Arranging football tactics has been likened to masterminding a chess game. Like in a chess game, managers utilize different tricks to help teams arrive at the desired end. However, the goal remains the same – upending the opponent with a move that suits them.
Two of football's most renowned tactics – the low block and the high press – fall on either side of a coin. That means your team is pursuing either a low block or high press in the same game. They may combine either with some third tactic, but you couldn't have a low block and high press in the same team simultaneously.
What’s a low block? What’s a high press? What are the pros and cons of a low block vs. high press? Which tactics work best? Stay on this page to get detailed answers to these intriguing questions.
What’s a Low Block Football Tactic?
A low block occurs when a team maintains a deep narrow defensive line while out of possession. Defenders stay close to their own goal to deny the opposition space to run in behind the backline.
Other team members – in the MF and FW sections – stay within or close to their half with minimal separating space. All players work to create and protect the deep-lying defensive line while preventing goals, regardless of how long the opposition tries to break the wall. Jose Mourinho is perhaps the manager who has mastered this tactic the most in modern football.
What’s a High Press Football Tactic?
In a high press, the team is aggressive at retrieving the ball from the opposition. Here, the team structure will push up the pitch to retrieve the ball from the opposition. Usually, the team will have their backline on the halfway line or even just within their opponents' half.
Pep Guardiola is perhaps the manager who has mastered this tactic the most in modern football. However, he's found implementing the tactic a little challenging at Manchester City, with his side’s most recent encounter against Arsenal the biggest pointer to Guardiola’s waning high-press magic wand at City.
Pros and Cons of Low Block vs High Press?
When effective, a high press leaves the opposition struggling to build up in possession as the possibility of erring increases. However, the high-press isn't as straightforward as "covering every blade of grass." The tactic requires a collective and organized team and is extremely tricky to organize.
The low block, on the other hand, could prove incredibly effective if a team can consistently deny the opposition space. However, it demands counter-attacking at lightning speed while mastering how to maximize space usage when moving the ball. Without discipline, resorting to a low block is almost equivalent to throwing in the towel.
In a Nutshell… What Tactic Works Best?
Drawing from the experience of managers who have best used these tactics, the low block is effective for a team whose opponents are more individually talented. Meanwhile, where a team is replete with top-notch individual talents like a prime Barcelona side, a high press would prove immensely effective in toppling the opposition.