Game of Numbers #6 – Lucy Bronze as a Floating 8

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Coach Education, Game of Numbers, Masterclasses, Match Analysis, Player Analysis, Premier League, Women's Football

FC Barcelona Femení had a slow start to their first match of the season, initially struggling to find avenues forward in Tenerife's 5-4-1 defensive block. UD Granadilla Tenerife compacted the lines both vertically and horizontally to stunt Barcelona's progress forward, but in an abnormally high-line that spurred Giráldez's team to hit long passes over the top. They were caught offside from these attempts time and time again, particularly in their quest to spray in behind for Geyse's speed. But then, everything changed.

Potter’s first match at Chelsea – Tactical Analysis

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Managers, Match Analysis, Premier League, UEFA Champions League

In my entire existence on this website, I have never received so many questions about the same topic in a span of less than twenty-four hours. What, on earth, were Chelsea doing on Wednesday? What formation were they playing? What was Sterling? What was Cucurella? How did it all come together in such strange fashion? I'm paraphrasing, of course. But the point stands; and it's a question that arises once again from Potter's incessant desire to be very fun.

Find me a player for…

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

One of the most commonly used scouting tools today is to find a similar comparison to an already existing professional player. This is used as a useful way of sizing up a player, and identifying their strengths, weaknesses, skillsets, and style of play in relation to a known quantity. But we must remember that a range of topics go into any recruitment scenario, in our quest to find the best fit. In this article, as part of our Introduction to Football Analysis course, we detail how to 'Find a player for ___'.

Social media management in football analysis

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Coach Education, Coaching, Masterclasses

Where would I be without sharing my work on Twitter? Absolutely nowhere. I wouldn't be helping anyone, and I wouldn't have the strong following that I've developed across the site. Twitter is responsible for approximately 1,000 views on my site per day, and where I've had some of the best football conversations I've ever had. So today, I'm going to be sharing my best tips and tricks to managing a social media account in football analysis, and how to get the most out of your experience.

Finding your fit as a player

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Coach Education, Masterclasses, Masterclasses, Player Education

Even if a coach has not clearly communicated how they see the player fitting into the grander scheme, any footballer can come to a realization about the type of role they fulfill for their team and how they work as part of the team to achieve success on a grander scale, beyond just the individual facets of their game.

The art of dismarking

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Coach Education, Masterclasses, Masterclasses, Most Recent, Player Education

Dismarking is not that complicated of a process when you really boil it down. Sound movement, corresponding with appropriate timing of decision making on behalf of the players around the situation (such as the player on the ball) will always lead to imbalances in the opposition, particularly if the players scan the field and assess aspects of ball, opposition, teammates and space. With the tips in this article, players can now take their craft to the next level, and become dismarking gurus.

Performance Analysis 101

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Coach Education, Masterclasses

What's this new fancy word you've been hearing floating around the football industry, you ask? A 'performance analyst' is someone who lives and breathes the tactical and analytical side of the game, who may not even ever enter the football pitch itself. They are interested in analyzing anything that has to do with performance, whether that be through quantitative (such as data, statistics, numbers, etc.) or qualitative means (opinion-based insights).

Thomas Frank – Brentford – Tactical Analysis (2022-23)

by Charlie Ellis, posted in Coach Education, Managers, Masterclasses, Most Recent, Premier League, Team Analysis

Ahead of the 2022-23 season, fans and pundits from across the globe questioned Brentford's ability to survive. Even despite a positive start, many remain convinced that the Bees will be struck with 'second season syndrome', where supposedly, the Premier League becomes much more difficult to survive. But following a formidable 4-0 win over Manchester United, Thomas Frank clearly has the keys to unlock any opposition defense, and should be set for another season of success. Here is our analysis of Brentford so far this season, and their potential to challenge for a top-half finish this campaign.