League Two Defensive Mastery: Stockport County’s out-of-possession tactics and the road to the title – scout report

We are just weeks away from the curtain closing on the EFL 2023/24 campaign. A season full of surprises, twists, and turns, but a season where League Two side Stockport County have been consistently strong, sitting four points clear at the top of the table with a game in hand on second-place Wrexham.

Under the management and leadership of Dave Challinor, Stockport have found an impeccable balance in their game, finding consistent quality both in and out of possession. The biggest piece of evidence to back this up comes in the form of their goals scored/conceded totals – 82 goals scored is bettered only by Notts County in League Two, while their defensive record of conceding just 41 goals is the best in the division.

Challinor has coached his County team to be aggressive out of possession, which plays a huge part in opponents struggling to lay a glove on the Hatters. This scout report will provide a tactical analysis of the tactics used by Stockport out of possession – the analysis will identify key points relating to their pressing tendencies as well as how they defend their defensive third.

Overview

This image, provided by our very own TFA writer Venkatanarayanan, led to this deep dive into Stockport’s defensive success. Of course, this data set is a few weeks old now, but it demonstrates Stockport’s defensive consistency. We’ve mentioned that they’ve conceded the least number of goals in League Two. Overall, their record is second-best: 0.9 goals conceded per 90 ranks just below the top spot in League Two. Their tally of 16 clean sheets is also up there among the best in the division – all of them kept by Ben Hinchliffe. Additionally, they also average fewer shots against them than anyone else in the division, facing 7.6 shots per 90, resulting in a total 23/24 season xG against of 40.02.

Stockport have opted for a 3-5-2 most of the time this season – but a 4-3-1-2 is also common. Regardless of which formation they line up with, the aim on the ball is to dominate possession and dictate the game tempo.

At the time of writing, they average 57% possession per 90, bettered only by Notts County in League Two. This plays a huge part in how much defensive work County have to do, particularly in their own half, but as we will come to discuss later, they are often very successful when called upon.

Aggressive defending

A high-energy, aggressive off-the-ball approach always goes down well with the fans, but implementing such tactics is easier said than done, particularly at a lower level where fitness levels and game tactical intelligence aren’t as high as Premier League sides that operate under similar tactics out-of-possession. Here, we discuss how Stockport approach things out-of-possession and how their press is so successful.

Challinor has transformed Stockport into one of the EFL’s most aggressive teams out of possession. Currently, they boast a challenge intensity of 6.8 (fourth-highest in League Two) and a PPDA of 9.03 (third-lowest in division) – their effectiveness is very apparent.

As we can see from the image above, they like to utilise that aggression in midfield and even the final third, creating plenty of shooting opportunities from a high regain. 781 counterpressing recoveries this season is a clear indicator of their consistent aggression and again, they make a high portion of counterpressing recoveries in the final third across both flanks and central areas.

Aggression in midfield is just as important for Stockport, but the timing of execution is key. They tend to bide their time and pick their moment to flick the switch and trigger a suffocating press. One of the most common times to see this is following a pressing trigger like a backward pass or a poor touch/pass.

Once Stockport recognise a potential trigger, they squeeze the opposition as a unit, with the defence and midfield both taking steps up the pitch. Furthermore, the nearby midfield players will look to mark opposition passing options in proximity, eliminating them from proceedings. This leaves the man on the ball with little choice but to play backwards, which only encourages County to increase their aggression even more.

And when that happens, Stockport show no sign of letting up, no sign of letting the opponent off after a backwards pass. They will act individually to hunt the ball down and mark nearby opposition passing options, ultimately adding onto the mounting pressure. From here, the opposition is either forced into a backwards pass to the goalkeeper or a mistake on the ball himself.

Defending their deep third

Pressing is fun to watch and can be deadly for the opposition, but you still need to be defensively solid, prepared for when the opponent has a period of controlled possession inside the midfield third and higher. In this segment, we look at Stockport’s defensive abilities in duels as well as looking at how they tend to approach things when the opponent has forced them slightly deeper than they want to be.

We start by looking at the success rates of Stockport when it comes to defensive and aerial duels. While they rank low for defensive duel attempts, the Hatters win 66.05% of those duel types, bettering the success rates of 22 other League 2 clubs. As you can see, on an individual basis, they have several players excelling in defensive duels, with a total of 13 squad members having a success rate that beats the league average.

Aerial duels is another strong point for Stockport, in both defence and attack. They’ve scored 19 headed goals this season (joint-best in League Two), making them deadly from set-pieces. Aerial actions have become a key part of their tactics – and that includes their defensive work too. The application is slightly different, obviously, but when called upon, they’re reliable in the air. Their aerial duel win rate of 51.2% is the highest in League Two – an indicator to how strong they are in the air, and as we said, that comes into play in their defensive work too.

When defending their final third, we see glimmers of their pressing work higher up the pitch – they play with patience and structure, waiting for what they think is the best moment to try and retrieve the ball. This timing of a tackle likely plays a part to Stockport being so successful in defensive duels as they don’t simply dive in at the first opportunity.

Another interesting element to their defensive tactics when playing this way is that they like to remain close to the backline, particularly in central areas to provide the CBs with defensive protection and make it harder for the opponent to make penetrating passes/runs.

Conclusion

Stockport County are likely going to be playing League One football next season if they continue their good form. As we said, their defensive record plays a huge part in their success – they’ve been incredibly hard to break down, as the data shows us. Dave Challinor has managed to strike a brilliant balance within the squad – being dangerous in attack and solid in defence is a coach’s dream, and he and his team deserve immense credit for achieving this.