"They’ve got quality and they’re very good at disrupting." Lee Johnson's assessment of Leeds United after they won 1-0 at Ashton Gate in March was seen as something of a back-handed compliment as Bristol City had frustratingly been kept at arm's length by Marcelo Bielsa's side.
Leeds arrived at BS3 with hopes of an open, exciting contest but instead the visitors scored an early goal then sucked the life out of the contest, constantly harrying and harrassing the Robins midfield, throwing them off their rhythm.
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But Johnson wasn't being derogatory, it was just his annoyance that the Robins were unable to exploit the press by being more accurate in their passing and execution higher up the field.
Because Leeds' pressing has been a key tenent of their strategy in the Championship with Bielsa the architect of the tried-and-trusted tactic now employed by Pep Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp and Mauricio Pochettino at Premier League level.
According to statistics collated by Reach plc, based on how many passes the opposition is permitted before a press is made, their work without the ball far exceeds any other Championship side.
Leeds' Passes Per Defensive Action (PPDA) is a miserly 6.38, with the average of the remaining 23 teams being 9.99. Bristol City lie ninth overall on 9.02. You can see the full table below.
The rankings (league position in brackets)
1. Leeds (2) 6.38
2. Ipswich (24) 8.13
3. Derby (8) 8.18
4. Norwich (1) 8.27
5. Blackburn (15) 8.56
6. Brentford (14) 8.64
7. Preston (12) 8.86
8. Nottingham Forest (11) 8.94
9. Bristol City (6) 9.02
10. Aston Villa (5) 9.15
11. Wigan (21) 9.15
12. West Brom (4) 9.99
13. Sheffield Utd (3) 10.16
14. Millwall (20) 10.27
15. Rotherham (22) 10.33
16. Sheff Wed (10) 10.45
17. Hull (9) 10.54
18. Birmingham City (18) 10.77
19. Middlesbrough (7) 11.02
20. QPR (17) 11.02
21. Stoke (16) 11.19
22. Bolton (23) 11.33
23. Reading (19) 11.88
24. Swansea (13) 12.42
How is it worked out?
It’s basically done by assessing Passes Per Defensive Action (PPDA), which focuses on how many passes a team allows before pressing to regain the ball.
A team who has a lower number of PPDA most likely deploys an aggressive press, looking to regain possession as quickly as possible high up the pitch, and engaging in defensive actions quickly to retrieve the ball.
A team who allows more PPDA often prefer to sit in a deep block and relinquish possession, only pressing the ball when the opposition reaches their defensive half.
