The story of Mauricio Pochettino’s shock appointment at Southampton is one by now we all know too well, along with his coaching staff, the Argentine has brought a new brand of football to the South Coast; his philosophy of intense pressure being the hall mark of the side.

Under previous manager Nigel Adkins, Southampton took a more patient approach with the team stationing deep inside their own half before gradually trying to exert control over the game; against the bigger sides, the counter attack was the weapon of choice.

Since Pochettino’s arrival this has all changed, he has introduced a ball winning system which relies on ‘waves of pressure,’ deep inside the opposition’s half. If the ball can be retrieved in close proximity to the opposition’s goal, then the game can mainly be played in the oppositions half (which of course increases your chances of scoring). Pochettino’s individual brand of football on the South coast is typified by a charge into opposition half at kick off; a statement of intent to the opposition.

Waves of Pressure:

As previously mentioned Pochettino’s particular defensive philosophy centres around ‘waves of pressure.’

1st Wave: The first wave sees Southampton press with an initial front two as they attempt to force the opposition CBs and GK into a long and usually frugal pass. This is the first wave of action and not even the goal keeper is excluded from this.

As seen in the first graphic, Rodgriuez (green) prepares to pressure Ivanovic whilst Puncheon (purple) rapidly closes down Cech. On the far right Lambert does not press but merely covers Terry to avoid that passing lane being utilised and the 1st wave of pressure being bypassed. The result is a long ball and Southampton regain possession.

In the second image, something similar is occurring, only this time the GK is not being pressurised. Lambert and Rodgriguez man mark both Liverpool centre-backs as Brad Jones (GK) has the ball in his hands and is therefore immune to the pressure. However, the result is the same; Jones is forced long as the pair have denied Brendan Rodger’s side the chance to play out from the back.

2nd Wave: If the CBs do manage to find a progressive pass then the 2nd wave is initiated. This initially involves pressuring the opposition’s deepest midfielder (who is often the distributor). This has been a prominent feature of Pochettino’s short reign, the instructions are clear; aggressively apply pressure to the opposition’s deep lying midfielder when they are facing their own goal; denying them the opportunity to utilise their superior passing abilities. This is the 2nd factor to come into play.

In the first graphic, Schneiderlin (green) arrives to press Allen (purple) before he has a chance to turn and execute a pass. Midfielders such as Allen, Arteta and Carrick have the ability to dictate the tempo of the game if given time and space, therefore it is crucial that they are negated.

As seen in the second image, this action does not come unstuck with the relatively new trend of a midfielder forming a third centre-back during build up play. Steven Davis (green) has shadowed Lampard (purple) deep into the Chelsea half so as to prevent any chance of Lampard dictating the play from deep.

Of course a midfielder does not always drop deep as teams tend to avoid becoming predictable. Therefore this particular tactic is part of a wider 2nd wave where the Southampton fullbacks, central midfielders (usually just Schneiderlin) and the remaining wide men either aggressively man mark or look to rapidly shut off passing angles as the opponent attempts to transition into the middle third of the pitch.

Pressing in conjunction is key, individuals pressing in solitude can be detrimental, players will easily be bypassed, leaving the rest of the team exposed and outnumbered. It is of extreme importance that every member of the team understands their function as one player out of sync with his team mates can see the whole system collapse. Players arriving to press possible passing options are just as important as the player pressuring the ball.

This graphic shows the Southampton side working in unity, stretching from Clyne (black dot) on the far side; who patrols Bertrand, to Puncheon (blue) who is ready to cover a switch of play to Azpilicueta. In amongst those two, Schndierlin, Cork and Davis close down the remaining Chelsea midfielders, condensing the space in the process meaning even the most talented of players struggle to operate in the tight space created. (Behind them the defence have stepped up and this will be covered in another article)

In the graphic above, Cork (green) prepares to follow Lampard (purple) infield who has is back turned; Cork has arrived from a deeper position. He is the base of the side; his job is mainly that of a recycler, collecting the second balls from the opposition’s numerous long passes (this is reflected in the little amount of tackles he makes statistically.) While he may not appear proactive on paper, he is an integral cog to in the red machine. Unlike the rest of the side, his job is rarely to rush in and press but rather he is lynchpin of the side, allowing his teammates to go and press with confidence knowing that they are not leaving the defence exposed.

The final stage is for the defence to step up. In short, if the defence do not step up on time then there is a dangerous amount of space to exploit in midfield.

Holes in the system:

Below is another example of the pressing system, however, this time it is deeper into the Southampton half. A problem arises when the method is confronted by accomplished passers, those who can spot and more importantly execute a pass in a heartbeat. In this scenario that player is Gerrard.

As in the graphic before this, the Southampton players circled in green look to rapidly pressure the ball and the corresponding Liverpool players whilst Cork maintains his instrumental role by holding back (purple). However, despite the rapid pressure applied, Gerrard still manages to take all four out of the game with a first time pass between the lines into Lucas’s feet (blue). Lucas then rapidly offloads the ball into the space out wide that Enrique (yellow) eventually bursts into.

This example displays the two major problems Pochettino’s side have been confronted with thus far; brilliant passers of the ball and the ample space to exploit out wide.

The later will be discussed first. Manchester United CB Nemanja Vidic has spoke of defending against team who press high up the pitch, remarking, “It is easier to defend [For the pressing side] against straight passes. Short diagonal passes help the [Defending] team move up the pitch.”Aggressive pressing is usually only engaged depending on the length of the pass. Longer vertical passes into space out wide require Southampton players to step off and hold position rather than engaging in the pressing system (as it will leave gaps in the midfield that will be easily exploited). Retreating rather than engaging means that Southampton will have to collapse into a system where they hold a rigid structure deeper in their own half. (This will be examined at another time)

A lack of cover on the flanks has been prominent in Pochettino’s spell in charge; the ‘wide players’ are quick to move into central zones so as to condense the space. If successful then Southampton can force quick turnovers in possession however, if unsuccessful there is usually ample space to exploit out wide but only if the opposition have the confidence and composure on the ball to work the ball there accurately.

The former is usually only an issue when Southampton are pressing high in the opposition half as the fullbacks abandon their defensive berths in order to operate in very advanced positions (alongside the midfielders). This in order to cut off passing lanes as part of the aforementioned ‘2nd wave.’ ‘Wide midfielders’ escaping their flanks to move infield, coupled with the fullbacks adopting very advanced positions has meant that the flanks have often been targeted via diagonal long balls.

Therefore Southampton rely on athletic fullbacks in order to negate the increasingly frequent tactic they are confronted with. Both Clyne and Shaw are blessed with impressive and necessary pace; allowing them to recover against even the quickest of opposition; the pair are perfect for the system. However, their cover has been less than adequate, fortunately Clyne has been relatively injury free but in the absence of Shaw, Danny Fox has deputised and struggled. He is often to slow to recover or keep pace with opposition wide men or strikers who have drifted wide. Furthermore, his aerial reading of the game has been below par, meaning he struggles to cut out the frequent diagonal long balls.

Despite the presence of Clyne and Shaw, athletic fullbacks are not always enough to negate the aforementioned threat and the space has been successfully exploited on occasions. A common tactic on display is not complexed nature; in fact it is very simple. It is the basic method of drawing a player out of position and then exploiting that same space with runners from deep.

The space created by Clyne’s (green) advanced position is exploited by a burst from deep by Gouffran (purple). Cabaye’s (blue) accuracy and speed of pass means that Cork (yellow); again stationed as the last barrier, has little time to react or to attempt an interception and Gouffran is released into the channel by a through ball in between him and Cork. This move sees Newcastle score their equalising goal.

In this graphic Southampton remarkably have 8 players inside the Newcastle half, an example of the high risk game deployed by the Argentine, yet for all of their rewards, high risk strategies mean that exceptional pieces of quality or the slightest errors of judgement can see the system collapse. It was the Newcastle game that saw the high pressing system overran for these very reasons. Former Southampton manager Alan Pardew used three stages to not only fend off the high pressing system but to also benefit from it.

Pardew’s Game plan:

Stage one: Newcastle are one of the most physically dominant sides in the Premier League. They relied on this factor to evade the initial waves of pressure. Imposing players such as Tiote, Sissokho and Guttierez were able to use their physicality to hold off the Southampton players and find vertical passes in between the lines. Tiote in particular impressed in this duty and that was vital to Newcastle’s threat as he afforded himself the time to offload the ball to his central midfield partner Yohan Cabaye; who was influential in the next stage.

Stage two: Frenchman Yohan Cabaye was instrumental in Newcastle’s victory as he used his remarkable passing ability to find raking vertical passes before the Southampton players had a chance to close passing lanes or to pressurise him.

“He has a lovely feel with the ball and he’s a clever passer, he can put the pass in between centre halves and full-backs and release strikers and wide players,” is what Alan Pardew had to say about the former Lille man. He used these attributes to devastating effect, frequently releasing through balls into the channels; exploiting the lack of presence on the flanks. As seen in the graphic, 5 of Cabaye’s 8 attempted long balls from deep were intended for the left channel; in behind Clyne. This leads to Stage three.

Stage three: Whilst the likes of Chelsea and Liverpool only looked to sparingly release runners into the wide areas, Newcastle attempted this on countless occasions. In addition to this, the presence of Guttierez, Goouffran and Sissokho meant that they had powerful players bursting into the channels from deep; suddenly, the athletic nature of Clyne and Shaw was no longer enough to recover the ball. They were bullied at times by the Newcastle forwards, Shaw was eventually substituted having picked up a yellow card, whilst the man that replaced him; Danny Fox was at fault for two of Newcastle’s four goals.

Conclusion:

Results show that Pochettino’s spell in charge has been riddled with inconsistency, for the impressive victories against Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea, there have been equally disappointing defeats; including a home loss to QPR and a 3-0 dismantling at the hands of West Brom. Despite this, the pressing system has shown huge promise. The purchase of Victor Wanyama is an indicator as to how Pochettino intends to deal with struggles faced thus far; the Kenyans physical presence will compliment an otherwise lightweight midfield (Schneiderlin aside) and aid in scenarios akin to the Newcastle match.

Perhaps his hardest task is combating a more direct Premier League where the frequent use of long balls (as seen in the Newcastle game) has troubled his side. Transfers alone cannot solve this problem and it will require work on the training pitch, however, considering how eagerly the side have taken to his strategies, Southampton fans can be confident that their Argentine export will find the answers.

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