Heaviest pressure on opponents: global rankings
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The 535th CIES Football Observatory Weekly Post ranks teams from 56 leagues around the world according to the level of pressure exerted on opponents. This was calculated using the following Impect data: distance from own goal of presses applied, speed of interrupting opponent possessions, frequency of defensive actions with respect to passes conceded, and propensity to commit fouls in the final third when not in possession*. Across Europe’s five major leagues, Italy’s Como 1907 tops the list, reflecting coach Cesc Fàbregas’s philosophy of constant pressure on opponents. Paris St-Germain (Luis Enrique) and Bayern Munich (Vincent Kompany) complete the podium of the big-5 league teams with the most proactive defensive styles. South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns head the rankings among non-European clubs. The top pressure index among the 883 teams analysed was measured for Dutch side ADO Den Haag, current leaders of the Eerste Divisie, whose coach, German Robin Peter, also advocates an aggressive defensive style. At the opposite end of the spectrum, we find AC Milan at big-5 league level and Austria’s TSV Hartberg among all the teams studied (in both cases also with rather convincing results). *The pressure index was calculated based on the standard deviation of these four indicators with respect to the club’s league average. The data for each indicator is also presented as a ratio with respect to league average. >>> Full data >>> New video: economic analysis of the transfer market (2016-2025) >>> More about Impect >>> Ball-friendiest teams analysis |
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About the CIES Football Observatory The CIES Football Observatory is a research group created in 2005 within the Swiss-based Centre International d’Étude du Sport (CIES). It specialises in the statistical analysis of football, in particular in the areas of demographics, transfer values and performance (technical, tactical, physical). Click here for more information. About the CIES The International Centre for Sports Studies (CIES) is an independent study centre located in Neuchâtel, Switzerland. It was created in 1995 as a joint venture between the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the University of Neuchâtel, the City and State of Neuchatel. Click here for more information. CIES – Centre International d’Étude du Sport Avenue DuPeyrou 1, 2000 Neuchâtel |
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