The issue with a (high) pressing game is that many teams that use it

tend to run out of stream after awhile. All of Bielsa's side do for example but they are at the extreme end of the pressing spectrum. Guardiola's Barcelona were also excellent at it and maintained over long periods but with all the rumours about Fuentes, I am now uneasy talking about the greatest club team in my lifetime.

The problem? Many coaches feel that the tactic leaves too much space to exploit on the counter...we saw this in the Bayern v Real Madrid semis of the Champions League last season. Brazil v Chile in 2010 is another example. That kind of humiliation is common and happened to Netherlands of the seventies on occasion and Denmark of the nineties too. If the other team is on their game and is instructed how to play against it then it can go wrong very quickly.

TBH I am saying all this and I haven't seen a proper Alex Neil match over 90 minutes yet, will be interesting for me to see how much we do press, how high we do it and what exactly the other tactics are around it. Ultimately pressing sides to tend to produce the most exciting football to watch for me.

Posted By: Brandonio, Feb 25, 18:41:11