I mentioned in my Moneyball newsletter how sports come down to the details. Matches are decided by inches. In a low scoring sport like football, a tiny mistake can cost you a game and a trophy. The team that makes the fewest errors is likely going to be the team on top.
I’ve also talked about how scouting isn’t about finding good players, it’s about finding the right player. While this is true I want to talk about the depth and details of scouting and the things that are key.
When Target Scouting was in full flow, I was editing plenty of pieces and had people asking for feedback which I’m always happy to give. Almost always my feedback was to give more detail. You’ve told me his crossing is good but there are a dozen or more variations, so tell me what he is and isn’t good at.
There are small details and things to a players game that I really value. Gamesmanship is great to see for example. Small things like being able to win corners and throw-ins in tight situations. Taking care of every pass, putting the right weight on every pass with good technique to give crisp passes. How they react to losing the ball. When a player’s just taken on his man, is he actually trying to beat him or is it half-hearted and he knows he’s going to lose the ball, he’s just doing it because he thinks he has to? The same thing with crossing.
I was watching a player yesterday who I really liked. He’s on the edge of the box on a defensive corner, as they try and counter the pass to the winger goes towards him, he’s smart to leave it and lets it run to the player ahead. He also shielded the ball to stop his man from making the interception. He didn’t even have to touch the ball but it’s such a small action that facilitated a counter-attack and stopped the opposition from getting the ball in his defensive third.
Being from a rugby background, I really value gym work and while I have no sports science background, I do question if football players could be doing more. Being that tiny bit stronger could be the difference between winning a header, being able to turn your man, win a 50/50 or lose those 1v1s, etc.
Harry Brooks can be a bit controversial on Twitter and I don’t always agree with him. But why I think his Twitter account is excellent is the detail in which he talks about players. If he’s talking about a player, it’s not just passing and dribbling, it’s types of passing and dribbling and compares players really well in terms of their characteristics and intricacies of players. Harry doesn’t just talk about macro-attributes like passing and shooting, he breaks them down and looks at the micro-attributes. This is something I’m trying to improve a lot and I think I have done so in the last year.
A good example of detail is a player’s first touch. A standard good touch is a dead touch, one that kills the ball dead. You might watch a player receive with a dead touch all game and say he has a good first touch, which in ways he does. But a first touch should have variation and the best players will make the most of each touch. Ndombele is the perfect example of using varied, intelligent touches to create space and help him turn under pressure, not just taking dead touches. This is also important for full backs who receive in crossing positions. Their first touch is really important to facilitate the cross, if they take a dead touch then it requires another touch before they can cross which allows pressure and wastes time.
Analysis, sports science, individual coaching, tactical coaching and nutrition are all key components of a successful team to work at peak performance and creating marginal gains. I describe teams as well-coached when their players can problem solve and know what they should do within every scenario. It’s not about having robotic players and they should have creativity within these principles, but there still should be some structure and players knowing what to do.
I look at Bielsa’s Leeds, the first thing I notice is how they’re the best team in the world at playing through 2v2s, 3v3s, 2v3s etc. In wide scenarios, they are able to play through tight spaces and defensive blocks exceptionally well. The players are comfortable in these situations and know how to play but it’s not robotic, there is still a level of freedom and creativity.
Meanwhile, you look at Spurs and it often feels like the players don’t know what to do with the ball. This partly comes down to the players but it’s the role of the coach to get the best out of their players and currently Jose Mourinho isn’t doing that in my opinion. He might have been sacked by the time this newsletter goes out, I hope anyway.
People argue about the impact coaches have on teams. I think that it is massive. But what the entire coaching staff’s job really comes down to finding marginal games and improving individuals and the team in big or small ways that add up to create a strong team.