Pressing, or applying pressure to the ball, is one of the five defensive principles of play, and has been an aspect of the game since football was invented.
Pressing, or applying pressure to the ball, is one of the five defensive principles of play, and has been an aspect of the game since football was invented. It grew in prominence from the 1960s onwards, when the likes of Viktor Maslov, Ernst Happel, Rinus Michels, Valeriy Lobanovskyi and Arrigo Sacchi all had their teams adopt an aggressive press.