05 Jun 2026 04:49:37
Jose Mourinho: "If you want to press high and your forwards don't press, you can't.
If you want to drop your block closer to your goal and your forwards don't drop, you don't have a block.
Without forwards who work well defensively, you don't defend well."
Someone needs to send Edwards the Memo.
05 Jun 2026 07:57:21
Edwards? Why Edwards? Surely that would be something to tell the manager, his coaches and the players.
The reason we were so disorganised last season is because the forwards pressed whilst the defence, led by Virgil, dropped too deep, stretching the team, leaving the midfield totally isolated.
That's on Slot and the players, it's got nothing to do with Edwards. Unless he's a coach now?
05 Jun 2026 08:30:13
Eki, Rio, Isak were bought by Edwards. There is not much press between them. Compare to Bobby and Mane.
05 Jun 2026 08:41:44
Saying they can't press is ludicrous. Ekitike and Rio have got in their bag, Isak is a different question. But they've been writ off because of the way Slot plays.
05 Jun 2026 09:07:58
The forwards actually didn't press, Riosstepover. It was a half-hearted press with two forwards, which meant that we were always outnumbered by their back line anyway, with one of our forwards dropping back to make up Slot's famous plus one. This left a huge gap between the forward line and the midfield, who wouldn't step up and join the front press, and then a huge gap between the midfield and the back line, with neither of the center halves stepping up to engage. Our off the ball structure was basically a half-hearted sham of a press without enough players in front, and then a weird passive zonal midblock where the players don't engage anybody in their area.
It was so obvious to see because there were games where Slot pushed the players to do the exact opposite, have the forwards curve their runs and force the keeper or center halves to pass out wide, and then have the full backs and midfielders swarm players into traps.
When they managed to get the ball out, Konate would aggressively push up into midfield and engage instead of hanging around waiting for danger.
It's a stark contrast with Iraola's Bournemouth, where Evanilson's importance to the team off the ball is probably greater than his ability on the ball.
Also, I really don't think Ekitike and Rio should be highlighted as being capable pressers. Maybe they can be in time, but both of them have a lot to learn when it comes to their off the ball game.
05 Jun 2026 09:14:28
@FSW, All 3 are capable of pressing. You just need to coach them when and how to do it.
05 Jun 2026 09:16:34
FatSpanishWaiter, indeed not that we needed Jose to say that, but it seems Edwards esp. needed to hear it cos he is all in on this "Periodisation" crap.
As for those in the squad who can press, please let us not be fooled here nor allow the horrible season we just had to warp our brains. A lot of our guys can press cos they were pressing well at diff. levels before they came to us or under Klopp.
I mean, do people think Szob didn't press at RBL or under Klopp? Gakpo or Jones didn't press under Klopp? Wirtz didn't press at Bayer (top 5 pressers in the Bundesliga)? Eki didn't press at Frankfurt? Even Isak pressed at Newcastle.
I can keep going so let's just leave it here.
Cos we were a shambles under Slot last season where the press was essentially non-existent and where esp. our players were being clearly instructed to walk about rather than actually run (as if you can press by walking) should not be any standard to judge these players on this topic. Let's not do that.
05 Jun 2026 09:49:58
I thought Richard Hughes bought them.
05 Jun 2026 09:51:42
Oli, I'm speaking specifically about the forward line, as per Mou's comment. None of the three mentioned are known for their off ball work, which is a vision/ recruitment thing.
They could be coached, but why buy players who are not that way inclined unless the vision for how the team sets up is coming from a non football person like Edwards?
This is a big problem as things stand.
05 Jun 2026 10:01:23
I should hope so that the three of them can press. Surely, if you have a single working brain cell in your head, and the least bit of work ethic, you can press. You don't even have to have any football to be able to press effectively. Really is a low bar these days, isn't it.
05 Jun 2026 10:27:29
FatSpanishWaiter, I made a general comment and even with the three forward players, Eki, Isak, Gakpo for ex. all pressed at their prev. clubs and Gakpo played under Klopp where if you don't press as a forward? You won't play.
As for buying players and all that like you, I have no idea what Hughes/Edwards vision was for signing players who thrive in a high pressing system and then, the manager plays "blue in the face" football with no press or even worse, at walking pace.
Don't ask me cos that's a mystery.
Also, I agree that you can coach the press into players. Just ask Darwin when he was holding bench for a time there where he had to learn to press and later became a pressing demon.
05 Jun 2026 11:00:21
I do actually agree with that, Patrick. The forwards didn't press effectively. It was very half-hearted, but they still would break ranks and run towards the defender in possession, but Virgil would not push the defence up with them to maintain the shape.
The forwards would press but not actually engage, the defence would stand still or even drop off, leaving the midfield in no man's land with gaps everywhere. One pass through them and you're at our back 4.
To suggest that is Edwards' fault is ludicrous. It's the coach's job to coach the team and pick the players that will do what he wants.
To suggest Isak, Ekitike, Gakpo, Mo, Rio, Chiesa are unable to press is just plain wrong. Any professional footballer can be coached to press in a system that supports it.
Our problem was that the system didn't support it, so even if they had pressed aggressively and effectively, they were just leaving gaps in behind them because they weren't being supported by the defence pushing up, which had a knock-on effect of leaving the midfield woefully exposed.
I watched it play out in nearly every single game.
05 Jun 2026 11:20:07
Players aren't split into those who can press and those who can't. All players can press, they just need to be coached to do so. Besides, pressing isn't an individual trait. It's a team effort and requires everyone to know what to do and what each other are doing.
The reason we didn't press last season or why our press is disjointed is because the players didn't work on it in training. That's on Slot, not the players.
05 Jun 2026 11:21:00
Nunez was no pressing demon. He was just a headless chicken.