Lionel Scaloni, Argentina's World Cup winning coach, bemoaned the state of analysis within the game and the negative impact on players, including our youth.

His criticism is fair, but not because analysis lacks value. Rather, the issue is with the application of analysis. Copy and paste, which is the norm in this global state of the game, misses the point. 

So what is the point? Find out here.

During his time as José Mourinho’s Chief Opposition Scout, André Villas-Boas said the following about his head coach and scouting expectations: “Jose is obsessed with detail – He will leave nothing to chance, even if his team are playing the worst side in the league.  My work enables Jose to know exactly when a player from the opposition is likely to be at his best or his weakest.”

This article offers an extensive approach to constructing opposition scout reports. Data-driven research, tactical analysis, important questions and suggestions for studying the opposition offer a guide for a comprehensive report. With the research on hand, attention turns to red teaming and presentations.

In this tactical analysis, the topic concerns the interactions of attackers that lead to goals. Since scoring is the most difficult aspect of the game, analyzing and developing a clear understanding of the most effective attacking principles allows teams to improve their shot creation with the personnel available on the wage bill. The full analysis examines five tactical interactions that top clubs use to create more effective attacking moves. This post focuses on the last two, using the half space and vacating key areas.