Pressing

[chicken 0]

Spot on RtB.

The other key thing is that ''pressing'' isn''t a solid or rigid tactic. The best teams change their tempo to suit the opposition throughout a game, not just on a game to game basis.

For example, it is said that you are most vulnerable to concede straight after you score. Some teams press higher straight after which can be a lot more risky, some sit a little deeper to allow the opposition a bit more of the ball in less dangerous areas to give the team time to settle back in once more after the adrenaline burst of scoring.

If you watch Barcelona, they don''t actually press high all of the time. They are a real bastard of a team to play against. In possession they are lethal, without possession they are incredibly niggly. Their main tactic is to disrupt play as much as possible as to prevent the opposition finding any sort of rhythm of their own. Little fouls that will never draw a card, interceptions they know will not win the ball (stretches etc) but will knock the ball out of place for a few seconds making them start over.

Even in Italian football, if you watch they sit back until they sense the opposition perhaps lulling or starting to tire.

The teams that get stuck are often the teams coming up with defenders that do not have the pace to press higher up the pitch and so are forced to play deeper for longer periods of games.

[Syteanric 1]

by sitting back you encourage the opposition to try and play through you.

balls over the top or angled all need to be perfect as you have cut 60 yards off the pitch, anything thats hit too hard runs through to the keeper or off for a goal kick.

Also, it allows you to keep shape, agains fast and pacey teams you want to sit back, quick players like to run from deep to get in behind and exploit slow defenders. this option is taken away.

Best example, Inter Milan winning champions league with 10 men a few years ago.

[Snoddys Jockstrap 0]

We never press enough, that''s probably the only problem I have with Hughton.

Case in point at the Spurs game last year, where we lead 1-0 in the first half and gave them absolutely none of it via pressing. We were bossing it.

Second half we dropped deep, Bale banged one in and they could have easily won it.

[Citizen Journalist Foghorn 0]

-- chicken wrote: On top of that I felt towards the end we could have done with subs who''d have more of an impact.

We have a far stronger squad than last season. We should be able to handle a couple of injuries without complaining.

The simple facts are, Hughton had some attacking players on the bench. But he decided to settle for a point and brought on defensive players. A point against a superior Everton side is a good result.

This should be no surprise to anyone as this is what happened in the vast majority of games last season. It is indicative of Hughton''s cautious approach.

[Warren Hill 0]

The simple fact is that one point is better than none.

[chicken 0]

@ CJF: Our subs were -

13 Bunn - GK

23 Olsson - LB/LW

24 R Bennett - CB

21 Butterfield - AM

25 Fox - M

27 Tettey - DM

19 Becchio - STR

So what you are really looking at is Olsson, Butterfield and Becchio as the attacking players on the bench with attacking intent. Olsson was brought on - although you could argue to be more solid defensively down the left where Coleman was continuing to threaten.

Otherwise it is Butterfield who is still rather untested or Becchio who you would think would be a straight swap for RVW.

Again, as I say - when you consider no Snodgrass, Hooper or Pilkington I think it is fair to say that our bench would be stronger and more influential with them in the match day squad/team.

[Citizen Journalist Foghorn 0]

-- chicken said: I think it is fair to say that our bench would be stronger and more influential with them in the match day squad/team.

Clearly if our couple of injured players get fit the side will be stronger. I am not denying this. But we can''t complain about a couple of injuries. That is the nature of football and why we have a strong squad.

All I am pointing out is, that we took off two attacking players in Redmond and Hoolahan, and chose to replace them with defensive players in Olson and Tettey.

Chris Hughton rarely make attacking substitutions of note unless we are losing the game.

[walks on water 0]

http://cleatbeat.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=564:the-six-second-transition-barcelona&catid=103:asit-ganguli&Itemid=133

I don''t know how to make the above link ''active'', so it''s copy and paste I''m afraid

[lake district canary 4,531]

[quote user="Citizen Journalist Foghorn"]-- chicken wrote: On top of that I felt towards the end we could have done with subs who''d have more of an impact.

We have a far stronger squad than last season. We should be able to handle a couple of injuries without complaining.

The simple facts are, Hughton had some attacking players on the bench. But he decided to settle for a point and brought on defensive players. A point against a superior Everton side is a good result.

This should be no surprise to anyone as this is what happened in the vast majority of games last season. It is indicative of Hughton''s cautious approach.[/quote]

Another way of looking at it would be to say he brought on fresh legs to a tiring midfield where we were struggling to compete with Everton''s fluid play, so making it more likely that we could create more a ourselves through better possession.   Taking off  a midfielder and replacing him with another front man would leave more gaps behind for a team like Everton to exploit -and we all know what they are capable of.  

You can always take a negative view of things,  or you can take a positive view of things - but on Saturday we recused a point from a game that threatened to get away from us.   A valuable point against a very strong, well established team.    Caution?  No. Good management. 

[Vazzza 62]

[quote user="Citizen Journalist Foghorn"]--  All I am pointing out is, that we took off two attacking players in Redmond and Hoolahan, and chose to replace them with defensive players in Olson and Tettey. Chris Hughton rarely make attacking substitutions of note unless we are losing the game.[/quote]

 

Tetty coming on for Hoolahan was like for like really, as Tetty filled Howsons role and Howson stepped up to the Hoolahan role. So not really going any more defensively or offensively set up than the team was previously.

[Phillip J Fry 0]

[quote user="Citizen Journalist Foghorn"]All I am pointing out is, that we took off two attacking players in Redmond and Hoolahan, and chose to replace them with defensive players in Olson and Tettey.

Chris Hughton rarely make attacking substitutions of note unless we are losing the game.[/quote]

Redmond was taken off because Everton were getting alot of joy down Norwich''s left side. Redmond isn''t the best defensively and Garrido needed help if we were going to see the game out (i.e. not lose). That''s why Olsson was brought on, because he had greater defensive responsibility. If we didn''t take Redmond off, I could easily see Everton creating more chances down the left. Olsson is still plenty attacking enough, he''s very fast, a good crosser and has a lethal shot on top of his defensive work. He''s not as attacking as Redmond, but he''s hardly useless when told to attack. It was a sensible substitution, one most manager would''ve made.

[Citizen Journalist Foghorn 0]

-- lake district canary said: but on Saturday we recused a point from a game that threatened to get away from us.   A valuable point against a very strong, well established team.    Caution?  No. Good management. 

Well actually, we were at 2-2 when the substitutions were made. And the midfield triumvirate of Tettey, Johnson and Howson was last seen when we played the yellowbelly formation away to Stoke last season.

But agreed, there can certainly be more to the substitutions than bringing on extra defensive players. I was just putting forward the point that we never make attacking substitutions unless we are losing, and on Saturday it was no different.

[nutty nigel 7,536]

This pressing malarkey...

 

I''ve just been and asked Chris Hughton about playing a pressing game so here''s what he says : -

 

http://performance.fourfourtwo.com/tactics/hughton-stop-the-oppositions-passing-game

 

He even gave us a extra tip for those who have difficulty with his name. It''s Heooton!

 

Hope this helps together[Y]