Category: Masterclasses

How I watch football matches for tactical analyses

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Coach Education, Masterclasses, Match Analysis

As a football analyst, I often get asked a very broad question - 'How do you watch football matches?'. What people really want to know is what I look for, the process of watching to disseminating that information to an audience, and how they can learn more about the game to see football like a true tactical analyst themselves. A little over a year ago, I wrote an article titled 'How to watch football like a tactical analyst', following a 'how do you watch football?' type of question from one of our long-time readers. Since that article, the way I watch football has evolved, with new processes and techniques to study the game and prepare myself for the subsequent analyses that follow. So with that, today I share how I watch football matches, and gain the necessary insights that guide my articles.

Joelinton – Player Analysis

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Central Midfield, Coach Education, Masterclasses, Player Analysis, Premier League, World Football

Often seen as the emblem of an overpriced transfer that failed to deliver, Joelinton has seen a complete transformation in position, role, and status under new Newcastle boss Eddie Howe. The former Bournemouth coach has harnessed the Brazilian’s tireless work rate by moving him from forward to central midfield, where he's performed brilliantly as a box to box midfielder. So with that, we decided to take a look at how Joelinton has transformed into one of Newcastle's most important players in the blink of an eye. Here is our latest Player Analysis.

Forge FC 0-1 Cruz Azul – Match Analysis

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Canadian Premier League, Coach Education, Masterclasses, Match Analysis, World Football

While they won't be overly pleased with the result, Forge FC continue to showcase just how far soccer has come in Canada, going toe to toe with Cruz Azul in their first appearance in the CONCACAF Champions League. Cruz may have dominated the match, but Forge put up a valiant fight to the end, and could have easily gotten a result on a different day. Here is our tactical analysis of Forge's 1-0 defeat at the hands of Mexican giants Cruz Azul.

Why Manchester United should play 3-4-1-2

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Coach Education, Managers, Masterclasses, Most Recent, Premier League, Team Analysis

The current dialogue around Manchester United is boring. Every week, it's the same story in the media, whether or not they win, lose or draw. It's obvious that Manchester United are not at their best, but very few are discussing tangible ways for the Red Devils to fasten their seatbelts and shift the car into overdrive. So with that, today we take a look at why Manchester United should shift away from a back-four, and into a 3-4-1-2. Don't get us wrong, United need to drill several loose bolts. But, a change to the formation may help to mitigate several of their greatest issues.

How to play with a False 9 like Guardiola and Klopp

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Coach Education, Formations, Masterclasses, Most Recent, Premier League, World Football

Following its popular use for Vicente del Bosque's Spain at Euro 2012, the role of the false nine has continued to evolve in the modern era of the Premier League, accompanied by a shift in mannerisms, behaviors, and positional patterns of strikers on a football pitch. Pep Guardiola's Manchester City and Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool have been two of the dominating forces in world football since the mid-2010s, and both have operated throughout that time without a recognized out-and-out goal-scoring striker. For any possession-based team attempting to emulate Klopp and Guardiola, deploying a false nine presents a unique and innovative way of breaking the opposition down, and reaching new levels of performance. Some tactical experts have suggested that in the future we may see a formation without a striker at all, but truthfully, we may already be there.

Identifying players to fit your team’s style of play

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Coach Education, Masterclasses, Recruitment & Scouting

In the process of recruitment & scouting, an essential piece to the puzzle is in finding players to fit the team's style of play, rather than just the very best players. Without a game model that specifies how a team wants to function in each phase of the game, this is difficult to achieve. But beyond studying a game model, a recruitment & scouting analyst could use a few other methods for finding the right players, that would allow them to transform their team and achieve new heights.

How Southampton used positional automatisms to gain advantages v. Man United

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Coach Education, Formations, Masterclasses, Match Analysis, Premier League

Ralph Hasenhuttl's Southampton used intelligent positional patterns (or automatisms) to gain crucial advantages against United, and come out with a massive away draw. Particularly vital on the day to finding space and gaining tactical victories were Oriol Romeu and Mohamed Elyounoussi, who took on various roles over the course of the match away from their 'normal' position.

Analyzing Barcelona’s attacking brilliance vs. Atletico

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Coach Education, Managers, Masterclasses, Match Analysis, Most Recent, Team Analysis, World Football

past weekend, securing an easy 4-2 win against arch-rivals Atletico Madrid. With the likes of Dani Alves, yes Dani Alves, and a younger version of Xavi himself in the form of 17-year-old Gavi, Barca have a mix of incredible experience and youthful verve to propel them into the top four moving forward. Here is our match analysis of Barca's 4-2 win over Atletico, and Barcelona's attacking variety and balance throughout the match.