How To Coach Counter-Pressing Tactics Like Diego Simeone - Tactical Analysis

Last week

back with a piece about pressing and counter-pressing.

Those two almost exclusively go hand in hand in modern football and are used as some of the main tools of domination in today’s game.

The world’s best teams such as Arne Slot's Liverpool, Gian Piero Gasperini's Atalanta, and Hansi Flick's Barcelona, all employ these tactics and rely on them as their primary weapon in most of the duels they play.

The system of coaching those segments of the game requires a lot of work on a physical plan because it needs to be practised in high-intense sessions, but also huge attention to communication between the players and structural organisation when out of possession.

This coaching tactical analysis will show you three soccer drills inspired by Diego Simeone tactics at Atlético Madrid that could be of great help if you want your team to play counter-pressing, high-intensity football, while also developing a range of other football skills.

Counter-Pressing Overview

Pressing game is based on aggression and tackling directed at the player with the ball, to prevent him from making decisions and shortening the amount of time he has to make a decision.

Most of the pressing sides focus on creating pressing traps.

In this analysis, we will shift our focus to reactional pressing,which occurs when the ball is in transition from one side to the other, and whenver the team loses possession.

One thing we would like to point out in the counter-pressing game is that it is entirely dependent on the compactness of your team when defending, so the balance and understanding between your players need to be at a very high level.

That’s why all the coaching exercises we are going to show you have many other uses besides coaching pressing.

Diego Simeone’s rondo (with adjustments)

The first drill we will discuss the one that world-class Argentina coach Diego Simeone uses at Atlético Madrid.

The setup of the session is straightforward - two squares, one inside the other, with the smaller one measuring 7-10x7-10 meters, while the bigger one is positioned around it at a distance of three meters from every line.

The usual rondo takes place in the inside box, as the players are lined up to play a 5v2 game (this can vary depending on the number of players you want to use).

Here, you can see the initial setting of the drill, as described in the previous paragraph.

The only modification to this, which at first glance seems very easy, exercise is related to the existence of outside lines.

To set minds straight for the pressing and prepare themselves for the high intensity that pressing training requires, players go for return runs towards the outside box line and back into the inside box whenever they pass the ball.

That means that after the player passes, he is no longer an option due to the obligation to run outside of the rondo, and every player essentially has just three options.

The idea of this drill is to put the players' minds into a pressing state, thinking about the passing game through the worst-case scenario and considering every pass as a possible mistake.

If observed in this way, every player goes for a quick close rush, building on the aggression and stability that are crucial for counter-pressing.

Also, in the best-case scenario, this game encourages your player to move after they pass the ball, making them accustomed to constant motion, which can improve your possession game.

They need to complete the return-runs quickly, either way, as they want to make themselves an option once again in as short a time as possible.

Whenever the players count to 21 passes, the defenders get the additional time to chase the ball.

When the ball is lost, one of the inside players is replaced with the player that made the mistake.

Initial setup can have its modifications in terms of the number of touches players in the rondo have, the number of players keeping the ball or defending, or the distance the attackers need to travel after passing the ball.

It is recommended that coaches encourage a slow start, but build intensity through this drill, which is most commonly employed in the opening phase of practise.

Diego Simeone’s 'return-run' rondo has its variations, with the goal of making it more of a counter-pressing drill, which requires adjustments in terms of setup.

The change happening in the field is the four small goals at every corner of the outside box, which are no wider than 1-1.5 meters.

The orange cones are the gates added to the field, and they are the ultimate goals for defenders in this modification of the drill.

Once again, the rondo inside the box happens in its usual manner, but with no Red players exiting towards the outside box when they pass the ball.

The main adjustment is that Blues have the task to pass through whichever of the four goals outside the rondo after they win the ball.

When possession is lost, Reds need to counter-pressure Blues and prevent them from succeeding in their task by coming inside and defending aggressively.

The Blues need to try to pass the ball through the gates in the shortest possible time, finding the gap in the defence and penetrating through the counter-pressing.

Red players need to react quickly after they’ve lost the ball and need to close down the passing lanes towards the corner goals.

This time, there is no switching in roles, and it is recommended to pair players in defensive roles, such as two midfielders, centre-backs, or strikers, to develop their communication.

This is a competitive game, and the Blue team is awarded two points whenever they succeed in passing through the gate, while the Reds receive one point when they count to 21.

The modification to the initial drill focuses on counter-pressing and forces your player to react quickly after losing the ball, while also being conscious of their positioning to maintain the defensive structure and protect passing lanes through it.

As you can notice, it develops a lot more than just pressing game, since it is closely related to passing and communication build-up.

Three-colour transition

The following exercise is quite different from the first one and is just as challenging.

It requires a larger field, divided into three zones: two 12x12 meter boxes with a 3x12 meter zone between them.

The game is played by three teams of five players, with two teams having their full manpower in the wide boxes while the third party is the one defending.

They have two of their players positioned in the box, where the game breaks down, and the other three are settled in the neutral zone, waiting to intercept the passes that change the play.

In the image, it is shown how all the teams need to line up at the beginning of the drill.

The action starts with Reds passing the ball between themselves trying to get to seven (or less, it depends on your decision of how direct would you like to play it) consecutive passes, after which they can send the ball into the Yellow field, where the Yellows have the same task.

The possessional teams play the passing game in their boxes, with the freedom in motion, as they don’t need to stick next to the sidelines but can play it any way they find fit.

The number of touches they have in possession can also vary, but it is suggested to encourage your players to play it faster and stick to a two-touch football approach.

When Reds successfully pass the ball into the other team's area of possession, they stay put in their zone and wait for things to unfold in the other area, where two of the Blues from the neutral zone go to press and try to win the ball.

The two Blue players that have chosen the ball in the first zone run into the neutral area where they protect the width and move to close down the potential passing lanes.

It is essential to note that no long balls are permitted, which will make it more challenging for players to switch the play.

Here, you can see an example of a successful transition pass after a good passing game from the Reds in the first area, and a successful transition pass.

Defenders need to communicate with each other and make decisions quickly, primarily regarding which two will press the opposition after the ball changes possession, and also how they will move in the neutral zone.

That can be seen as the first part of coaching organised pressure, but the thing that helps your players primarily through this drill happens when the possession is lost.

For example, when the Reds make an error in their possession field, the Blues aim to send the ball to the Yellows, which means that the Reds are now the defending team.

Meanwhile, Blues fill their spots in the wide area as the possession side.

The first thing that happens after the ball is lost is the counter-pressing from the team that was in possession.

They need to prevent defenders of switching the play, and if they manage to do it, they remain in their roles with no changes.

If Blues somehow find the was to pass the ball into the following field, Reds need to make transitive runs, organising their defence and playing counter-press/press towards the Yellow team.

This game is very useful in coaching many game segments, as it unites transition, possession play, pressing/counter-pressing, communication, defensive organisation, and many other skills directly involved in real-time gameplay.

You should encourage your players to be aggressive, but also to be disciplined and to communicate with their teammates while out of possession, which will bring them closer to pressing on a high level in matches.

Additionally, you can make this drill competitive by counting the number of defences each team has played or measuring the time teams spend out of possession.

Two-zones counter-pressing and transition

The third drill in this analysis is played in a slightly larger field and is ideal for the phase of training immediately preceding the main one.

First of all, it is set on a 25x40 meter pitch, with the halfway line separating the two areas of play.

The number of players included in this game is 12 (the number can increase if you decide to do so, but then you’ll need to adapt your field accordingly). There are two teams, each consisting of six players.

The initial setup of the drill takes place in one of the two boxes, with six players playing as a possessional team (Reds) and four players chasing for the ball (Blues).

Two of the Blue players are positioned in the second zone, waiting for the transitive pass from their teammates after they manage to win the ball.

Above we can see the setting of this exercise at first.

Red players are allowed to move freely inside the first box, keeping the ball from the Blues.

After they succeed in making 10 passes, their team earns a point, and the same applies to Blues if they manage to do it on their half of the pitch.

You can also set the point-line lower to force defenders to press with more will, which will build up their aggression.

Coaches need to encourage the defenders to move in an organised manner and maintain the structure by communicating with each other, while also pressing the opposition to win the ball, even though they have numerical inferiority.

The key focus for the Blues is finding balance in closing the passing lanes and sensing the right moment to press, which will help your team time their actions more effectively while also creating cohesion in defence.

When the Reds lose the ball, the central part of counter-pressing coaching comes into play, as they are asked to press the Blues right away and regain possession in the shortest time possible, trying to utilise their numerical superiority and the fact that the Blues are least prepared for possession at that moment.

All of the Reds need to counter-press together, closing down the potential pass towards the second area and trying to regain possession.

If the Blues manage to find the way to pass the ball towards their half of the pitch, with two players waiting for the ball when the pass is played all of the Blues come back to their half along with four Reds who are now in defensive roles and are trying to do the same thing their opponents did.

As we can see in the picture above, after the Blue passed the ball to his teammate in the second zone, the marked Reds and Blues go together to play 6v4 game on the other half of the pitch.

Two Reds remain in their own half, waiting for the transitive pass, as the two Blues did until that moment.

This game is played with a restricted number of touches; the three-touch game is suggested, but you can ask your players to play it with even fewer touches if you want them to play more directly.