top 100 footballers – DECEMBER 2021

the dugout

2021 was the most successful year in the six year history of TheMastermindSite.com. Over the course of the year, we doubled our number of views, visitors, social media followers and email subscribers from where we left off in 2020. Our most popular feature and the aspect of our website that has gained the attention from pro club managers, former and current professional players, and writers from The Athletic, has been our tactical analyses all year long. So with that, here are the ten most popular analyses of the year, all written by Rhys Desmond in 2021.

10. ERIK TEN HAG – AJAX (2020-21)

Written originally for RDF Tactics’ YouTube channel, our analysis of Erik Ten Hag has continued to claim popularity due to the ongoing speculation of his future with a Super League giant. Whenever a new job opens up, Ten Hag always seems to top the list of potential replacements, and the readership comes pouring in for our thoughts on the Dutchman’s tactics. What people don’t know when they first view this article – it’s currently only available to subscribers of the site. So if you want to read the in-depth analysis of Ten Hag’s tactics in full, you must become a subscriber.

9. GRAHAM POTTER – BRIGHTON (2020-21)

In a similar vein to Erik Ten Hag, Graham Potter seems to be perpetually linked to any vacant managerial job. That only boosts the traffic to our 2020-21 analysis of his team, where we analyzed his intricate tactics, the parallels with Tuchel’s Chelsea, and why their league position did not tell the whole story. If you’re a coach looking to play total football in a back three, there are few better to read about than Graham Potter.

8. PICKING THE PFA TEAM OF THE YEAR (20/21)

We’d say that this is the only analysis in the top ten that doesn’t cover a single team, but then again, it kind of does. Our analysis of which players should make the 2020-21 PFA Team of the Year achieved widescale success on the site, and ended up coming pretty close to the real deal. Other than a glaring omission of Declan Rice, the PFA Team of the Year wasn’t too far away from the truth, but we still prefer our version.

7. THOMAS FRANK – BRENTFORD (2020-21)

Perhaps the most surprising entry on our top ten, Thomas Frank was still managing in the Championship by the time we posted our 2020-21 analysis of his team. Written just before the Championship Playoff Final against Bournemouth, our analysis turned out to be a carbon-copy of how they’d go on to secure promotion to the Premier League. Since Brentford’s big jump to the top flight, Thomas Frank has made very few changes in both tactics and personnel, allowing our analysis to stay relevant and popular.

6. ITALY – EURO 2020

One of the more unsurprising entries in our top ten, Italy shocked the world with their stellar tactics at Euro 2020, going on to win the tournament after back to back penalty shootout victories. With Jorginho pulling the strings from midfield just as he did for Tuchel’s Chelsea, many footballing fans wondered whether the Italian could even make a claim for a Ballon d’Or. It didn’t end up panning out that way, but his form for Italy at the Euros certainly caught attention. Combine that with the aging, experienced heads of Bonucci and Chiellini continuing to perform, and some young guns up front impressing like never before, many fans wanted to know more about how Italy achieved their success, and came right to our analysis.

5. ZINEDINE ZIDANE – REAL MADRID (2020-21)

Zinedine Zidane is yet another name who continues to be linked with clubs around the world, but in his case, he seems to have no intention of returning to the game any time soon. Our 2020-21 analysis of his Real Madrid team continues to live on and prosper as a result, with many taking notes on how he could one day set up his next club. The thing is, his next club may very well be Real Madrid yet again, just as it was the last time he took a hiatus from management. Regardless, our tactical profile of his team from 2020-21 will continue to serve as the reference until his next big move.

4. THOMAS TUCHEL’S PRINCIPLES OF PLAY

Shortly before Thomas Tuchel was suggested to be linked to the Chelsea job, we randomly analyzed his principles of play in a three-part series, discussing which club he should manage next. Little did we know in a few days time that our words would blow up, with thousands of views pouring in across the days that followed. Since then, this article’s views have rapidly died down, in favour of another analysis on this list. But the timing has perhaps never been more perfect, making everyone question whether or not we had psychic powers (no one actually asked that).

3. ANTONIO CONTE – INTER MILAN (2020-21)

Antonio Conte’s Inter Milan were absolutely on fire in 2020-21, breaking Juventus’ long-standing Serie A win streak. The very first team analysis we ever did discussed Conte’s Premier League winning year with Chelsea, which we then followed up with our first relevant to the time analysis of his Inter Milan team in 2019-20. Since those initial Conte pieces, we’ve analyzed hundreds of teams, players and managers. So it’s no surprise that featuring in the top three this year is another Conte piece, where we analyzed his Inter Milan in 2020-21, toward the end of their title winning campaign.

2. PEP GUARDIOLA – MAN CITY (2020-21)

Despite never being a Manchester City fan, Pep Guardiola has been my favourite manager to watch since he arrived in the Premier League. His tactics are always special and innovative, and 2020-21 was no different. The analysis caught the eye of Tifo’s Alex Stewart when RDF Tactics asked us for permission to use it on their YouTube channel, and has been one of the most popular articles to ever grace the site. Even better – we already have our updated 2021-22 analysis out, where Guardiola has already developed new ways of playing against the odds.

1. THOMAS TUCHEL – CHELSEA (2020-21)

Head and shoulders above the rest, our Thomas Tuchel Chelsea piece has amassed over 30,000 views since it was posted in March. While you may think it was inevitable for the UEFA Champions League winning manager to finish number one on our website, what makes this analysis so special is that we analyzed not just what was good about Chelsea, but what was actively bad. The problems we pointed out in our analysis still persist today, and perhaps Tuchel himself should take a look. In another sense, the number one landing spot really is no surprise, given the fact that we’ve made references to it in nearly every tactical analysis since. That’s a testament to Tuchel and his innovative tactics seen at Chelsea, which have served as a blueprint for all teams across the calendar year.

q&A

Q: Where do you get your analysis background from, and your ideas on the game?
@DavidEdgar4, former Canadian Men’s National Team player

A lot of it comes from my coaching experiences over the past eight years. Other ideas come from just scrutinizing over the game every weekend since I was a kid. Between the Premier League and Bundesliga, I try and watch all 18 games a week, and as you can see from the website, I’m always studying the game in my free time. I just love the chess match like we all do, and I can’t get enough football. I’ve taken a bit of a break from working full-time in the professional soccer and youth soccer realm, but the calls to return keep coming and eventually something will tempt my eye enough that I won’t be able to resist. In 2022, I’ll be adding several performance analysis courses to my belt, as I continue that quest and add more to my resume. Also shoutout to David Edgar, who’s been so welcoming and kind to myself and the site this month. If you’re in Ontario, you have to checkout his new coaching business in Waterloo and what he’s doing on and off the field for the future generations.

podcasts

the longball Pl preview show

How to use Wyscout for successful football analysis (video on TMS) – TheMastermindSite

What's going on! If you've ever considered using Wyscout or want to know how I use the platform for my analyses, check out a brand new video on themastermindsite.com, where I show you exactly how to use the platform for successful analysis. This is only the audio file, so be sure to follow along with the video on the site!

Rhys Desmond

the mastermind monthly magazine – fox in the box – december 2021