Football Manager 21: Guide To Creating Attacking, Gegenpressing Tactics

Thanks to improvements in player fitness, Gegenpressing has had a sharp rise in prominence over the last decade. The style is designed around putting extreme amounts of pressure on the opposition by pressing the player on the ball with high intensity, trying to force a turnover in possession. The style has been popularized by high profile managers such as Jürgen Klopp, Marcelo Bielsa, and Pep Guardiola.

Due to its current popularity, numerous gamers will try to implement the tactics in the latest iteration of Football Manager. This guide will look at two prominent 433 styles, one that focuses the offensive creativity from the wing-backs and striker, used by Jürgen Klopp's Liverpool; and one that gives the creative duties to central midfielders, used commonly by Pep Guardiola, particularly in his 100 point season with Manchester City.

It's worth noting that the styles below shouldn't simply be copied but used as a guide that can be altered and tweaked depending on the available players and upcoming opposition.

Updated on September 18, 2021, by Jack Pursey: With Football Manager 22 just around the corner, partnered with the recent news that the game is launching on Game Pass, many FM fans will be tieing up their Football Manager 21 careers and possibly trying some new tactics in preparation for their new managerial career. With that in mind, we've updated this guide to offer further insight into the popular Gegenpressing style.

To do this, a Model Team has been added to the bottom of this guide, which aims to help managers visualize how the system ideally operates. The point of the Model Team isn't for managers to try and sign all of these players, as that would be virtually impossible; the point is to give eleven ideal players so that managers can go and scout similar styles of players within their price range.

9 Shape 1 - 433 Wing Backs

One of the most stand-out features of this 433 style is that the defensive players have attacking duties, something that would be unheard of over a decade ago. This offensive style was able to win Liverpool the league in the 2019/2020 season due to the side's effective Gegenpressing abilities and high work rate in the midfield. This high work rate in midfield is a critical factor of the style pictured above, so it's worth investing in players with excellent Work Rate and Tackling stats if they aren't already on the team.

The False Nine is another point of interest. This role is selected as it offers more creativity in midfield while allowing the two Inside Forwards to push forward and play almost like wide strikers.

8 In Possession - 433 Wing Backs

Considering this side finds much of its creativity from the wing-backs, it's essential to instruct the team to look for overlaps on both sides. Selecting Hit Early Crosses is also key to this style, as it will encourage the wing-backs to put crosses into the box when the opposition's defensive isn't suitably prepared.

The default selection Mixed Crosses has been chosen as the style of crosses that should be selected depends entirely on the players available in the squad. Ideally, players want to implement Whipped Crosses, as they are the most difficult for opposition teams to defend.

7 In Transition - 433 Wing Backs

Counter-Press is the most essential pick in this entire guide as it is key to the Gegenpressing style, and the whole tactic will crumble if it isn't selected. The Counter option has been chosen for when possession has been won back, as the presumed attacking abilities of the wingers and wing backs will cause serious issues for opposition defenses.

Distribute Quickly and Take Short Kicks have been selected to ensure that the team's high intensity is intact. Because of this, it's essential to invest in a Goalkeeper with excellent distribution stats if one isn't already on the team. Otherwise, it could completely hamper the game plan as misplaced passes are the biggest kryptonite of teams playing in this manner.

6 Out of Possession - 433 Wing Backs

The above image may look dangerous defensively, but it's essential for playing in this way. The Much Higher Line Of Engagement, partnered with Prevent Short GK Distribution and Extremely Urgent Pressing Intensity, are all fundamental in Gegenpressing, as they will ensure that players are hunting down the opposition and ideally allow them no free time on the ball.

5 Shape 2 - 433 Advanced Playmakers

As mentioned before, this second shape is modeled on the Manchester City side that won the Premier League with 100 points in the 2017/2018 season. The team pushes two creative midfielders forward into attack whenever possible while implementing Inverted Wing Backs who will move into midfield to provide defensive solidarity. Although it seems counterintuitive when playing an attacking system, it's feasible to change the Inverted Wing Backs to defensive duties if preferred.

This system, like the last, implements an attack-minded Sweeper Keeper and two Ball-Playing Defenders. This may seem risky, but it's important as the Gegenpressing style requires quality passers in all sections of the pitch. If even one player can't carry their weight and misplaces too many passes, it can completely destroy the entire gameplan like an oversized puzzle piece.

4 In Possession - 433 Advanced Playmakers

This style of play implements a shorter, more intricate passing game, so it's worth instructing the team to be more narrow to ensure that there are always players nearby available for a pass. Low Crosses has been selected as, generally speaking, players with great flair, control, creativity, and passing accuracy tend to be shorter than average, so opting for more lofted crosses would be a mistake.

Selecting Be More Expressive is essential to make this style tick, as the manager needs to trust their players' ball-playing abilities.

3 In Transition - 433 Advanced Playmakers

Like with the previous style, it is essential to select Counter-Press when opting for a Gegenpressing style. The most noticeable difference between this style compared to the last is the Hold Shape option, a style that has been commonly used by Pep Guardiola throughout his managerial career.

Rather than taking a chance and trying to score on the counter-attack, teams with Hold Shape selected will be more patient and look to control the game with a substantial amount of possession, passing the ball around the pitch and looking for openings. The Hold Shape selection goes hand in hand with the Work Ball Into Box tactics from the previous In Possession section.

2 Out of Possession - 433 Advanced Playmakers

433 advanced playmakers - out of posession

This section is identical to the other Out Of Possession entry, as it's fundamental to Gegenpressing.

There are a few small alterations that can be made, though. For example, when needing a goal or simply feeling very confident, the Defensive Line can be pushed up to Much Higher, creating an extremely offensive-minded attacking unit. The Use Offside Trap tactic can also be selected, but it's worth ensuring that the team is familiar with this before implementing it, or it could have costly consequences if the defensive line isn't properly organized.

1 Model Team

To give further night into the complex 433 Advanced Playmakers system, here is a Model Team with an ideal starting eleven from the Premier League.

Ederson - In just a few years at Manchester City, Ederson has massively raised the bar for the passing capabilities of goalkeepers. On his day, Ederson can pick out his players all over the pitch, helping his side spring dangerous attacks.
Luke Shaw - Shaw has come on leaps and bounds in recent years, going from being an outcast under Mourinho to one of the first names on Ole Gunnar Solskjær's team sheet. Luke Shaw has become very comfortable on the ball, so he would be more than capable of adapting to the Inverted Wing Back role.
Virgil Van Dijk - Before his injury, Virgil Van Dijk was widely considered to be the best ball-playing center-back in the world, and his post-injury form hasn't been too shabby either. Van Dijk can comfortably start attacks from the back while also having the defensive capabilities to prevent dangerous counter-attacks.
Aymeric Laporte - Laporte may not be getting too much game time as of late, though his fantastic passing prowess makes him too good to overlook. The Frenchman can sometimes be suspect defensively, but having Van Dijk next to him should be able to compensate for this.
Kyle Walker - Kyle Walker has played an Inverted Wing Back role for Manchester City on numerous occasions, making him an obvious choice for this team. Walker's blistering pace is an invaluable skill for this team, as he can get back to defensive positions in a hurry if the opposition springs a counter-attack.
Fernandinho - The Brazilian may be nearing the end of his career, but his competence in this role over the years makes it difficult not to include him. Fernandinho's calmness on the ball under pressure, partnered with his excellent tackling and aggressiveness, has made him one of Pep Guardiola's most valuable players since arriving in the Premier League.
Bruno Fernandes - Manchester United's Fernandedes wasted little time in making an impact in the Premier League. Bruno arrived from Sporting Lisbon in January 2020 and immediately hit the ground running, adding an injection of quality into Ole's side while also lifting the players around him. Bruno's long-range shooting, ability to find a killer pass, and intelligence in making runs into the box make him a solid choice for this team.
Kevin De Bruyne - It's easy to forget now, but there was a lot of skepticism when De Bruyne returned to the Premier League, following his underwhelming spell at Chelsea. The Belgian quickly dismissed these doubts, by almost instantaneously becoming one of the Premier League's best midfielders. De Bruyne is one of the best passers currently in the Premier League, making him one of the first names on this team.
Jadon Sancho - Following over a year of speculation, Manchester United finally got their man and signed Jadon Sancho. The Englishman has only just joined the Premier League, but his impressive assist statistics and work rate make him a solid choice for the right-wing position.
Jack Grealish - Another recent signing in this team is Jack Grealish. There are still a lot of doubts that Grealish will live up to his eye-watering £100 million ($138 million) price tag, though Jack's playmaking abilities from out wide make him tough to overlook. With Grealish in the team, players can change the left-wing role to Inverted Winger or Advanced Playmaker if they prefer.
Cristiano Ronaldo - After over ten years away, Cristiano Ronaldo recently made his grand return to Old Trafford. Ronaldo didn't waste any time getting started either, scoring two goals on his second Manchester United debut. Ronaldo's incredible track record speaks for itself, and he's almost guaranteed to get bucket loads of goals with the players around him in this Model Team. With Ronaldo in the side, the Low Crossing setting can be changed to Mixed or even Lofted to utilize Ronaldo's aerial ability.