Counter-pressing

What to look for

• How close your teammates are to the ball when it's lost
• The ball-winner's first touch and whether he's facing his own goal
• The pass he'll try next, and whether you can block it
• When the counter-press has failed and it's time to drop

Worked plays

8 plays from Footy Eye's training pool, with the best read and why.

1. Play 1

   The situation

   Your midfielder loses it in their half, but the ball-winner’s first touch is heavy. You’re closest.

   Best read

   Counter-press now, before they break

   Why

   They’ve just won it with heads down and shape open; for a few seconds they’re more exposed than you. Swarm the loose ball now and you win it back high, where a turnover hurts them most. Sprint back and you hand them the time to break.

   The other options

   • Sprint back to rebuild your shape The ball-winner settles, and they break at your retreating midfield.
   • Drop off and screen the pass inside He takes a free touch and slides the runner in down the side.
   • Mark the runner breaking in behind Left alone, the ball-winner lifts his head and drives through midfield.

2. Play 2

   The situation

   Your side works it down the touchline in their third, full-back overlapping. You’re the holding midfielder behind the ball.

   Best read

   Sit ball-side, just behind play, ready to swarm

   Why

   Counterpressing is decided while you still have the ball: where you stand now is whether you swarm it or watch it go. Ball-side and behind the play puts you on the first pass after a turnover, the one that starts every counter. Dropping level with the centre-backs makes you a needless fourth defender.

   The other options

   • Join the attack and get in the box They win it on the line and break while you’re stuck in the box.
   • Drop level with your centre-backs, play safe They win it, and their first pass goes into the space you left.
   • Slide far side to cover the switch They win it on the line and break, with you on the wrong side.

3. Play 3

   The situation

   You lose it in their third — the man who won it takes a heavy touch, head down. React.

   Best read

   Counterpress — swarm him before he looks up

   Why

   The six seconds after you lose it are your best chance to win it back — his head is down and his teammates aren’t set. Sprinting home hands them a free break, and the foul isn’t on because nothing is behind you. Counterpressing turns your turnover straight into a chance in their box.

   The other options

   • Sprint back and rebuild your defensive shape He lifts his head and plays the counter into open grass.
   • Take the tactical foul to kill the counter The referee books you, and they take a quick free kick.
   • Drop off and screen the pass inside He gathers his touch, looks up and plays it wide instead.

4. Play 4

   The situation

   Your corner is cleared to their midfielder on the edge, back to play. You’re posted there; your team is in their box.

   Best read

   Press him before he turns, win it

   Why

   You are posted on the edge for this exact second. His back is to play, one touch to make, so the ball is winnable now and gone in two seconds, once he turns with your side behind him. Dropping off or sprinting home concedes the outlet and starts the counter you are there to stop.

   The other options

   • Let it run and drop into rest defence He turns unopposed and finds the runner breaking down the far side.
   • Sprint back to halfway to cover the break He turns with time and carries into the space you left.
   • Pick up the runner on the far side He turns before you reach the runner and carries it forward.

5. Play 5

   The situation

   Your counterpress worked — he could not turn and played it back to his centre-back. Your line is still high.

   Best read

   Push the whole line up and press him

   Why

   The backward pass is the counterpress’s reward, not its end. It costs them fifteen yards and buys you time to squeeze, so step and he plays his next ball under pressure. Dropping into your block hands back the ground you won; going alone gets you played around: a press is a shape, not a sprint.

   The other options

   • Drop back into your block and reset Their centre-back walks it out, and the fifteen yards are gone.
   • Go at the centre-back on your own He plays around you to the man you left, and they’re out.
   • Foul him before he can play out The referee books you, and they restart with a free kick.

6. Play 6

   The situation

   Your counterpress is beaten. The carrier is in your half, you trail by ten yards, two runners beyond him.

   Best read

   Drop off and screen your back four

   Why

   A counterpress expires the second the ball goes through your first line — chasing after that only widens the hole behind you. Take the shortest line to the space in front of your centre-backs and their three-on-two is three-on-three. The foul from behind arrives late and is red as often as yellow.

   The other options

   • Keep chasing, get a foot in from behind You never catch him, and he runs at your two centre-backs.
   • Foul him as soon as you’re close You clip him from behind, and the referee reaches for a card.
   • Track the runner on your side home You pick up your runner, but the carrier drives through the middle unchallenged.

Shows up in

• Transition
• Pressing

Related ideas

• Counter-attacksA counter-attack is attacking quickly in the seconds after winning the ball, before the opponents can get back into shape.
• Rest defenceRest defence is the players a team keeps behind the ball while it attacks, positioned to stop a counter if possession is lost.
• Defending a counter-attackDefending a counter-attack is slowing down and stopping an attack that's already running at your goal with few defenders back.