It was a gameweek with five draws and zero away wins in the Premier League that included a humiliating 4-0 defeat for Manchester United at Brentford (the first time they’ve beaten the Red Devils since the Middle Ages); an easy three points for Man City against a Bournemouth side who seemed to be making up the numbers, and another win for Arsenal - at home to Leicester City - when Jesus once again showed his quality after the faith shown in him by the Gunners’ board in the transfer window. Conte and Tuchel got their handbags out at Stamford Bridge, and Liverpool’s new signing Núñez was sent-off as the Reds came from a goal behind (again) to salvage a point at Anfield.
Who pressed the most?
As we will come to discover over the course of the season, this really doesn’t tell us that much when we use Statsbomb’s data, mainly because the record all pressure applied in all zones of the pitch. Which means if a team sits deep and only closes down in their own defensive third it still counts as ‘pressure’; but doesn’t really - in terms of perception and tactics - equate to a ‘pressing side’ or set up. This is why the focus of this analysis is usually on those applying pressure in the middle and final third’s of the pitch. Nevertheless, let’s start with the highest volume:
It’s hardly surprising to see Palace at the top considering the volume of Liverpool possession in that game (72%), but once again if we look at the zones when the pressure was applied you can see it was more of low deep block.
Not only that, but if we look at who pressed the most in the final third you find Liverpool and Chelsea tied on 46! The Reds were also the most successful in terms of regaining possession within five seconds. Now, anyone who has ever heard the Under Pressure podcast on Anfield index will be aware that I manually collect pressing stats (which usually take between three and six hours) for Liverpool occasionally. It was my turn this week and I can confirm that in the first half in particular Klopp’s side won possession from pressing 40 times out of 77 which is over 50% and incredibly rare. However, they failed to even create a shot from any of those regains once again highlighting the effective nature of Palace’s low block and discipline (although they did manage 17 shots in the opening period so that’s a quirk in the stats!).
In other news, Scott Parker’s Bournemouth didn’t bother putting any pressure on Man City’s build up play in their own third (only eight pressures) which is kind of absurd considering Man City scored quite early in the game. Leeds also continue to impress in terms of volume and location with over two thirds of their pressures coming in the middle and final thirds.
Season Summary:
Having played both Arsenal and Liverpool it is Crystal Palace who top the chart for pressing volume after two games, following the same trend of sitting deeper and trying to hit the opposition on the break (though they did have more possession than Arsenal in the 2-0 defeat at Selhurst Park).
Leeds are second with a far more even split in their pressures, and in fact are top when it comes to pressing in the final third (90). And when it comes to individual players they also have four in the top 20, including the American’s Brenden Aaronson (1st with 57) and Tyler Adams 5th with 43).
Perhaps surprisingly, judging by some of the reactions to the Reds’ performances so far this season, particularly in midfield, it is Liverpool who top the chart for most ‘successful’ pressures with 123 compared to Leeds (110) and Everton (100). Stats, eh?