Analysis
How To Effectively Scout Your Opposition & Write A Scout Report
Depending on your sources, you’ve likely heard that football is 50% luck. Others, most often former players or coaches, will offer a range of 0 to 20% luck in any outcome. Luck surely factors into any match, but that doesn’t minimise the significance of an opposition scouting report. In fact, you could argue that we [...]
Tactical Analysis: Coaching breaking lines
When in possession and looking to play forward, breaking the lines of an opposition’s defensive shape can be the most difficult process. It can often lead to turnovers of possession, and teams will frequently look to attempt to do so when there isn’t the space or opportunity to play these passes. Forcing these passes often [...]
Analysis
A Comprehensive Guide To Zonal Marking From Corners – Set-Piece Analysis
Defending from set-pieces is still a topic that invokes much debate in the footballing community, with the debate of man-to-man vs zonal marking still one which splits opinion. Anyone who has played football in their life is likely to have used man-to-man marking from set-pieces simply because its simplicity leads to less time needed coaching it, [...]
Valentín Castellanos
Valentín Castellanos Scouting Report – Analyzing His Successful Season At New York City FC
South America has been the go-to place for scouts to look for attacking players, especially strikers. One such South American talent who is shining at New York City FC is Valentín Castellanos. The 23-year-old striker has so far been involved in 20 goals this season in his 26 appearances and almost contributed to 45% of his [...]
James Ward-Prowse: More than just a free-kick specialist
In recent years in the Premier League, there have been very few who can match James Ward-Prowse when it comes to free-kicks. The Southampton skipper has an astonishing 17 free-kick goals to his name currently, just one short of David Beckham’s Premier League record. At 28 years of age, the midfielder is in his prime years as a footballer at the top [...]
Olympique Lyonnais Féminin: The defensive philosophy
The perennial winners of the Champions League and Division 1 Feminine are known for their attacking flair and offensive efficiency. However, their defensive work has been overlooked, despite the team using some interesting tactics to shut out the opposition. This is a first in a series of analysis articles that will look into the offensive [...]
Analysis
Roberto De Zerbi Tactics At Sassuolo 2023/2024 – Tactical Analysis
If you follow Italian football and are always on the lookout for young, innovative coaches with distinguished vision, the name Roberto De Zerbi likely comes high on your list. The 41-year-old coach is currently in charge of Sassuolo in Serie A and breaks all the rules in modern-day football, which is often ruled by money and extreme transfer [...]
Tactical Analysis
The England women’s football team is currently under the interim leadership of Norway legend Hege Riise, who replaced former boss Phil Neville earlier this year, and who has led the team to a convincing win against Northern Ireland and losses to France and Canada. However, following the conclusion of this year’s Olympics, current Netherlands boss [...]
Copa Libertadores
European-based coaches routinely dominate the shortlist for FIFA’s best men’s coach award. This year’s final three are composed of Premier League duo Pep Guardiola of Manchester City and the winner Thomas Tuchel of Chelsea, along with European Championship-winning Italy boss Roberto Mancini. Meanwhile, Liverpool mastermind Jürgen Klopp won the award in both of the two [...]
Joško Gvardiol Scouting Report – GNK Dinamo Zagreb (On Loan From RB Leipzig)
When a teenager who has played fewer than 20 senior matches gets a lot of attention from top clubs and coaches, it is undoubtedly an indicator that he is an extraordinary player. Two coaches who play modern pressing football had been fighting for his signature in the summer, and in the end, Julian Nagelsmann won [...]
Analysis
Dominik Szoboszlai Scout Report At RB Leipzig 2023/2024: Is He Ready For The Next Big Move?
Dominik Szoboszlai is currently the most valuable player in the Austrian Bundesliga with a market value of £13.5million at the age of 19. The Hungarian was one of the great stars of the 2018/19 season, but he has not played that often this season under the new coach, Jesse Marsch. In this campaign's opening 20 league [...]
Theory – Using inverted fullbacks to control the centre
When Pep Guardiola moved to Germany to join Bayern Munich in 2013 there was a sense that the Spaniard would favour consistency rather than revolution. This was afterall the coach who had created one of the most incredible sides in living memory as his Barcelona side passed and probed all opponents into oblivion. Guardiola is a coach [...]
Tactical Theory
La Pausa: Why This Spanish Passing Style Is So Effective
This tactical analysis scout report will focus on ‘La Pausa’ – a technique that is becoming utilised more often in European football. This analysis will explain what La Pausa is and demonstrate how it is used throughout in-game scenarios and tactics. Finally, this tactical analysis will showcase the players who have perfected this skill which requires great vision and technical and tactical awareness. [...]
Bruk-Bet Termalica Nieciecza: Their ever-changing set plays
Bruk-Bet Termalica Nieciecza are located in a village where only 750 people or so live, yet that has not stopped them from taking the competition to the big teams. In the past ten years, they have spent their time exclusively either competing in the Ekstraklasa or battling for promotion back to the top tier, where in that time, [...]