"Le Bris' tactical variety is evident in Sunderland's out of possession play this season. Although they have been difficult to break down defensively, this hasn't only been by defending deep. Sunderland tend to begin aggressively. Le Bris instructs his players to press high, often in a man-to-man fashion and Sunderland's ability to execute this has been impressive. Newly promoted teams are reluctant to defend in this way because getting it wrong leaves your side more exposed, with individuals needing to cover larger distances alone."
"The press often aimed to force Chelsea towards their left given they lacked a left footer in central defence. This reduced the success of the Blues' build-up play from the back. Sunderland apply this high press when opponents take their goal-kicks but have shown a willingness to jump as a team and press in a man-to-man fashion, often using back passes as the trigger for the team to press together."
Regis Le Bris' Sunderland combine high, man-to-man pressing with a willingness to press opponents' goal-kicks and back passes to force errors and disrupt build-up play. When opponents bypass the press or push them deeper, Sunderland shift to a zonal defensive shape, commonly blocking space in a 4-4-2. The high press has been applied boldly despite promotion, and it has effective results, often targeting specific weak foots in central defence to steer play away from centres of strength. This tactical variety and execution have made Sunderland difficult to break down and contributed to strong Premier League results.
Read at www.bbc.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]