Luis Enrique defensive situation: PSG's press
Win the ball back high: the defensive situation from Luis Enrique's PSG
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8/29/20261 min read
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PSG SITUATION
This situation was used by Luis Enrique at PSG, and it helps you understand why PSG rose to become the best team in Europe two years running.
It's a defensive situation, so we focus only on defending, on the theme "stop the opponent progressing / slow down the opponent's progress, organise and reorganise the lines".
But the most important thing is the objective: Improve winning the ball back high up the pitch
So it's a typical PSG defensive situation that reflects the club's DNA: pressing and winning the ball back high AS A TEAM.
It's a situation, so you switch every 5 actions between the blues (defenders who become attackers) and the reds (attackers who become defenders).
Always start from the goalkeeper, with no direct clearance to the target player; when the defenders win the ball (or the ball goes out), stop and restart from the goalkeeper to keep it flowing.
Repetition is the most important thing, because this situation builds cohesion in the defensive press. That's the difficulty of this situation: defending as a team.
Because if one player doesn't defend as a block, doesn't follow or loses concentration, the opponents will find gaps or spaces to play forward and the press will be broken.
With this situation you can see why Enrique's PSG could press with Dembélé and an exemplary team, and be crowned champions twice in a row.
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