Why Is Glory’s Red Bull Press Not Working?
When David Zdrilic was appointed as the new head coach of Perth Glory, it was no secret that the team’s playing style would embrace the renowned Red Bull game model, pioneered by the visionary manager Ralf Rangnick. This dynamic approach to football, which had delivered notable success with Sydney FC in the prior season, was marketed as a major selling point to fans.
Despite the intent to replicate this high-energy, pressing philosophy, its implementation this season has encountered significant challenges — most notably in the Glory’s defensive organisation. In several matches, the press has been dismantled with alarming ease, leading to a steep decline in the number of times possession has been recovered in the final third. While Perth Glory ranked among the top few teams in this metric during the opening weeks of the season, their current average (4.4 recoveries per match) has fallen below last season’s figure of 4.7.
The shortcomings of this system were starkly evident in their recent 4–0 home defeat against the Newcastle Jets.
This piece synthesises insights from various threads on X (Twitter) that analyse Perth Glory’s struggles from both tactical and psychological perspectives, with a particular focus on their defensive challenges.
This issue has been evident for some time, as highlighted by former player and commentator Daniel McBreen on the A-League Off-Air podcast:
“Well done to Newcastle… they’ve got to beat the team that’s in front of them. But in saying that, fuck they were playing Perth. Like seriously, they can’t even sit in a block and defend. I don’t think I’ve seen a professional team defend like this at all.”
One of the primary reasons for the Glory’s defensive woes is their lack of compactness between the lines. Fundamentally, when a team out of possession maintains minimal distance between its lines — both horizontally and vertically — it becomes significantly harder for the opposition to penetrate.
José Mourinho eloquently explained this concept on Sky Sports a few years ago:
“All the good teams defend in a compact block. The lower block is more defensive, the higher block is more offensive and aggressive, but it’s always in a block. There are principles of play that don’t depend on the system you use; it’s a basic principle — you have to defend compact.”
Mourinho’s observation underscores the simplicity yet importance of this principle. Without compactness, even the most talented players or innovative tactics are rendered ineffective, and unfortunately for Perth Glory, this fundamental flaw is glaringly evident in their performances.
Referring to the thread done by Aus Tactics, as illustrated in the diagram below, Perth Glory aimed to press aggressively in a 4–2–4 shape.
If executed correctly, an aggressive, intense, and well-coordinated front four can significantly disrupt the opposition, creating turnovers and allowing for quick transitions against an undermanned backline. This approach had the potential to be particularly effective against the Newcastle Jets. However, as the thread highlights, failing to apply sufficient pressure on the ball or block passing lanes at the first line of defence is a recipe for disaster.
Due to the Glory’s poorly coordinated timing and spacing in their press, the following situation unfolded. Josh Risdon was forced to step out of position and cover a large amount of ground in an attempt to close down Daniel Wilmering.
Because Risdon’s starting position was deeper and the rest of the back four failed to step up and compress the space, the Jets easily bypassed the initial press. This breakdown in structure led to the scenario depicted below.
With no compactness or defensive cohesion following the failed press, the Jets were presented with multiple options for progressing the ball. They could either continue penetrating through the disorganised Glory or switch play to the opposite flank, as seen in the diagram where Thomas Aquilina was making a forward run.
This lack of structure has been a recurring issue since the start of the season. Analyst Petar Petrov noted similar flaws ahead of the Glory’s Round 2 clash against Wellington Phoenix. “Perth need to be careful. Their timing and spacing in the press were off last week, which led to a demolition. They need to fix those details this time, or it could get ugly again.”
Below is another instance of the Glory’s front four pressure getting played around really easily.
It’s a simple, efficient process for their opponents — teams from all standings on the ladder have consistently found it too easy to navigate around the Glory’s press due to poor positioning, timing, spacing, and coordination.
The problem isn’t isolated to high pressing. Even when the Glory attempt to sit in a mid-block, as shown below, the spaces between players are far too open, providing the opposition with numerous opportunities to exploit gaps and create chances.
As the thread discusses, a typical scenario could be when a key player — such as a midfielder crucial for covering large spaces — goes missing. This disruption often leads to a breakdown in pressing effectiveness, which causes players to lose confidence in the team’s identity and their individual roles.
As confidence erodes, players become less brave and committed, resulting in a higher number of failed pressing actions. These failures, in turn, frustrate the players who are still invested, compounding the problem. Over time, this cyclical dynamic causes the team’s core pressing identity to unravel, ultimately forcing them into situations they are unprepared for — such as defending in a low block.
In response, coaches often hastily shift focus to addressing immediate concerns, such as improving low-block defending. However, this reactive approach can often make matters worse, further undermining the pressing system. As players try to compensate, some may overexert themselves, risking injury, while others may lose motivation entirely. Even if a coach attempts to rebuild the pressing system later, the team often struggles to regain proficiency in the micro-details that are essential for success at the highest level.
To counteract these challenges, coaches must anticipate potential tipping points and prepare their teams to manage them before failure cascades. When failure does occur, swift and strategic intervention is key. This involves identifying leverage points — specific areas within the system where small adjustments can lead to significant improvements. For example, if a team is conceding several goals from crosses, the solution may lie in improving pressing, rest defence, or throw-ins, rather than simply focusing on goalkeeping.
Relating this issue to Perth Glory’s defensive struggles, there are clear parallels. As the thread points out, a breakdown in pressing dynamics (e.g., the failure of the first line to apply effective pressure) can have cascading effects. Perth’s inability to block passing lanes or close spaces allowed Newcastle to bypass their press with ease, exposing deeper weaknesses in their defensive structure.
When teams lose confidence in their press, players often respond in different ways. Some players push forward to win the ball but end up isolated, while others hesitate, further compounding the issue. This disconnect was particularly evident in Perth’s defensive transitions.
Tactical crises often manifest in these small details — poor decision-making, disjointed positioning, and uneven load distribution — caused by players losing trust in the collective plan.
Looking ahead, it’s clear that despite David Zdrilic’s ambitious pressing ideas, the flaws exposed in the game against the Jets suggest systemic and executional problems that have been persisting for some time. These issues have allowed a side lacking the attacking prowess of a Sydney FC or Melbourne Victory to exploit the Glory’s weaknesses ruthlessly.
Now, with the team at Round 9 and no wins on the board, these problems have become entrenched, resulting in the Glory conceding 24 goals — a new league record. It’s fair and reasonable to criticise David Zdrilic for not demonstrating the tactical flexibility required to stabilise the team before confidence eroded further.
Given that we are well into the season, rebuilding confidence and improving pressing efficiency has become even more challenging. Players may either overcompensate, leading to fatigue and injuries, or lose hope, resulting in disconnection — issues fans have noticed as early as the opening game against Macarthur.
Now, when we talk about balancing accountability, we can look at this in three key ways.
Zdrilic is responsible for the system, structure, and tactical clarity. The persistent issues suggest poor preparation and delayed intervention. The players, on the other hand, are responsible for executing the plan and maintaining individual accountability in effort, decision-making, and positional discipline.
When considering the bigger picture, it’s clear that a pressing system requires trust and collective execution. If players have lost faith in the system or stopped fully committing to it, both the coach and senior players share the blame for allowing confidence to erode.
Moving forward, what is most clear is that it starts with David Zdrilic ensuring that the tactical clarity of his messaging, along with the actual structure itself, is communicated effectively to the players. From there, senior players need to lead by example and instil belief in the system.
Ultimately, failure to address these issues will only increase the pressure on Zdrilic, and while this situation is unfortunate, it may ultimately lead to the necessary scrutiny if the team continues to struggle.
