Pep Guardiola’s high intensity football has seen them hit the top spot in the Premier League after seven games.
High intensity football is becoming the fashionable way to play in the Premier League, especially with the introduction of Pep Guardiola to English football.
The Spaniard used the same method at Barcelona and Bayern Munich, where he earned a reputation as one of the greatest managers in the game today, but Guardiola’s tactics were already on English shores before he arrived this summer.
Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp
Muaricio Pochettino’s Tottenham side came close to claiming the Premier League crown last season with high energy performances, suffocating the opposition when they lost possession, and Jurgen Klopp’s heavy metal football has enjoyed a year in the top flight of English football too with Liverpool.
Guardiola, Pochettino and Klopp occupy three of the top four spots in the league so far, but which of the three teams are the best at the ‘high press’?
| Goals | Ball Recovery | Possession Percentage | Interceptions | Possession won in the attacking 3rd | Possession won in the midfield 3rd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liverpool | 18 | 422 | 60% | 68 | 20 | 207 |
| Man City | 18 | 455 | 63% | 112 | 45 | 205 |
| Tottenham | 12 | 399 | 56% | 71 | 20 | 172 |
The idea of the high press is to squeeze the opposition when they have the ball, closing down at high speed to win back possession as quickly as possible.
The stats show that Manchester City are the kings of fighting back possession so far this season.
Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne in action with Swansea City’s Gylfi Sigurdsson
Guardiola’s men are making a habit of winning the ball back, claiming possession in the final third 45 times, more than any other team in the Premier League. Between City, Spurs and Liverpool, Guardiola’s team have more interceptions and ball recoveries this season, and while they may not have the most throughout the whole league, it is clear to see that these three teams are the standard bearers for the Premier League, with Manchester City at the top of the mountain.
Man City are winning the ball back so much that they have a possession percentage of 63% across the first seven games of the season, which means they have seen more of the ball than any team, which is down to how well they move the ball and how easily they win it back.
Guardiola is top of the Premier League, and his side are the masters of the high press.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola
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