Pressing the Point

Pressing the opposition successfully is something that has come into vogue in the last few seasons, mainly as a result of the successes of the dominant Barcelona side which was expertly perfected under the stewardship of their celebrated manager Pep Guardiola. Its something that Liverpool fans were already aware of from the time of our own outstanding manager Rafa Benitez. Back in 2009 we learned how profitable and successful effective pressing could be to a side looking to dominate and win football matches at the highest level. The successes of the Houllier teams of 2001 will not be denied but they were achieved through a more reactive style of defense  and attack for that matter. Even in 2005 we saw under our Spanish leader how we may look in the future as we rocked giants of the game on our successful Champions League run. It showed us a way of football we had forgotten but now could look forward to reveling in. As Benitez’s reign ended, and subsequent managers stepped into the fray, pressing became a less prominent component of our side. It was completely forgotten under the jaded and archaic management of the former Malmo kingpin Roy Hodgson. Then Kenny found it difficult to implement on any consistent basis, even if by this stage the quality of the team had diminished so much as to make it extremely difficult regardless of manager.

When Brendan Rodgers arrived we immediately looked to his previous team for guidance on how we may approach games. Swansea were excellent proponents of pressing the opposition and when this was married to their passing and movement they were a force to be reckoned with. “Philosophy” was the buzzword upon his appointment and Liverpool fans set about the task of learning as much as possible about his philosophy as soon as he was linked with the job. There were comments such as “when we haven’t got the ball is the moment for intense pressure to get the ball back’ which gave a glimpse of the future and excited supporters. Of course anybody expecting any immediate transition to this style soon had their expectations tempered as the complexities of the system were highlighted “You cannot go (press) on your own,You work on zonal pressure, so that when it is in your zone, you have the capacity to press. That ability to press immediately, within five or six seconds to get the ball, is important. But you also have to understand when you can’t and what the triggers are then to go for it again because you can’t run about like a madman.”. It was certainly going to take time to implement a complex system, and philosophy “You do(need time to implement that philosophy). There is no doubt about that. I'm very much a realist. It's certainly going to be a few years in relation to where the team is at now. It will need some investment and it will need time for me to work. But of course we're in the business of winning and winning games is important. But it's a philosophy and a style that's very much in the DNA of me and the club and hopefully we can roll that out over the years to come.” Since then there has been a lot of work done to implement this philosophy but at times there has been frustration, certainly for me, as there was little evidence of the work being carried out on the pitch on match days. It seemed at times that perhaps this was a part of the philosophy that had been left behind. Rodgers had said in his opening press conference “Your philosophy and your principles will always be governed by the players.” I had found myself wondering at times, if pressing had been deemed too difficult for this group and so had been left behind. It causes for incredible tactical awareness, good communication and very high levels of fitness. Perhaps Rodgers had decided to go a different way?

This season, however, there have already been signs that the philosophy is bedding in. Early in the season we ground out results to set the stall, in more recent games we have started to dominate possession all the while being clinical when chances are created. The last game, the 5-0 victory away from home against Spurs, showed us how effective this system can be when implemented correctly. This is not to say that we are now the finished article and we can expect to witness this level in every game while Rodgers is at the helm. We are still a work in progress and there is still plenty of work to be done before we can achieve this standard on a regular basis. The difference now is we have the sampler, the paradigm, for what we may come to expect. We have something to put our faith in as supporters and something for the players to believe in which will lead them to become further invested in the project.  Our league position is one thing, ok its the biggest thing, but for me the improvement in our performance levels has been the most satisfying part of the season so far. 

Twitter: @barrymeehan7