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Opposition PPDA — passes per defensive action — has become the most-cited metric for high presses. It is also the most-misread. We explain why, and publish the three alternative metrics that we calculate for our coverage and how to read them.
The problem with PPDA
PPDA compresses very different tactical behaviours into a single number, treating a high block that allows the opposition to circulate sideways the same way as a low block that funnels the opposition into a press trap. The result is that two completely different sides, with completely different ideas about how to defend, register the same number.
Alt 1: Height of the press line
The first alternative is the median y-coordinate of the defensive action that triggers the press, measured from the team's own goal. The number is not glamorous but it answers the question most readers actually want answered: how high does this side press?
Alt 2: Pressure duration
The second alternative is the duration of the pressure window: how long, on average, the team sustains an active press before it ends — either in a regaining of the ball, a foul, or the opposition escaping into space. It correlates strongly with the success of the press in regaining the ball within five seconds, but is a separate dimension.
Alt 3: Counter-press stops
The third is the proportion of possessions in the opponent's half that end in a counter-press stop within the first three seconds after losing the ball. It correlates with the kind of football where transitions are short and matches are crowded.
How to read these metrics
Used together these three metrics draw a much sharper picture of what a side is trying to do, even before the tactical decision is named in the press conference. The methodology and the data sources are on the methodology page.