RiyadhManU

Pushing higher up the pitch like this inevitably opens space for long balls down the wing, but it’s very difficult for a player to play accurate long balls in a direction outside of their field of view while under pressure. If the long ball does go down the wing, the central defender will slide over very quickly and contest the ball in the air to guard against any 3 v 3 situations at the back. The full-back then sprints back quickly to support the advanced centre-back via backwards pressing. The central defender must not only slide out into half-space and the flanks when needed, but also into the intermediate space in the defensive midfield. If a striker allows himself to drop into this zone to receive balls, the Salzburg central defenders will man-mark the striker as they receive the pass or attempt to head the ball back up front. This “out of position” movement by the central defenders, midfielders, wingers and full-backs brings about a certain level of instability for Salzburg. A...