Author: Rhys Desmond

Across the past decade, I have worked with thousands of players and coaches across multiple sports and disciplines. I recognize the value of diving deeper beyond the first glance, and uncovering the deeper-lying ways to enhance performance. I make a commitment toward positive reinforcement, research-backed insights, and making the experience fun for those that work with me. If you’re interested in learning more about my site or experiencing my coaching, feel free to reach out! 👊⚽

Futbol Masterminds – Top Four Race Heating Up

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Podcast, Premier League, UEFA Champions League

Leicester City spent the entirety of the 2019-20 season in the top four, only to miss out on Champions League football on the final day with a devastating defeat to Manchester United. With Leicester's recent 3-2 loss to West Ham United, the Futbol Masterminds examine the Champions League football race that appears to be tighter than ever before, with the Hammers and Foxes competing with the likes of Liverpool and Chelsea for a spot in next season's competition. The panel also discuss whether clubs should spend money on transfers or youth academies, what's been missing for Brighton & Hove Albion this season, and the upcoming Champions League fixture between Dortmund and Manchester City. Submit questions and follow the show @futbolmasterminds on Instagram, or on themastermindsite.com. 

Eintracht Frankfurt 4-3 VFL Wolfsburg – Tactical Analysis

by Rhys Desmond, posted in German Bundesliga, Match Analysis, World Football

Guts, gusto and gifted talents galore: Eintracht Frankfurt's clash with VFL Wolfsburg was a seismic occasion in the race for third place, and did not disappoint - not even for a second. Not only was it a seven goal thriller, but you'd do well to find a match with more energy, heart and determination than this electric fixture. Both teams were full of spirit right from the very first whistle, and never slowed down. This is a Tactical Analysis of Eintracht Frankfurt's important win over VFL Wolfsburg on Matchday 28 of the 2020-21 Bundesliga season.

Mauricio Pochettino – PSG – Tactical Analysis

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Coach Education, Coaching, Formations, Managers, Masterclasses, Subscriber Exclusives, Team Analysis, UEFA Champions League, World Football

Although Mauricio Pochettino hasn't had the best start to life with PSG, much hope and promise for the future remains, given his early time in charge so far and the team's form in the UEFA Champions League. The Parisians are yet to lose a game in the Champions League under Pochettino, and despite a disappointing loss to Lille in Ligue 1, remain in the hunt for a treble. The league title that the Argentinean desperately craved at Tottenham is still within reach, and will certainly come even if not this season. So with that, here is a Tactical Analysis of Mauricio Pochettino's PSG so far in 2020-21.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic – AC MIlan (2020-21) – Scout Report

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Player Analysis, Serie A, Striker

In the Serie A 2020-21 season, AC Milan showed great promise and performances, having their best season in over a decade. Pioli’s tactics were spot on throughout the season, with the players on the field coming to life in surprising ways. The likes of Davide Calabria, Theo Hernandez and Rafael Leao have all had their best seasons as professional players this season but here we shed light on one of the most important players to the Milan system – 39-year old Swedish veteran Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Futbol Masterminds – Aguero’s Legacy, Tuchel’s First Defeat and Liverpool’s Hot Streak

by Rhys Desmond, posted in German Bundesliga, Match Analysis, Player Analysis, Podcast, Premier League, Serie A, UEFA Champions League, World Football

Over the past decade at Manchester City, Sergio Aguero has established himself as one of the best strikers in Premier League history. After the announcement that he will be leaving City at the end of the season, the Futbol Masterminds examine the Argentine's career and whether or not Pep's team need to replace him with a summer buy. The panel also break down Tuchel's first defeat as Chelsea boss, Timo Werner's lack of goals (again), Liverpool's hot streak, and Lampard's future. To cap it all off, Russell has some strong takes about Serie A and whether or not it's truly a top four league. Follow @futbolmasterminds on Instagram to see more of the show and subscribe via Itunes and Spotify!

Erik Ten Hag – Ajax – Tactical Analysis

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Subscriber Exclusives, UEFA Champions League, World Football

Since taking over for Marcel Keizer in December 2017, Erik Ten Hag has been a revelation at AFC Ajax. In fact, it would have been difficult for anyone to do a better job. The Dutch manager scraped Ajax back into the title race in his first season in charge, only missing out by four points, and since then has won the Eredivisie, gotten his team to the UEFA Champions League semi-final and now looks set to win the league all over again. That has all culminated in an outrageous 74% of his matches won since the tail-end of 2017. This season they're up to 81% of their matches won, sitting eleven points clear at the top of the league. So with their fantastic performances and intriguing tactics along the way, here is RDF's Tactical Analysis of Erik Ten Hag's Ajax in 2020-21.

Chelsea 2-5 West Bromwich Albion – Tactical Analysis

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Match Analysis, Premier League

TheMastermindSite covered Thomas Tuchel's first win and first draw at Chelsea, so it's only fitting we also cover their first loss under the German manager as well. Chelsea were absolutely atrocious on Saturday, red card aside, and West Brom had their best game in the Premier League in several years. This all culminated in a stunning 5-2 win, with West Brom in full flow and suddenly with a false sense of hope about their survival chances for the rest of the season. Chelsea meanwhile had their dreams of third place dashed before their eyes, as they will likely now need to scrap to the finish line to now scrape into fourth. Here is a Tactical Analysis of West Brom's big win over the Blues at Stamford Bridge.

Picking the PFA Team of the Year (2020-21)

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Premier League, World Football

The 2020-21 Premier League season has certainly been one of the most unprecedented in the history of the competition. Due to the state of the outside world and the novel coronavirus pandemic, very few players and very few teams were able to gain any sense of consistency over the course of the season. Some of those "very few" aforementioned players fall under the star-studded Manchester City umbrella, and were able to escape the heavy storm relatively unscathed. But a few other stars from around the league consistently performed to high levels, and certainly the Citizens can't claim to have the best player of the season in each and every position. With that, here is our Premier League Team of the Year, as though we were the players picking the team ourselves.