Much has been made of Tata Martino’s vaunted “high press” this season. And for good reason. Atlanta United have made things difficult for their opponents by never giving them a chance to breathe in possession, constantly harassing the opposition into mistakes that lead to quality chances to score. But we’ve also seen the tactic backfire when teams are able to break through the press, thus creating a dangerous opportunity with many of Atlanta’s players still high up the pitch.
We saw the aforementioned good and the bad results of the high press last weekend against Columbus, as Atlanta both scored, and conceded, as a direct result of their defensive pressure.