How to take notes when watching football

Trying to capture everything imaginable when watching a football match remains an impossible endeavour. But simultaneously, trying to capture absolutely nothing beyond the first glance won't necessarily yield great results in your task to remember important information and events. So as part of our Introduction to Football Analysis course, I'm going to be teaching you my entire process of taking notes from start to finish.

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

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

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.

Performance Analysis 101

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).

Dortmund 3-0 Copenhagen – Match Analysis

Edin Terzic has enjoyed a positive start to the season, even despite some of the kinks in the system clearly still being worked out. Dortmund have lost just one game since the start of the campaign, achieving six wins and one draw in the process. No clearer have their principles of play come to life under Terzic this season than against FC Copenhagen, where the Black & Yellows picked up three points in their first UEFA Champions League match of the season. Here is our analysis of Dortmund's big win.

How to create football graphics with Microsoft Powerpoint

I've relied almost entirely on my ability to create stunning graphics through one of the most basic tools in existence - Microsoft Powerpoint. With the tips I'm about to present, you could do the same on the well-known platform, or similar tools such as Keynote or Google Slides, without detracting from your analysis.

Why Antony can transform Manchester United – Match Analysis

The Brazilian winger played a formidable role in United's 3-1 win over Arsenal, and showcased promise that he could be the man to propel the club to that next level this season. Here is our analysis of United's 3-1 win over Arsenal, through the lens of new-signing Antony.

Game of Numbers #5 – Changing Shapes Mid-Game

One of the truest tests of any tactically adept coach is to identify mechanisms for changing around their team’s fortunes mid-game. This is never an easy task, but one that managers must be reflecting on not only with their substitutions, but with the potential for changing the master-plan on a grander scale, whether that be a tactical tweak in style or system. In what was one of the games of the weekend, both Freiburg and Leverkusen made pivotal formational changes as the match wore on. Crucially, both teams changed back to the shapes that they've prioritized since the start of the season, calling into question why they ever abandoned their favoured choice in the first place.