Teams that like to defend deep to counter will defend even deeper when they go up a goal. If they are built to conserve energy for long periods of time as the opposition maintains possession, why do they relax out of possession?

If a team that normally presses high relaxes, they’ll simply be open. But when the team that doesn’t press high relaxes, they’ll both be open and form a wall on the edge of their box.

When they form a wall on the edge of the box, now the defenders and midfielders have room to pick their pass. Midfielders can collect in front of that wall, turn, and find passes over the wall to the forwards and out to the wings.

I understand the forwards on the first line of defense will want a rest after running and running and running on each counter, but this mindset to relax seems unproductive for the team that likes to defend deep to counter.

I think the best teams, even those that like to counter, are those that never stop. They don’t take leads for granted.

If you are going to commit to defending deep to counter, I think you must always maintain the same level of intensity throughout a match, or you risk consistently giving the edge to opponents with the qualitative advantage.