Hedwiges Maduro has explained in detail what national coach Louis van Gaal means by ‘provocative pressing’. After the World Cup match won with the United States (3-1), the man of choice said that this method of putting pressure is decisive for the success of the the Dutch, although he did not explain exactly what he meant by that. Maduro, who is in the final phase of his trainer’s training, clarifies Van Gaal’s tactics.
Reporter Jeroen Stekelenburg asked the national coach after the the Dutch victory whether the the Dutch ‘lean back’ was planned. “It was provocative pressing,” Van Gaal corrected the journalist. “You could have seen that. I played with provocative pressing, yes. We did that to create space behind those two defenders (Tim Ream and Walker Zimmerman, ed.). That’s why we also scored, but we could have executed it much better.”
Cody Gakpo and Memphis Depay shielded the pass line to the backs.
He did not explain exactly what Van Gaal meant by provocative pressing. Maduro still comes with text and explanation the day after the victory NOS. “It is a term that is used in defense and we are actually doing very well in the Netherlands. It actually starts with how Depay and Gakpo stand. They stand between the backs and central defenders, while leaving that central free. As a result, the opponent thinks that there is a lot of time and that it can be built up quietly, but then the Netherlands makes a fall: they are forced to dribble through the middle, where many players of the Dutch team are standing.”
The centre-backs are forced to play through the busy centre.
“So provocative pressing is actually forcing a mistake on the opponent,” Maduro continues. “Van Gaal already said: if the ball is captured, they are immediately one against one in the attack. The Netherlands does that very well: provoking the opponent. We were just very sloppy with the ball when we attacked. With the second goal, the US fell into the trap again. Pulisic was put under pressure, so we were able to switch very quickly with Dumfries and Gakpo. We then had three rockets with Depay still there, and that attack led to the 2-0”, Maduro concludes.