High pressing is a hallmark of the tactical setup of many world-class managers such as Jurgen Klopp and Hansi Flick. When successfully implemented, it results in your team quickly winning the ball back in dangerous areas high up the pitch, causing havoc on the opposition goal and not allowing them a moment’s rest. Setting up your team to execute this particular game plan is precisely what this Football Manager 2023 Pressing Tactics guide will teach you to do.
Tactical Style
Let’s first talk about the tactical style you should employ. I recommend going for the Gegenpress variation. This encourages your team to press as a unit rather than as individuals, suffocating your opponent for space and causing them to give the ball away from where you can launch your counters. It comes at the cost of stamina, so make sure you have players well suited to this high-energy system so they don’t fall flat towards the end of the game. In real-world football, we best see this setup from Liverpool FC and Bayern Munich in recent years. The following sections will discuss our personalized tweaks to this default setup.
Apply the Gegenpress
Formation
Next up in this Football Manager 2023 Pressing Tactics guide is the right formation. High pressing works with several formations, but I recommend you go for the 4-2-3-1 DM AM Wide setup. This ensures that your team presses from the front with four attacking players while the two midfielders at the back will apply supporting pressure to help with turnovers.
The 4-2-3-1 DM AM Wide is your best bet.
Depending on your preference, the wingbacks may or may not charge up the field to outnumber opposing defenders. I set my left wingback to an attacking role due to his pace, allowing him to track back quickly when required. The most crucial position in this setup is the AM; in my case, Thomas Muller will be responsible for bullying the opposition defenders and creating space for the attackers around him. I have adjusted the role of a striker to that of a Pressing Forward who will look to trouble the keeper and force him to play long. These long balls can then be won by my tall center backs. All in all, this is an aggressive setup with players all over the field to constrict the opposition and maximize turnovers in dangerous areas.
Mentality
Now let’s discuss the mentality you should select to complement this high-pressing system. Generally, when a team applies this tactic, they have better-quality players expected to beat the opposition. Therefore, I recommend choosing an Attacking mindset. As the graphic below suggests, it will focus on dominating the ball in the attacking half of the pitch; in our case, this would be winning back the ball high up and launching constant waves of attack. This is exactly what we are going for, accepting that the opposition will likely sit back and allow us to control the ball.
Your players should have an attacking mindset.
In-Possession Tactics
Let’s now take a look at the specific tactics to apply when in possession of the ball in this Football Manager 2023 Pressing Tactics guide. You’ll want to set your attacking width to be set fairly wide in order to stretch the opposition’s defense once you turn over the ball. Your approach play should be at a very high tempo to apply constant pressure on the other team and not give them a chance to recover; this is also why time-wasting is set to never. I have also instructed my players to target overlapping runs down the wings as it would also create space down the middle for the strikers to exploit. Finally, I have instructed my players to shoot as often as they can to keep the keeper constantly working, not allowing the opposition to create any tempo whatsoever.
Keep up the tempo
In-Transition Tactics
For transition tactics, I have instructed my players to immediately engage in counter-press when they lose the ball to win it back as soon as possible because that’s the whole point of this setup. Once won, they should launch an attack of their own instead of waiting, which would allow the opposition to regroup. In line with this, I have asked the keeper to distribute the ball as quickly as possible by throwing it long, preferably toward the central playmaker, who can then assess and pick the best option to continue the attack.
Win the ball back as quickly as you can.
Out-of-Possession Tactics
Finally, in this Football Manager 2023 Pressing Tactics guide, let’s consider the approach play when out of possession of the ball. I recommend setting both the Line of Engagement and the Defensive Line to be high. This means the pressing will start from the front by the attackers, while the defense will squeeze the opposition’s forward line by getting in their faces and not allowing them time on the ball. This is also why I have instructed the defensive line to step up more often. While this may cause a risk of getting caught on the counter by a pacy forward, remember that your goal in the high press system is to score as many goals as possible rather than keeping a clean sheet. Besides, you can reduce the chances of getting caught on the counter by employing fast wingbacks in your system who can catch up to the forward.
Keep a high line to congest your opponent.
Conclusion
That’s about it for this Football Manager 2023 Pressing Tactics guide. High Press is one of the most exciting ways to play a match, as you will dominate in the attacking half of the pitch. Hopefully, after reading this guide, you now have the tools needed to properly execute this setup and pile up those wins.
If you want more Football Manager 2023, check out our other guides, including these:
