It has come on leaps and bounds.
I am impressed.
I am impressed.
Our Pressing
- Thread starter Adisa
- Start date
Tottenham had no chance against it tonight.
Very promising
Very promising
Looked so much better tonight.
Just 
Still early days and we will keep getting better and better at it.
Thing I found brilliant was it wasn’t even a specific aspect of the press (e.g., pressing from GKs or throw ins) that was good. We forced quite a few high turnovers after we lost possession when the game is really fluid unlike a situation like a GK.
We even employed basic pressing traps - left hjojberg intentionally open and swarmed him a few times.
Really encouraged by the display today.
Still early days and we will keep getting better and better at it.
Thing I found brilliant was it wasn’t even a specific aspect of the press (e.g., pressing from GKs or throw ins) that was good. We forced quite a few high turnovers after we lost possession when the game is really fluid unlike a situation like a GK.
We even employed basic pressing traps - left hjojberg intentionally open and swarmed him a few times.
Really encouraged by the display today.
Combination of coaching and these players understanding if you don't press you don't play, but ETH has them looking far more cohesive. If we had someone to finish chances consistently we'd be really dangerous.
Really impressed me. We were so enjoyable to watch off the ball as Spurs simply couldn’t keep possession for more than 2 mins.
Finally we have a manager who knows how to implement this properly so it functions really well across the team and the players don’t look lost by running around like headless chicken’s when they do.
Of course it’s early days but the signs are positive.
Finally we have a manager who knows how to implement this properly so it functions really well across the team and the players don’t look lost by running around like headless chicken’s when they do.
Of course it’s early days but the signs are positive.
Equally impressive is our ability to calmly play through the opposition’s press across our back line. Some very smooth play to get around them particularly at the start of the game.
Most important thing is we sustained it for a full game for the first time and controlled it.
It was just too enjoyable to watch. We controlled Spurs for 90mins. Fred have to start with casemiro against any of the top teams. Will relieve this moment
There was a clear plan on how to squeeze the pitch. It often didn't start straight from kick-off, but we let Spurs play around and then put the squeeze on more often than not at the right time.
It's a real breath of fresh air, compared to the headless chicken style of our forwards taking turns to sprint after CBs with no support.
It's a real breath of fresh air, compared to the headless chicken style of our forwards taking turns to sprint after CBs with no support.
It was the best it’s ever been tonight. Absolutely brilliant and we completely smothered them.
Feels so nice to be the team inflicting it for once rather than being on the end of it.
Feels so nice to be the team inflicting it for once rather than being on the end of it.
What I noticed was everyone pressing compared to our usual one or 2 players doing it and no one following suit. Spurs couldn’t deal with it and when they did they passed it to Hoijberg who gave it back to us anyway
Yes our pressing has been very impressive and a noticeable difference to our poor attempts at it in the last couple of years.
This is what I expected from a EtH-team. Very impressed!
Yes they are anticipating and attacking as a group. That is a recipe for discomfort on the pitch. For the other team.
I was most impressed that we seemed to push them to the edges of the pitch and pressed them hard, they didn't often get into the centre.
But it wasn't just one presser and then it fell flat, there were 2 or 3 following up.
But it wasn't just one presser and then it fell flat, there were 2 or 3 following up.
Intelligent pressing. We wade them look like dossers
Richard Dunne (who @moses thinks is an amazing pundit) made a great point that it’s the willingness of Varane and Martinez to charge forward and press in midfield that makes all the difference. They’re both comfortable holding fort on their own, which allows their partner provide an extra body further forward. That helps everyone else squeeze up ahead of them.
It hugely gets the crowd up as well that period just before Dier went down with his head injury was some of the most aggressive, controlled football I’ve seen us play in about 15 years
It was excellent tonight.
Yep first time I can remember when it’s essentially been 90mins.
Lovely to see.
And achieved with a front four including 3 that have been criticized for years now, for apparently being incapable of pressing
And achieved with a front four including 3 that have been criticized for years now, for apparently being incapable of pressing
when have we ever had 90% possession for a 5 minute period?! I just can’t think of it.
especially against a decent side
This. In the build up to Fred's goal Martinez wins a header high up that he had no right to- blatantly just wanted it more. Can't see us playing like this with Maguire. With CL Varane and Martinez at CB + Casemiro shielding we have aggression and security. Really hope we build on this and keep up the upward trajectory
Absolutely. It's why it would be fine to sell Maguire for as low as 20-25M to West Ham or Villa this summer and sign a younger, new backup CB. Even if he makes mistakes, we need pace at the back to play this way.
I wish we'd moved Maguire for a fee like that and signed Akanji, who isn't special but does have good pace for a CB, but to be fair Maguire actually looked decent on the right in pre-season.
But yeah, sign one of the Bundesliga CBs they buy from France that have some power and pace and they can learn from Varane.
Bella Kotchap could’ve been a good option but will probably come at a premium now he’s joined a PL side.
What kind of drugs was Fred on tonight, by the way? Anyone have a GIF of his skill in the middle of pitch? Was around the 70th minute, I think.
Does help having Fred on the pitch - he's a machine.
That performance was Rangnicks wet dream. Gegenpressing all over the place. Never thought i'd see the day.
So much more coordinated tonight.
No chance we go back in for Timber?
Something clicked tonight. The success rate was absolutely outrageous in winning the ball high and dominating the 50/50s. Even when Spurs got out the defence was proactive.
It's not always going to be this smooth, I think that's clear. Spurs were absolutely terrible and poorly setup by Conte.
It's not always going to be this smooth, I think that's clear. Spurs were absolutely terrible and poorly setup by Conte.
We did very well tonight. Very encouraging. I wouldn't overstate it though.
a) It has been one game for now where we were able to do it consistently, lets see how it will continue.
b) We have seen such intense matches every once in a while. I do remember a particular ManCity game, where we looked awesome under Ole. Turned out, the occasion seemed to have been the reason, that the players were up for it...
c) The Spurs setup was vulnerable tonight. I thought, they were very underwhelming and I don't want to take anything away from our performance, especially regarding keeping Son and Kane quiet for more or less the whole match. Spurs were clogging up the space though for themselves - plus their midfield didn't really found a way through, they didn't make enough use of their wingbacks. I thought Bissouma was supposed to be a decent dribbler or decent in tight spaces, it didn't look like it at all, same for Bentancour and Hojberg.
Lets hope, it is the start of a trend, hats off to ETH and the players if so.
a) It has been one game for now where we were able to do it consistently, lets see how it will continue.
b) We have seen such intense matches every once in a while. I do remember a particular ManCity game, where we looked awesome under Ole. Turned out, the occasion seemed to have been the reason, that the players were up for it...
c) The Spurs setup was vulnerable tonight. I thought, they were very underwhelming and I don't want to take anything away from our performance, especially regarding keeping Son and Kane quiet for more or less the whole match. Spurs were clogging up the space though for themselves - plus their midfield didn't really found a way through, they didn't make enough use of their wingbacks. I thought Bissouma was supposed to be a decent dribbler or decent in tight spaces, it didn't look like it at all, same for Bentancour and Hojberg.
Lets hope, it is the start of a trend, hats off to ETH and the players if so.
It’s so great to see us fighting for each other again. I really think the addition of the aggressive left footers has balanced out the squad nicely. We are just crying out for a really good centre forward.
Spurs did sit back and invite us, but when they finally got the ball we were relentless. Even Sancho was working hard to press their back line, and Bruno was directing everyone like a general.
I always see this after Fred has a good game and the next bad game people want him sold and Erik Ten Hag sacked.
Once Fred can consistently put in these kinds of performances then I'll call for the permanent partnership with Cas.
Until then I'll remain neutral on him starting.
Lads, we finally have a proper manager. Been years.
To be fair Maguire tried playing aggressively last season under Ole but failed.
It was clever the way they did it. We’ve attempted to press in the past but often it would seem like we were mindlessly chasing whoever had the ball, making it much easier for the opposition to break through. But this time rather than just pressing the player on the ball they simply eliminated all of his options, actually allowing the player on the ball time to either make a pass to a marked player or simply hoof it up the pitch.