What pressing buys and costs
Pressing decides how far up the pitch your team defends. High values win the ball back early and suffocate weak passers; they also open gaps behind your midfield and drain stamina in the second half. Low values keep your block compact and fresh, at the price of letting good teams build momentum untouched.
The bands
- 30-45 (contain): away days and underdog matches; make them break you down.
- 46-60 (balanced): the default; disrupts without disorganizing.
- 61-75 (proactive): home games where you are at least equal; punishes slow build-up.
- 76+ (all-out): only with an attacking style, a fit squad, and a lead you refuse to sit on.
The interactions
Pressing multiplies whatever else you set. With aggressive tackling it stacks fouls; with a very attacking style it leaves nobody behind the ball; against counter-attacking opponents it is exactly what they hope you do. When the Match Tester flags your intensity score, the fix usually starts here.