{"id":1499547,"date":"2026-10-02T18:19:12","date_gmt":"2026-10-02T17:19:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/?post_type=features&#038;p=1499547"},"modified":"2026-10-02T18:20:58","modified_gmt":"2026-10-02T17:20:58","slug":"tactical-explainer-what-is-a-high-press","status":"publish","type":"features","link":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-explainer-what-is-a-high-press\/","title":{"rendered":"Tactical Explainer: What is a High Press and which teams deploy it?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>The term high press is up there with the most-used phrases in football, but what exactly does it mean?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It is a tactic used by the majority of top teams, and how well one is implemented is often the difference-maker in a title race, so it is essential to understand how a high press works.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Read on to discover what a high press is, how it works and which teams use one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-yoast-seo-table-of-contents yoast-table-of-contents\"><h2>In this article we&#8217;ll cover:<\/h2><ul><li><a href=\"#h-what-is-a-high-press\" data-level=\"2\">What is a high press?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-is-it-still-relevant-today\" data-level=\"2\">Is it still relevant today?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-is-a-high-press\">What is a high press?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pressing in football is the process of working as either a collective or an individual to win back possession for your team. The difference between a normal press and a high press is the location.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A high press is implemented in the opposing team\u2019s defensive third. This is done in an attempt to force an error in a dangerous position or make the opponent surrender possession by playing a long ball, allowing the pressing team to launch a fresh attack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It is certainly a risk-versus-reward strategy. If a team\u2019s high press is successful, they will regain possession in a dangerous zone, will have to travel a shorter distance to create a goalscoring opportunity and there will be less chance of the opposition being in their correct defensive shape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, if the opponents play through the press, there will be fewer players back to defend the counter-attack. A high press often comes with a high defensive line, so there is usually space for the opposing team to fire long balls into.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There are three key factors to an effective high press, the first being collective buy-in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">An individual player could force an error by pressing alone, but a team will have much more success if they can move as a collective. It allows them to close more passing lanes or lock play to one side, likely forcing a long ball or a high turnover as opposing defenders become flustered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Think of Jurgen Klopp\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/stats\/clubs\/liverpool\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Liverpool<\/a>. Their gegenpress was the most intense form of press and it required everyone from Mo Salah to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/stats\/players\/jordan-henderson\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Jordan Henderson<\/a> to press as a unit &#8211; it is fair to say it was successful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dovetailing with a collective investment are the triggers, otherwise known as the signs to begin a press. These are usually a backwards pass or a specific player having possession, as they may be deemed the weak link when it comes to passing, increasing the chance of an error.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Finally, stamina is vital, not only for implementing the press but for working back to cover the big spaces left by a high line. That is why pressing forwards such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/stats\/players\/kai-havertz\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Kai Havertz<\/a> are able to nail down starting spots even if their goal records leave a bit to be desired.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-is-it-still-relevant-today\">Is it still relevant today?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The high press first came to prominence under legendary <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/stats\/clubs\/ajax\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ajax<\/a> manager Rinus Michels in the 1970s. It was also a big feature of Arrigo Sacchi\u2019s all-conquering <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/stats\/clubs\/milan\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">AC Milan<\/a> side a couple of decades later, yet it is arguably more relevant today than ever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Football is played at a much higher pace now and a lot of that is due to most teams aiming to emulate the hyper-successful sides of Klopp and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/stats\/players\/pep-guardiola\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Pep Guardiola<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The majority of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/football-tips\/premier-league\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Premier League<\/a> teams now use a high press, highlighting its importance. There are also managers who have carved out careers by becoming synonymous with extreme versions of the tactic, including <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/stats\/players\/marcelo-bielsa\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Marcelo Bielsa<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/stats\/players\/gian-piero-gasperini\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Gian Piero Gasperini<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n<h3><strong>Read more:<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/football-tips\/premier-league\/\"><strong>Premier League predictions &amp; tips<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/outright-markets\/premier-league-title-odds\/\"><strong>Premier League outright odds <\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/news\/\"><strong>Latest football news<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/betting-sites\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Best betting sites<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/betting-sites\/best-free-bet-offers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Best free bet offers<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/football-tips\/accumulator\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Football accumulator tips<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\n\n\n    <div class=\"sq-articles-list\">\n                    <h2 class=\"sq-heading-line\">Latest Features<\/h2>\n                <div class=\"sq-cards\">\n                            <article class=\"sq-card\">\n                                            <div class=\"sq-card__thumbnail\">\n                            <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-explainer-what-is-a-wing-back\/\" class=\"sq-thumbnail\">\n                                <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/10\/02180641\/wingback02102026-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"Squawka tactical explainer graphic asking what is a wing-back and which players currently play this role\" \/>                            <\/a>\n                        <\/div>\n                                        <div class=\"sq-card__content\">\n                        <div class=\"sq-card__meta\">\n                            <span class=\"sq-card__label\">Features<\/span>\n                            <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-explainer-what-is-a-wing-back\/\" class=\"sq-card__title\">\n                                <h2 class=\"sq-card__title-text\">\n                                    Tactical Explainer: What is a Wing-Back and which players currently play this role? 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It is a tactic used by the majority of top teams, and how well one is implemented is often the difference-maker in a title race, so it is essential to understand how a high press works&#8230;.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":370,"featured_media":1499546,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_focuskw":"what is a high press?","_yoast_wpseo_title":"","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"What is a high press? Get the Squawka tactical explainer on how the high press works, why it is a risk-versus-reward tactic and which teams use it best.","footnotes":""},"tags":[],"features-category":[],"squawka-category":[27680],"class_list":["post-1499547","features","type-features","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","squawka-category-tactical-explainers"],"acf":{"external_featured_image_url":"","hide_featured_image_pattern":false},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v28.0 (Yoast SEO v28.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Tactical Explainer: What is a High Press and which teams deploy it? | Squawka | EN<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"What is a high press? 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