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Football (Soccer) vocabulary · Formations & Tactics

Pressing

Meaning in football (soccer), with examples

/ˈpresɪŋ/nounCore term

In football (soccer), pressing means: A tactic in which players close down opponents quickly to win the ball back, often high up the pitch near the opponents' goal.

In Turkish: pres, baskı

How it is used

Coaches talk about high pressing, a pressing game and pressing triggers, the signals that tell players when to press. The verb is press: "We press as a unit." Gegenpressing, from German, means pressing straight after losing the ball.

Example sentences

  1. Our pressing forced them into long balls all game.

  2. The pressing dropped off in the second half because the players were tired.

Common collocations

  • high pressing
  • pressing game
  • pressing triggers
  • intense pressing
  • counter-pressing
  • high lineA defensive set-up in which the back line stays far up the pitch, keeping the team compact and catching attackers offside, but leaving space behind.
  • possessionControl of the ball by a team; also the percentage of time each team has the ball during a match.
  • counter-attackA fast attack launched straight after winning the ball back, aiming to score before the opponents can reorganise their defence.
  • formationThe way a team arranges its outfield players on the pitch, written as numbers from defence to attack, such as 4-4-2 or 4-3-3.

More terms: Formations & Tactics

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