What is gegenpressing?
Gegenpressing is German for counter-pressing. Instead of dropping back after losing the ball, a team presses straight away, right where it lost possession, to win the ball back before the opponent can start a counter-attack.
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Gegenpressing vs a high press
The two are easy to mix up, because both happen high up the pitch. The difference is the trigger.
- A high press waits for the other team to build from the back.
- Gegenpressing starts the instant you lose the ball, right where you lost it.
Why press straight after losing the ball?
The moment after a turnover is when the other team is at its weakest:
- The player who has just won the ball is often facing their own goal.
- Their teammates are already running forward for the counter, so their shape is broken.
- Because your team stayed compact while attacking, you already have players around the ball.
How gegenpressing works
It works in layers, and the aim is to put the ball carrier in a cage.
- The nearest player sprints at the ball and curves the run to block the pass forward.
- The next two shut the short options.
- Everyone else squeezes up.
Under that pressure the ball carrier panics, a teammate picks off the pass, and you're close to goal against a defence that's wide open.
The six-second rule
Gegenpressing has a time limit. Guardiola's Barcelona of 2008 to 2012 are linked with what's often called the six-second rule, a label from pundits and the media: win the ball within about six seconds, or stop chasing and drop back into shape.
The risk of gegenpressing
Everyone has squeezed up, so if the opponent plays through that first press with one clean pass, there's acres of space behind you.
Where gegenpressing came from
Its German story starts in 1984, when Ralf Rangnick was coaching the amateur side Viktoria Backnang. They played Valeriy Lobanovskyi's Dynamo Kyiv, who were at a training camp in the town, and got swarmed every time they touched the ball. Rangnick spent years working out how it was done.
Jürgen Klopp later took the idea to Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool. In 2016 Klopp told Sky Sports that "no playmaker in the world can be as good as a counter-pressing situation".
Common questions
What does gegenpressing mean?
It's German for counter-pressing. 'Gegen' means 'against' or 'counter', so it's pressing that counters the other team's counter-attack.
What is the difference between gegenpressing and a high press?
A high press waits for the other team to build from the back. Gegenpressing starts the instant you lose the ball, right where you lost it.
Who invented gegenpressing?
No single person. Its German story starts with Ralf Rangnick, who saw the idea up close against Lobanovskyi's Dynamo Kyiv in 1984. Jürgen Klopp then made it famous at Dortmund and Liverpool.
Is Klopp's style gegenpressing?
Yes. Klopp took it to Dortmund and Liverpool and is the manager most closely linked with it.
How long does gegenpressing last?
Only a few seconds. The figure usually quoted is six: win the ball, or stop chasing and drop back into shape.
What is the weakness of gegenpressing?
The space behind. If the opponent plays through the first press with one clean pass, the pressing team is badly exposed.
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