Press

Or perhaps it is just that we have not played with each other long enough.

The coach has said that we have a lot of games in a very short period. Players can get tired when they have to play so many games, and tiredness increases the chance of injury. Some of our players are getting over past injuries, and they are deliberately not being overtired, because that too can cause injury. It means that 6 players per game do not need to complete the whole 90 minutes. It is yet another of the factors that the Chief Coach must take into consideration when picking his team, and yet another reason why it takes longer for new players to bed into our systems.

Looking back at my posts, it could seem that I have become an apologist for our owners and our coaching staff. I hope that is not true, but these people are professionals, and as such, they know far more about the game than I do. I try to learn from them, and part of that process is to accept that they know what they are doing and trying to understand the reason why they did it. Of course, that assumes a degree of logic in their actions, but I believe logic is at the root of the actions of all professionals. The BBS often assumes the exact opposite, and that is why I often find myself at odds with it.

 

Someone has hijacked your identity and posted on this thread.

 

People who are player focused tend to have little interest in systems, and that is fine. But this is a thread about systems.

 

No, it’s still me.

I’m just going to refrain from commenting on what you posted, there’s quite a lot for me to get my teeth in to but I’m not going to do it this time.

It’s utterly pointless.

 

Appreciate there's more to planning a press than just running around, but my point is one coach will have a different vision of what players are needed to another. If Stendel and Struber wanted the same style of player, we wouldn't be trying to agree a severance with Bahre right now. Will use the Klopp / Guardiola comparisons again, both like to press, Firminho and Aguero are completely different players. City have a midfield that will include two flair players, while Liverpool's midfield is more industrious. City's creativity comes from midfield, while Liverpool's come from full back. Two completely different styles of play that can be called "the press".

The other point is, the press as we had it may not have been headless chicken but it took a lot of energy out of our forwards, which may have been a factor in our complete inability to score any goals. Not helped by the fact that when we won the ball, we invariably gave it back and had to start again

 

That last bit made me lol!

 

You make some good points, and in the case of the difference between Stendel and Struber, I have already acknowledged the difference. You went on to suggest that in your view the answer was that Mowatt, James and Kane would retain possession better than we do currently and would create more chances, and that the press would be unnecessary with those three in the middle of the park. James was certainly a fine player the last time he was at the club, but I am unsure what his injuries have taken out of him. As I recall it, previously he played deeper and would pull the strings from in front of the back four. If the owners insist on the press, which I believe they will, then we will have to play 4-diamond-2 in order to accommodate James, with Mowatt and Kane ahead of him in a narrow diamond to allow the width to come from full back. I have pointed out earlier that I see our weakness in that system in an attacking sense is the lack of a quality No10, and I still see that as the weakness with the players that we have. It looks like you would like to see 4-3-3 and no press, but I honestly think the club and the owners are too far down the road in their commitment to the press, and I cannot see it happening. We shall see!

 

Kane often played for Liverpool as a no.10 hopefully he is the link

 

Did he? I suggested that he might be the answer at 10 the other day and it got poo pooed. Hopefully you are right and he is the answer. Cheers!

 

I think there are different ways to play a pressing game. You can keep a deeper line & not leave yourselves exposed to the ball over the top / through ball. This was nearer how we played under Hecky. You let them come to close to the half way line & press them there, keeping your midfield and defence compact, but with runners ready when you have the ball. If they have the space to move out of defence the opposition go forward, you intercept & hit on the counter. With the sort of players we have I think that is an option, as well as the high press. Problem with the high press is you need pacy defenders & a keeper that can come off his line quickly. We have the latter in Walton, no doubt, but have been carved up by pace at times. Funnily against Brentford we played that sort of game last year, so credit to Struber.

 

I do not think that Hecky played a true press. The way that you describe our press against Brentford is the way that I see the true press, and against Brentford, it worked superbly.

 

.....good point well made.

lf we are to continue adopting the press philosophy, as seems v likely, then why not vary it? The half-way line press might suit this set of players more than the high press now that JB has gone.

The way Bielsa has got Leeds playing is, for me, how I want my team to play. Combination of the press with ultra, ultra high fitness levels and the deep lying QB (Phillips) orchestrating the game. He (Bielsa) truly is the King of Coaches.

 

Leeds totally outplayed us at Oakwell. However, they were very fortunate to win at Elland Road, and were fortunate to score through an unlikely own goal. As I remember, their staff were very complementary after the game about the way that we played, and given the huge difference in the value of the players, Struber's system comes out of the encounter with flying colours. But that is not the point. The point is that you play the system to suit the players, and given that almost all of our players have been acquired to play the Struber way, the high press, then surely that is the way to go, at least for now. We have appointed a new coach. I have no idea what promises he has been made about spending, playing staff or systems, but he is stuck with this lot until the transfer window re-opens in January. It will be interesting to see if and how the new coach tries to change things, but I hope that he has not brought any pre-conceived ideas, because as always, changes should be player led.

 

I know it is, hence the first sentence in my comment. Sorry to contribute to your thread and be shown up for not having your level of pompous arrogance shown in your response. I shall flounce off and won’t be contributing to any future threads of yours. I am not worthy.

 

We played well against Leeds at Oakwell, they certainly didn't outplay us until they bought Nketiah on near the end.

 

I do not wish to be rude at all but the condescension in the OP's threads is awful. If Pol Pot did replies...

 

Totally agree. There are different ways of playing a pressing style. The high press is suited to teams that are rock solid defensively in terms of pace & have forwards that can run for 90 minutes & who are combative, like Jacob Brown and formerly Keiffer Moore. I don't see anyone in our forward line who fits that bill TBH. If you don't play to the strengths of your squad you won't win football matches. With the wing backs & midfielders we have we are much more capable of a deeper counter press.

I'm sure the new manager will have his own blueprint. I'll give him what support I can from my flat in Headingley, whatever that actually means. He'll live or die by the results he gets, like all that have gone before him. I'm just an armchair supporter now, like everyone else.

 

I am truly sorry that you have taken offence at my remarks, but the opening sentence of your reply also caused offense to me. I had spent quite some time drawing together what I thought would be an interesting discussion about systems, and in particular the press and how it relates to the different systems. Your opening comment appeared to say that my thread was pointless. That football was all about players, and that our players are inadequate and make too many mistakes. I saw it as an attempt to simply write off a discussion that I was enjoying, because I do enjoy talking tactics. Perhaps my reply was rude/dismissive, but that is the reason. I am sorry if I caused offense, but really you should only join in with the threads that interest you. Just ignore the threads that do not interest you.

 

Who lives in a house like this?