High Press with Purpose: Inside the Training Ground of SV 07 Elversberg’s Historic Bundesliga 2 Season (Patreon)

In the heart of Germany’s Bundesliga 2, one team is turning heads with its fearless, coordinated, and tactically refined approach: SV 07 Elversberg e.V. Under head coach Horst Steffen and assistant coach Raphael Duarte, Elversberg is defying expectations — not by chance, but through the power of deliberate, high-intensity training.

At the core of their success lies a clear identity: press high, win early, and counter with purpose. And this identity is shaped, day in and day out, with exercises like this one: “High Press in 8 vs. 11.”

🔁 The Exercise: “High Press in 8 vs. 11”

This drill reflects the kind of aggressive and synchronized pressing Elversberg has become known for. Here’s how it works:

• 11 players form the team in possession. Their goal is to build up play from the back and progress the ball through three mini-goals (bars) placed behind the halfway line.

• 8 attackers (the pressing team) apply coordinated pressure high up the pitch, trying to win the ball and immediately counter.

• A key rule: the team in possession can only play on the ground — no long balls allowed. This forces them to engage in short-passing under pressure, creating valuable learning moments for both sides.

The constraint adds clarity: ball-oriented pressing becomes not just an option, but a necessity. The drill turns into a dynamic battle of timing, anticipation, and communication — all under the watchful eye of the coaching staff.

🎯 Coaching Focus: Intensity and Consequence

For Raphael Duarte, this exercise is about much more than tactical repetition. It's about setting a standard:

“High press → outcome in the game. The game is a consequence of the intensity during the training sessions.”

Players learn to read cues, press as a unit, and understand the exact moment to close down, shadow passing lanes, or trigger a counter. It’s a simulation of real match conditions — just with controlled chaos and a clear learning objective.

🔎 Why It Works

This type of constraint-based training:

• Encourages collective pressing triggers

• Improves communication and spatial awareness

• Replicates the mental and physical demands of matchday pressing

• Creates recovery-to-goal scenarios that promote immediate transition play

More than just an exercise, it’s a coaching tool that engrains principles of modern football: verticality, urgency, and team compactness.

📌 Takeaway for Coaches

If you want your team to press high with confidence, don’t just ask for it on matchday — train it during the week with intentional design and meaningful constraints.

Create the environment. Challenge your players. Coach the moments.
Because in football — just like in life — you play how you train.

Inspired by the work of Raphael Duarte, Assistant Coach at SV 07 Elversberg — one of the most exciting stories in German football today.