How To Coach 4-3-3 Pressing Like Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City & Luis Enrique’s PSG – Tactical Theory

As coaches prepare for the upcoming season, implementing a cohesive pressing system is crucial for teams seeking to control games when they do not have the ball and when trying to force the opposition to play into areas they feel they can exploit. 

Working on a variety of pressing options early in pre-season, even from within the same general system, can become useful later in a hectic season when trying to implement a system to face a specific opposition.

This tactical analysis examines how teams can press in a 4-3-3 formation, similar to that employed by Pep Guardiola and Luis Enrique, and the subtle adjustments that can be made within the same setup to create turnovers in high-risk areas. 

This football analysis features two distinct pressing systems within a 4-3-3 formation, utilising examples from Manchester City and PSG during this summers FIFA Club World Cup.

Some of the weaknesses that these pressing setups inherently possess are also analysed. 

This tactical theory outlines how coaches can utilise the training ground to implement pressing tactics, which incorporate elements of man-to-man marking and setting pressing traps.  

How PSG Pressed Vs Real Madrid

This section analyses how Paris Saint-Germain, the UEFA Champions League and Ligue 1 winners, pressed against Real Madrid in the Club World Cup Semi-Final.  

The following images show Les Parisiens pressing from a midfield area, but the principles were the same higher up the pitch.

PSG’s press aimed to force the La Liga runners-up down one side of the pitch. 

This was done by the striker aggressively pressing towards the ball-carrying centre-backs inside foot to cut off his defensive partner.