Up until now, physical soccer has been the standard when it comes to the Premier League. However, the Premier League, which has become rich in funds, has begun to bring in talented foreign managers rather than adding incompetent English managers, and tactics have become more diverse. In Liverpool’s case, tactics have changed considerably since Klopp took over as manager from Dortmund.
Liverpool FC
Liverpool FC is a professional soccer club based in Liverpool, England. The club was founded in 1892 and has a rival club in the same region, Everton. Liverpool is a club with a long history, having won the UEFA Champions League and the Premier League, so they are definitely a strong team.
home stadium
The team’s home stadium is Anfield, a soccer-only stadium with a capacity of 60,000 people, making it very easy to watch matches. The team color is red, so the stadium turns bright red during home games. That’s why they are nicknamed the Reds. The nickname of Liverpool fans is KOP.
hazel’s tragedy
Many Liverpool supporters were extremists and caused major incidents. The Heysel Tragedy occurred during a match against Juventus in the 1985 UEFA Champions Cup, when some Liverpool supporters attacked the viewing area of Juventus supporters. This led to the deaths of 39 people, and UEFA banned the Premier League indefinitely from participating in UEFA-sponsored international matches.
Hillsboro Tragedy
This is more of an accident than an incident, but the Hillsborough tragedy also happened. In 1989, during a match against Nottingham in the FA Cup, a large number of fans crowded into the standing room behind the goal, exceeding its capacity, resulting in a disaster that left 96 people dead and 766 seriously injured.
Who is Jurgen Klopp?
Before talking about Gegenpress, I need to mention this person first. Jurgen Klopp is a German manager who came to Liverpool in 2015. He became world famous as Dortmund’s manager. Dortmund won consecutive league titles and reached the final of the UEFA Champions League. A club called Dortmund overtook Bayern to win the title, and his presence attracted the attention of big clubs. The tactic he used at that time is called the Gegenpress.
What is Gegenpress?
Gegenpress is a pressing tactic used in the middle third to regain the ball immediately after being stolen by the opponent and turn into a short counter. The key here is to get the ball back immediately after it is stolen. In order to perform a short counter, you want to attack before your opponent’s defense is ready. Therefore, it is important to recover the ball within a few seconds. Once you get this right, you’ll be able to attack the goal in no time. The ideal is to cut the pass and immediately counter. Klopp often comes up in overseas European news information.
Difference with high press
There is also a term called high press for Gegen press. High press is the act of applying pressure from a high position to the opponent’s build-up and hindering the assembly of the attack. Of course, if things go well, we steal the ball and aim for the goal. High press is often a pattern of pressing the opponent’s defender. However, in the case of Gegen Press, the aim is different because the tactic is to quickly grab the ball regardless of position.
Weaknesses of Gegenpress
Gegenpress also has its weaknesses. If the opponent plays passive soccer, there is a point where pressing too hard won’t work. This tactic often doesn’t work, especially against teams that play a retreat-type defense. This tactic tends to work well when the opponent is a team that actively carries the ball and attacks, so whether it works or not depends on the opponent. When I was in Germany, I used it a lot in the Champions League, but depending on the season there were a lot of transfers, so there were times when it didn’t really catch on. There are many times in games when we don’t have the space and can’t create shape with our plays.
High tactical understanding and momentum
A player must also have the ability to perform a Gegenpress. Since the team will be actively trying to steal the ball from the front, they will inevitably become compact and often end up with a high line. Achieving this requires a high level of momentum, coordination with those around you, and a high level of tactical understanding, so players also need to have that understanding.
Weaknesses of Gegenpress
Gegenpress is a tactic that gained a lot of attention in Dortmund in the 2010s. This has made Klopp a very famous manager in the world, but this tactic also has its weaknesses. If players can’t fulfill their assigned roles, they won’t be able to respond to the speed and the tactics will become difficult.
If it is breached
Gegenpress tactics involve multiple people applying pressure from the front. As long as this strategy is used, short counters will become more interesting and goal chances will increase considerably. Therefore, although it may seem like a perfect strategy at first glance, if you are able to evade the pressure, your back will be completely empty. If that happens, there is a danger that it could turn into a big chance for the opposing team.
When the amount of exercise decreases
The gegenpress tactic is a tactic in which multiple players work together to continue applying pressure to the ball holder. As I’m sure you understand, this is a strategy that constantly puts pressure on your opponent. On the other hand, it is a tactic that requires physical activity, so in the second half of the game when the players’ physical activity decreases, it becomes difficult to maintain this tactic. When this happens, the game doesn’t play out as expected.
Watch Premier League live
The Premier League is said to be the most commercially successful league in the world, and there are many streaming services that broadcast it live. Therefore, be sure to watch the game live and enjoy the game.
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