Russell Pope

When considering high pressing — whether from a goal kick or in open play — I was long a believer in full zonal marking and the idea of compactness at all costs and 'force them wide'. But over time, I began to question this approach and ask myself: Is there a way to create more favourable conditions to consistently generate goalscoring opportunities? That curiosity led me to study Gian Piero Gasperini’s Atalanta — a coach and team that have had a significant influence on how I view the defending phase of the game. From there, I began implementing man-oriented high pressing as a core defensive principle with the teams I worked with. Starting with the U15s, the impact was immediate. We achieved more ball regains in central areas and, as a result, created more goalscoring opportunities directly from our pressing moments. Beyond the tactical outcomes, this approach also exposed players to more 1v1 defending situations, while naturally developing their anticipation and interception skills. Importantly, nothing was trained in isolation. Every session linked the pressing phase to the attacking transition. The principle was simple: Win the ball → Play forward. This same defensive principle was adopted by the first team at Røa, and it became a key focus throughout last season. The consistency of the idea — and the conviction behind it — played a major role in our success, regardless of the opposition. Below is a video example of us scoring against Champions League opposition Brann. The belief in our principles never changed, whether we were facing a Champions League side or a team around us in the table. Video examples: • Gasperini’s Atalanta vs Bayer Leverkusen • Røa vs Brann • Røa U15