Why Gegenpress is the most effective tactics in Football Manager

Gegenpress is a term typically associated with Jurgen Klopp who took Borussia Dortmund to the zenith of German football overtaking the mighty Bayern Munich and transforming Liverpool from top-four hopefuls to a European royalty once again.

Out of all the preset tactics in Football Manager, Gegenpress is arguably the most effective one and also the most widely used one as well.

In this article, we will look into the reasons why this is the most effective preset tactic in the game. Gegenpress is a tactic that brings the best of both worlds and can be implemented in both a small team as well as the bigger sides.

The system is focused on winning the ball back as soon and immediately tries to hit back at opponents with quick attacks. It is a system that requires great work ethics from players all across the pitch, especially the forwards and midfielders.

A gegenpress tactics usually sees the team take more and more chances and take plenty of shots. However, it is not a system that is focused on creating only high-quality chances like a tiki-taka or control possession.

Gegenpress usually leads to higher xG but usually teams underperform xG but still score more goals because they create plenty of chances. A gegenpress tactic does not allow the opposition any time to respond after they lose the ball and they become vulnerable for a few seconds and gegenpressing teams look to make the most of those few seconds.

Gegenpressing teams move the ball very quickly as they play a very high-tempo game and can often lead to losing possession but they again look to win the ball back by counter-pressing.

The beauty of this tactic is that it does not depend a lot on the technical abilities of players and players usually perform beyond their capabilities in this system. It is also not a formation-based system. This tactic can be deployed in various formations and can still work like a charm.

However, not all is rosy for this tactic. It is a highly demanding tactic and requires constant squad rotation as players lose their energy very quickly and become jaded. Injury risk is also very high in this system which is why a bigger squad is ideal for this system.