Connor, here is the cheat code

Whenever you feel like you cannot find space in buildup remember this:

Space appears where the press starts.

That is not a slogan. It is how the game works.

When you feel removed from the play and you are inside the striker’s shadow it can feel like there is no passing lane. But the moment the striker presses your center back he leaves space somewhere else.

Pressure does not only close space.
It creates it.

The question is whether you recognize where it appears.

Most players react to pressure.
More influential players move with it.

When the striker steps to press that is your cue. Instead of staying still inside the shadow follow the movement of the press and step into the space he just left. Now you are not trying to escape pressure. You are receiving because of it.

That is the difference.

If you stay connected to your marker you are waiting.
If you move with the press you are arriving.

And when you arrive behind the first line you receive with space in front of you. That changes your body orientation. That changes your options. That changes your influence.

If you ever feel like you cannot find space do not look wider.
Do not drop further.

Ask yourself one question:

Where did the press start.

Move there.

That is the layer that raises your influence without raising your workload.