New York Red Bulls High Press
NY Red Bulls and the entire Red Bull group have a philosophy that is built on the principle of pressing all over the field: Ideally looking to press in the attacking third to try to get opportunities on goal as soon as possible.
In the following article we are going to break down in detail the two types of pressing styles commonly used by NYRB: a) Start of pressure and b) Counter Press.
Red Bull clinched a spot to the final of the US Open Cup, hoping to win the first ever title in the sistory of the franchise (previously MetroStars). After the semifinal match Jesse Marsch only had words of praise for FC Cincinnati and its venue and the 33,250. (Second highest attendance in US Open cup history) According to Marsch the best soccer atmosphere he has seen”.
During the 120+ minutes NYRB was the clear dominant of the game and the possession, despite being behind the score until the 77th. The match was a great example of New York high press and especially on the effectiveness of its immediate pressure after losing possession in the final third.
Start of Pressure
Definition – The type of defending higher up the field, usually when the opposite team is trying to build out of the back.
The first thing that stands out from Red Bulls positioning in the attacking third is that they go after every ball all over the field with the idea of not letting the opponent play out of the back and force the long or bad pass compare to other teams that usually set up a confrontation line 5 to 10 yards in front of the half field.
With the new system of 3-3-3-1, the four attacking players (Wright Phillips, Davis, Muyl, & Kljestan) are the ones that look to disrupt the build up by going after the ball: Closest player to the ball press puts immediate pressure on the ball. In the scenarios when the ball is either of the wide areas and Sean Davis or Alex Muyl is pressing the opposite player has to get compact with either Sasha or Felipe to close the passing lane.
NYRB tends to be a very short team with small distances (both horizontally and vertically) between its lines. As the forwards press up the field the defensive line pushes up a few meters behind the half field. This has two big consequences a) It makes easier for the center mid (Felipe) and the center backs (Murillo, Long, Perinelle) to be connected with the forwards to step when need be to anticipate or press. b) The negative side is that having the team so pushed up creates a lot space behind the back of the defensive line. During the NYRB games you can notice that any time the other team is able to surpass that initiate press or play a good penetrating through ball center backs are caught running towards its own goal or in 1v1 situations with a lot of space.
Counter Press
Definition – immediate pressure after losing possession usually in the attacking third.
New York Red Bulls is known for its high pressing game and for the past three seasons under Jesse Marsch for its effectiveness on the counter press. In the semifinal against FC Cincinnati due to mostly to its high possession and going after the game NYRB showed a masterclass on how to create chances from recovering possession high up the pitch.
The mentality and philosophy of the team after losing possession is going after the ball. The moment the loss of possession occurs the behavior is to defend by stepping forward: closest players to the ball puts immediate pressure on the ball as the closest teammates close passing lane and cover immediate support to prevent the opponent from playing forward or to force an inaccurate long ball.
NYRB looks to commit a lot of number going forward when attacking, anywhere from 5 to 8 players, especially in a match where most of the time was played in the attacking half. On Top of BWP, the three attacking mids (Muyl,Sacha, Davis), at times both of the outside wings (Adams & Lawrence) sometimes Felipe and/or one of the center backs will join the attack looking to break down other teams defensive low block.
As the team goes forward one of the biggest remainders you will hear Jesse Marsch, Chris Armas, or even Robles scream during games or at the training ground is “Rest Defense”. The three center backs (Murrillo, Long, & Perrinelle) and the center mid (Felipe) tend to stay behind the line of the ball, in rest defense positions ready to press or anticipate as the rest of the team is attacking
The players show a very proactive attitude after losing possession by looking to recover the ball as soon as possible and as high in the pitch as possible. Since a lot of number are positioned in the attacking half, around and behind the ball as soon as possession is lost a) closest players (1,2 or even 3) press the ball b) 2nd defenders start to move closer to the ball to create number up around the ball c) the players behind the ball, usually CBs, take a step forward to anticipate next pass or mark the next open player and d) The furthest players to the ball (3rd defenders) move closer to the active zone of the ball. Barely does the team recover behind the line of the ball to defend in static in their own defensive half
The two most common ways that Red Bulls losses possessions in the final third are by combining to penetrate and by playing a long direct ball to one of the strikers to flick. A) usually when combining in the final third the team has good numbers around the ball(3 or 4) which makes it easier for the closest players to put immediate pressure when possession. The other key is the players behind the ball have a good positioning that is crucial to be able to anticipate the rebounds or press once the opposition breaks the first pressure.
The other very common way Red Bulls losses possession is by playing the direct ball usually from one of the center backs and/or the center mid looking for BWP. Instead of looking to win that first ball, Red Bulls looks to play the ball in a zone where the team has numbers up looking to win the second ball higher up the field. Since the opposite team gets caught in a moment where they are trying to push up after clearing the ball NYRB is very effective at pressing those second balls and getting anything of value: recovering possession, set pieces, or disrupting other teams build up.
One of the keys of this system is the positioning off the ball as the team has possession especially of the players behind the ball. As the attacking players try to penetrate the players off the ball need to start anticipating where the ball is going next to win rebounds and second balls. That was one of the successes of NYRB against FC Cincinnati they were able to recover a big amount of rebounds or long balls in their attacking half to continue with their positional attack and forcing Cincinnati strikers to drop back and play 30-50 yards from the area.
As mentioned with the first type of pressing – start of pressure – By being so proactive New York Red Bull tends to defend with a lot of space behind the defensive line. If a team is able to get out of that first pressure and play a good through ball in behind Aaron Long or if the players behind the ball are late to press, the opposite teams have a good chance of attacking the space with Red Bulls defender having to sprint back facing their own goal.
