RB Leipzig - The Art of the Counter Press

Introduction
A club just founded 8 years ago, RB Leipzig is hated by many German fans for its controversial private ownership, where public members are not given voting rights. Aside from that, how was this club able to rise from the 5th to 1st division with 4 promotions within a short period of time? The key was tactical innovation and trust in youth.

Tactical Philosophy

RB Leipzig play with a very narrow and fluid counter pressing formation that often resembles a 4-2-2-2/ 4-2-4. They set tactical pressing traps with specific triggers that when activated put the team into what I like to call raging bull mode. They do this by forcing the opposition fullbacks into clearing the ball to the congested middle and also force the wingers into the less dangerous wide areas.

The video and picture below illustrates this.

Conclusion

As with all tactics, there is room for improvement. This one particularly against teams that use a big target man and pacey wingers chasing and knocking on. Despite this, I believe this is a great tactic and will serve you guys well.

Finally, happy managing!

Sources taken and inspired from spielverlagerung.com