Read on Twitter
THREAD
Recent trends in football have seen more teams applying pressure to the ball carrier particularly high up the pitch. SD Eibar is one of these clubs, & are one of the most aggressive & high pressing teams in Europe. Short analysis of their out of possession system below.
Recent trends in football have seen more teams applying pressure to the ball carrier particularly high up the pitch. SD Eibar is one of these clubs, & are one of the most aggressive & high pressing teams in Europe. Short analysis of their out of possession system below.
SD Eibar manager José Mendilibar typically sets his side up to defend in a 4-4-2 shape when out of possession. They are an extremely aggressive & high pressing side which we will see through the following data & illustrations. A signature of Eibar´s defense, is their ability
to stay compact in their shape even when pressing high. They manage to do this by adapting a few key principles.
-The use of a high backline
-Aggressive shifting both laterally & vertically
-TEAM pressing
-The use of a high backline
-Aggressive shifting both laterally & vertically
-TEAM pressing
They also so very well to maintain shape & compactness due to their aggressive back pressing & intensity in all 3 lines. When a line of pressure is broken, they work to get ball side again, or simply apply pressure to the ball carrier from behind.
PPDA (Passes per defensive action)
In the 2020/21 season, Eibar have a PPDA of 7.51. This is the highest PPDA among all teams in Europe´s top 5 leagues. This quantifies what can be seen when watching Eibar, sustained high pressures with aggression & intensity.
In the 2020/21 season, Eibar have a PPDA of 7.51. This is the highest PPDA among all teams in Europe´s top 5 leagues. This quantifies what can be seen when watching Eibar, sustained high pressures with aggression & intensity.
A deeper look at the underlying numbers can give a better understanding of the pressing system used by Eibar. With 146.1 pressures per 90, Eibar rank 5th in La Liga in this metric. It is important to remember that this total number will be effected by the teams total time out
of possession as well. Where we can really see the high pressing nature of Eibar´s system is pressures in the final third. With 41.1 attacking 3rd pressures per 90, Eibar lead the league by nearly 5 pressures. With so much emphasis on high pressures, their pressure in the middle
3rd off a bit, relative to the rest of the league. Here they average 65.3 pressures per 90, 8th highest in the league. Their pressures in the defensive 3rd also drop a little bit, due to the fact that most of their focus on pressing occurs high up the pitch.
Here is a good example of their ability to press high up the pitch, with intensity & collectiveness:
Speed & energy of each individual pressure, combined with their front foot defending & understanding that their teammates will also be applying pressure & covering space behind.
Speed & energy of each individual pressure, combined with their front foot defending & understanding that their teammates will also be applying pressure & covering space behind.
The above images capture a decent representation of their high backline, small spaces between lines & ability to read the next pass from the opposition quickly, as well as reacting to the passes quickly.
What is so impressive about Eibar´s system, is the successful nature of their approach. It is not just simply aggression & intensity without a plan, their systematic approach allows them to win the ball at a very high rate. With 46.0 successful pressures per 90, they rank 3rd in
the league. This is "the number of times the squad gained possession within 5 seconds of applying pressure." Their successful pressure % of 31.5 (5th La Liga) is another metric which demonstrates the collectiveness in their pressing. This metric measures the "percentage of times
the squad gained possession within 5 seconds of applying pressure." I think it can be valuable to highlight that regaining possession does not always have tomean winning the ball high up the pitch. Eibar does such a great job of pressing & counter pressing
that often they simply force the opposition into long passes or clearances, which they are able to recover due in part to their high backline & pressure all over the pitch. They are able to achieve this through one of the most common tactical concepts in football:
When out of possession, make the pitch "smaller".
Here is another example of their high pressure leading to a recovery. This starts by pressuring the ball high in their attacking 3rd, leading to a switch of play to the opposite wing. A quick back press combine with pressure from
Here is another example of their high pressure leading to a recovery. This starts by pressuring the ball high in their attacking 3rd, leading to a switch of play to the opposite wing. A quick back press combine with pressure from
behind leads to a support pass being played. However with all short options being closed down, the opposition is forced to play long again, where Eibar´s backline is once again able to recover the ball.
Eibar´s impressive rankings in defensive metrics does not end here. In all of Europe´s top 5 leagues, they also rank 2nd highest in Challenge Intensity, with 7.6. Challenge intensity measure the total number of duels, tackles & interceptions per minute of opponent possession.
This team intensity is also highlighted by the fact that most Eibar also has the most recoveries (number of loose balls recovered) in La Liga so far this season with 1,259.
