The CIES Football Observatory has published a report ranking teams from 56 leagues around the world according to the level of pressure they put on their opponents. While the rankings of the Turkish teams were on the agenda in the list, it was noteworthy that the majority of the teams that best implemented the game philosophy based on pressure and were at the top of the list were the teams that were at the top of their leagues and had high offensive productivity and ball possession rates.
The parameters taken as basis when preparing the report were as follows…
-In which half of the field is the pressure done? How far away from their own goal do teams press?
-How long does it take to regain the ball when the opposing team has the ball?
-The ratio of the actions taken by the teams during defense according to the number of passes of the opponent
-Fouls committed after ball losses in the third zone
VIEW IN EUROPE’S TOP 5 LEAGUES
Accordingly, in the evaluations made only among the teams from the 5 major leagues of Europe, the top 10 teams and their pressure indices were as follows:
1- Como 1907 (94.5)
2- PSG (94.2)
3- Bayern Munich (93.3)
4- TSG Hoffenheim (90.5)
5- AS Roma (90.4)
6- Barcelona (89.7)
7- Manchester City (88.7)
8- Bologna FC (88.3)
9- Athletic Club Bilbao (88.2)
10- VfB Stuttgart (87.6)
On the other hand, the team whose pressure index was shown as 100 in the evaluations among all 56 leagues was ADO Den Haag, which is currently in the leadership seat in the Dutch 2nd League (Eerste Divisie).
RANKINGS OF TURKISH TEAMS
In line with these parameters, Galatasaray was the team with the highest pressure index compared to other Turkish teams in the list. The yellow-red club ranked 27th among teams from 56 leagues with a pressure index of 90.8. In the same list, Fenerbahçe ranked 35th with a pressure index of 90.3. While there were no Turkish clubs in the top 100 other than Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe, RAMS Başakşehir’s pressure index was 83.6, leaving Beşiktaş (82.9) and Trabzonspor (80.3) behind.
IS PRESSURE THE SECRET TO G.SARAY’S SUCCESS?
Galatasaray’s leaving behind other Turkish teams on the list was attributed to the following reasons;
1) The yellow-reds modernized their game approach with the experience they gained from the European tournaments they participated in.
2) They became the team that produced the most goals in the league by supporting their pressing games with number 9 players with high finishing skills.
3) By confining the opponent to their own field, they also became the team that conceded the fewest goals in the league.
When all these reasons and the pressure index obtained as a result are evaluated together, Galatasaray has become the team most likely to succeed in the long term with these game approaches.
WHAT FENERBAHÇE LACKS IS NOT PRESSURE
The results of Fenerbahçe, which is only 0.5 points below its arch-rival with a pressure index of 90.3, in the Trendyol Super League and the mistakes made on the way to the championship were evaluated as follows;
1) Although Fenerbahçe established superiority in the opponent’s half with its pressure play approach, it fell behind Galatasaray in the quality of the penalty area.
2) The yellow-dark blue team, who could not produce the desired scores in the pressured game due to their low finishing percentage, fell victim to the disruptions in transition games.
3) Since the pressure play approach requires physical resistance in the long term, Fenerbahçe suffered unexpected injuries and became fragile, especially in the second half of the season.
Here is the news compiled by fotomac.com.tr editor Ömer Çağrı Akdere…
