Table of Contents
- What is gegenpressing in soccer?
- Who made gegenpressing famous?
- Does gegenpressing work?
- Which teams and coaches use gegenpressing?
- Recap: Gegenpressing in soccer explained
Gegenpressing in soccer is a philosophy that originated in Germany in the 1990s and has influenced many of the best soccer teams in Europe in recent times.
But what exactly is gegenpressing and which coaches made it famous? Read on to discover everything you need to know about employing a gegenpressing philosophy in soccer.
What is gegenpressing in soccer?
Gegenpressing is a German tactical approach that necessitates winning the ball back as quickly as possible from the opposition.
It translates to “counter pressing” in English, and key to the approach is to win the ball back as far up the field as possible to spring quick attacks.
Many teams in the German Bundesliga employ a gegenpressing approach to the beautiful game, but it has also spread to leagues around Europe and even further afield, thanks to the fact that it’s extremely effective.
But where does gegenpressing come from? Who made it famous? And which soccer teams use it to their advantage? Read on to find out!
Who made gegenpressing famous?
Jurgen Klopp is widely credited with making gegenpressing famous, although many German soccer fans attribute the style to Ralph Rangnick’s high-pressing teams.
While things didn’t work out for Rangnick at Manchester United, it’s fair to describe him as the father of gegenpressing.
In fact, Ralph went on German TV in 1998 to explain his concept, brilliantly describing how the system works and how he implements it.
While Rangnick has favoured a 4-2-2-2 formation throughout his career, other managers (like Klopp) have effectively utilised a 4-3-3 approach when gegenpressing.
For instance when Klopp was manager of Borussia Dortmund, he employed gegenpressing to win the ball back from his opponents as high up the field as possible and as quickly as possible with 3 forwards in his lineup.
The reason why gegenpressing is unique is that it tasks players with winning the ball back in attacking areas of the field, where they can turnover the play and have a shot at goal.
Klopp looked to capitalise on the fact that so many teams started playing the ball out from the back, rather than going long with their goal kicks.
By pressing rapidly and collectively as a team, Klopp’s Dortmund players were able to retrieve the ball so high up the pitch that they could create goalscoring opportunities when their opponents were on the backfoot.
He has famously employed the approach throughout his time at Anfield and led Liverpool to domestic and European success as a result of gegenpressing.
Does gegenpressing work?
There’s no doubt that gegenpressing works when employed in optimal situations. For instance, it’s well suited to teams who are fit, fast, and attacking in their setup.
Many teams that employ a gegenpressing approach set up with three forward players and these are the players who trigger the press.
They are backed up by the midfielders who close down the spaces behind the forwards to stop teams from building attacks from the back.
One of the main drawbacks of gegenpressing is that it’s tiring, particularly if you are playing against a better team that dominates possession of the ball.
Also, if you’re not well organised and some players fail to trigger the press, it can leave you seriously exposed high up the field.
Therefore, if you plan to play soccer with a gegenpressing approach, you need to make sure that all players buy into the philosophy and you know when and how to press your opponents.
Which teams and coaches use gegenpressing?
In recent years, Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool team is perhaps the best example of gegenpressing in Europe. They close down with such ferocity that it’s nigh on impossible for their opponents to play out from the back.
Klopp’s perseverance with gegenpressing led Liverpool to the EPL title and a Champions League win and was personified by the work rate of players like Mo Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane.
Given that it’s a German soccer philosophy, several teams in the Bundesliga have employed gegenpressig with great success in recent times.
Jupp Heynckes deployed a gegenpressing system in his most recent tenure at Bayern Munich, which saw his team win the treble.
Julian Nagelsmann also favoured a gegenpressing approach during his time at RB Leipzig and several other Bundesliga coaches have styled their team’s approach to what Klopp himself described as “heavy metal football.”
Recap: Gegenpressing in soccer explained
The bottom line is that gegenpressing is a tactical approach to soccer that encourages players to win the ball back as high up the pitch as possible to triggrer counter attacks.
It’s a German philosophy first popularised by manager Ralph Rangnick and made more famous by Jurgen Klopp, who prefers to brand it as heavy metal football!
Keen to learn more about tactical approaches in soccer? Read our guide that explains everything you need to know about vertical tiki taka in soccer.