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Guide to Analyzing Football Matches

By: Adin Osmanbasic


(twitter: @counterpressing)

Guide to Analyzing Football Matches

INTRO
This is some insight on how I look at games and I hope this guide can give you the tools
you need to better understand the games you watch.
I will describe things to look for in a match, and picture examples of each thing I list.
However, I couldnt possibly list every single thing that happens tactically in every single
match. Each game of football is different, there are various different formations, various
different coaching philosophies, and various different players with different playing
characteristics on a field at one time. Thats part of the reason we love the sport though,
because so many different variables go into creating a single football match that its
impossible for two matches to be exactly the same, every game is new so the sport will
always be exciting!

TEAM POSITIONING
It is important that you understand how positioning and movements affect the game
overall. Learn to watch the game as a whole and understand how each action of a team
causes a reaction and how that affects the game.
Here we have an example of Dortmund playing vs. Bayern in the 2013 CL final,
Dortmund is playing a high line, but their forwards are not aggressively pressing.
The
forwards
are laying
off the
Bayern
defenders
and
covering
passes into
the Bayern Munich central midfielders, this makes the midfield very congested and
forces Bayerns defenders to try and play long balls over the midfield in behind the
Dortmund defense to their forwards, or else they would lose the ball in a dangerous
area and risk being countered while they are very disorganized. Dortmunds
positioning and movement of their defensive line and forwards forced Bayern to
alter their approach in their offensive organization and made them play long balls,
they found Robben in behind Dortmund a couple of times throughout the match.

FORMATION MATCHUPS
Pay attention to the formations (and change of formations) of both teams and how they
match up with each other during a game.
Here we have an example of a 4-42 vs. a 4-3-3 formation in the 2010
CL Final with Barcelona vs.
Manchester United. As you can see
the matchups show that Barcelona
have 3 central midfielders
(sometimes 4 when Messi drops
deeper) vs. Uniteds 2 central
midfielders (sometimes 3 when
Rooney drops deeper, but he did a
poor job of marking Busquets in
this match), you can also see that
United has 2 wide players and 2
strikers matched up with
Barcelonas back 4, so there is a 4 vs. 4 situation there.

Another interesting formation matchup is Bayern vs. Napoli in the 2011 CL, Napoli
plays a 3-4-3 in this match and Bayern played their usual 4-2-3-1, The Napoli wide
midfielders and Bayerns wide midfielders matched up man to man, and Bayerns
two holding midfielders matched
up man to man with Napolis 2
central midfielders, the interesting
part here is that Napoli should
have had a 3 on 2 man advantage.
Their 3 center backs vs. Kroos and
Gomez, but what Kroos did
intelligently was he played deeper
as 3rd central midfielder instead of
closer to Gomez. This gave Bayern
a 3 vs. 2 advantage in the center of
the field with Napoli having 3
center backs on only Mario
Gomez. Kroos would make runs
from deep unmarked and eventually scored from the edge of the box.

Here we have an example of a formation switch in the middle of a match, in this El


Clasico in 2011, Barcelona and Real Madrid initially matched up man to man in the

center perfectly and each had a spare man in defense.

20 minutes into the match Guardiola switches the tactics. He pushes Alves high on
the right, moves Sanchez into the center forward position and drops Messi deep into
a #10 playmaker role. This formation switch left Barcelona at the back 3 vs. 3
against Madrids attackers, but it
gave them a 4 vs. 3 advantage in
the center.
These are some examples of
formation matchups and how they
effect a football match tactically, it
is very important to always know
how the teams on the field set out
to play each other.

PLAYER CHARACTERISTICS

Look at the characteristics of each player and how they affect the teams formation and
the opponents positioning. Always note the horizontal width of teams that you are
watching, see if the team is playing very narrow, or very wide. Also notice whether the
team is vertically compact or not. If they are vertically compact the space between all the
lines would be very small and hard to play through, if they arent compact vertically there
would be more space in between the lines and itd be easier to play through the midfield.

Here is an example of Silva and Iniesta as wingers, they like to drift inside and
combine with the central midfielders which makes the Spanish team very narrow up

top. This forces them through very congested areas in order to break through a
defense, they occasionally had a tough time breaking through defenses in the Euro
2012 tournament. The width in that team was more so offered from the fullbacks
Arbeloa and Jordi Alba.

In

contrast, Pedro and


Navas are wingers that
prefer to get wide. Having
them on the field instead
would have more than
likely stretched the
opponents defense wider.
This would leave more
gaps to be exploited in
between defenders, but the
wingers would be farther away
from the central attacker.

Arrigo Sacchis Milan (The great Milan side of the late 80s) was vertically compact
at all times, he had a rule where the maximum length allowed between his attacking
line and his defending line would be 25 meters. They were very hard to play
through.

Bayern in 2013 are also vertically compact and great at moving as a as a unit on the
pitch. Here we see them vs. Arsenal in the 2013 CL away, this moment is in their
defensive organization after extended periods of Arsenal possession. They are very
compact and narrow, they are looking to push Arsenal toward the sidelines with
their defense. They defended very well in this game, they got back quickly in
transition, and defended as a unit when they got organized.

Another good example is Kroos vs. Schalke this season. He moves very intelligently
in the #10 role. In this game he would move wide to drag the single holder with him
and leave space to be exploited by Muller. If the holder didnt follow Kroos wide,
then Kroos knew he could
overload the flanks with his
wingers vs. just one fullback. It is
important to watch out for these
little positional movements during
a game because they can be game
changers.

PATTERNS AND PARTNERSHIPS/MINI-SOCIETIES


It is also important to notice when certain players have a partnership with each other. In a
4-4-2 the front two strikers could have a tendency to try and combine with each other and
play 1-2s in behind the defense instead of playing it wide or back to the center. They are
more likely to try and create in their striker-partnership than with other players.

An example of this would be the


striker partnership of Manchester
Uniteds Dwight Yorke and Andy
Cole in the 1999 season, these two
would always look to combine with
each other through wall passes or
lay offs to attempt to create goal
scoring chances for each other.

A group of players close to each other on the field who look to make plays within
their group are called a mini-society, they have certain tendencies/patterns. An
example of a mini-society is when Iniesta played left winger, Fabregas played left
center midfielder, and Jordi Alba
played left back in 2013 for
Barcelona. Alba would push up the
flank and Iniesta would drift
inside and these 3 would
constantly combine with each
other and look to create dangerous
offense. It is important to notice
when a group of players have a
tendency to try and link up on the
field so it can be analyzed and
prepared for properly.

SET PIECES
Set pieces are different for almost every team, but there are things to look for in each
team. During kick off look for what a team likes to do most of the time. Maybe they like
to play a long ball immediately down the flank and begin pressing immediately, or play
the ball back to their defenders and keep possession.
Notice if teams are good or at defending or attacking goal kicks, or whether they like to
play long or short goal kicks. If they play them long, do they play it down the flanks or in
the center? Notice if they have a ball winning player during long kicks. If a team likes to
play short goal kicks, who do they like to play it too and whats their routine?

Here we have an example of how Barcelona like to take short goal kicks if everyone
is marked. Barcelona like to take short goal kicks because they are a shorter team
and they are more likely to keep this way. We see the two Barcelona center backs
split very far apart being marked,
while the fullbacks push up very
high. Once the center backs are
split Sergio Busquets (Barcelonas
holding midfielder) likes to drop
in-between them and collect the
ball usually not being pressed.

If Busquets is being pressed he comes deep and drags the defender with him. This
means that the two center backs and Busquets are all covered, this leaves the 2
fullbacks, the two central midfielders, and usually Messi (who likes to play deeper)
around the center of the field. This is usually in numerical favor for Barcelona so
Valdes will look for the best option and pass it to them safely.

Note if the team has accurate and dangerous set piece takers. When attacking a free kick
look at how many players the team usually puts into the box, around the box, and how
many they leave behind to defend against the break. Its also worth noting if a team is
very good or bad at defending counter attacks after a loss of possession during a set
piece. Watch for any tricky set piece plays. It is important to note if a team is very
aggressive at attacking 2nd balls into the box. A 2nd ball is when the initial cross isnt
successful but the ball is still in the area. Notice if the team has any dangerous player who
can do a long throw into the box. On corner kicks a lot of different teams have different
routines. They would just have to be watched to understand what they like to do. Note if
the team prefers attacking the near or far post, if they like short corners, and how many
players are attacking the corner.
When looking at how a team defends free kicks, it is important to notice how many
players they put in the wall, and if those players like to jump during a free kick. Notice if
they leave any free men outside of the box to stop set piece plays, and how many players
they leave up top ready to counterattack.

In the 2012 CL Madrid scored their only goal in a 2-1 loss at Bayern Munich in the
first leg of the semifinal after leaving 4 players up top and counter attacking after a
set piece.
Notice if their keeper is solid during set pieces or if he makes any mistakes. When
defending corners look if the team is using man marking or zonal marking.

Here we have an example of how Barcelona like to defend corners using zonal
marking. Regardless of what the opponent is doing Barcelona like to put their two
best headers of the ball defending the front post zone, and the zone around the
penalty spot about 6 yards out from the goal, because these are the most dangerous
areas. They usually put Pique near the front post and Puyol near the penalty spot
zone. They also put a man just in front of the front post man, his job is to cut out
and low and short corners that a team might try as a surprise. This man is usually
Xavi. They also have a man sitting just at the edge of the box anticipating a cross cut
back into that area, and they block any shots from outside of the box. The other
players defending in line with the 6 yard box make sure the back post is covered.
Barcelona also usually have 2 or 3 players around the penalty spot about 10 yards
out from goal defending any runners into the box, and not allowing them to get a
running jump. Another important thing to note is that Barcelona never have any
players on either of the posts, this is because as soon as the set piece is cleared, they
like to immediately push up and play an offside trap, and if players were on the
posts, this would be very difficult to do.

4 MOMENTS OF THE GAME


Pay attention to how both teams react to the 4 moments of a match.
Those moments are: Offensive Organization, Defensive Organization, Offensive
Transition, and Defensive Transition
Offensive organization - This is when the team with the ball has settled into possession
and begins to build their attack, attempting to dis-organize and unbalance a team that is
set up in defensive organization.
If the team wins the ball high up the field they can either try a quick counter attack
against the unorganized defense, or they can begin to set up their offensive organization
in the opponents half, but if the team starts to set up offensive organization in their own
half (ball won deep in own half), how does the team attempt to progress the ball up the
field?

A good example here is when Barcelona are trying to build the play from the back,
their goal keeper has the ball and the two center backs spread out wide, which
pushes the fullbacks very high up the field. When the two center backs split, their
holding midfielder, Sergio
Busquets, drops in between the
two center backs and collects the
ball and looks to play it
immediately forward to one of the
fullbacks to progress the play up
the field.

Also note that when building from the back if teams like to use their goalkeeper, and
if he is a good long and short passer. Bayern used Neuer very well in their 4-0
victory over Barcelona.
Pay attention to how the team in possession attempts to disorganize the defense. Do they
have appropriate width? are they are too narrow? These are questions you must ask
yourself. See if they circulate the ball with good speed or if they circulate it too slowly.

A good example here is how Barcelona attempted to break down the narrow AC
Milan side in the 2012 CL. Barcelona are usually very good at moving the ball with
speed and unbalancing the defensive team with the movement of the ball. As a
result, the defensive team doesnt
have time to read the passes and
set up comfortably. Milan played a
very narrow 4-4-2 diamond
formation vs. Barcelona. The
center of the pitch was very
congested, but thats where
Barcelona like to play. Even if
Messi dropped deeper there would
be a 4 vs. 4 situation in the center.

So what Guardiola did to counter this was he set out in a 3-3-4 formation. The two
wide players in the front 4 (Alves and Cuenca) were always on the sideline, giving
maximum width and stretching the Milan defense as much as possible. The two wide
players allowed for more space in
the center for Barcelona to play in
and more gaps in the defense to
possibly penetrate. The central
two of the front 4 were Messi and
Fabregas, Fabregas would drop
deeper to create a 4 vs. 4 situation
in the center when needed, while
still supporting the attack.
Barcelona still had the 3 vs. 2 man
advantage in defense vs. Milans
two forwards. Barcelona ended up
winning this game 3-1 because
they set up their offensive
organization very well in order to
unbalance this AC Milan side.

Notice how the team looks to penetrate the defense, do they use long balls or short
passing? Do they mainly look to cross the ball into the box, to penetrate with runs in
behind the defense, or direct dribbling?
A good example of a team who can
do all of this is Bayern Munich.
They have the 2nd best possession
% in Europe so they are very good
at penetrating defenses with quick
passes. At the same time they have
target men strikers like Mario
Gomez and Mandzukic who can
pose as an aerial threat from
crosses and occupy the center
backs. They also have good
dribblers who can beat players
and drag other defenders out of
position. Arjen Robben and
Franck Ribery are great examples, and their actions can cause an imbalance in the
defense. Robben and Ribery also provide quick runs that can break through a
defensive line with a well timed ball. Lahm and Alaba also provide runs in behind
the defense along with width on the pitch.

Keep an eye out for any tendencies a team may have when crossing into the box.
Here is an example of Lewandowski attacking the far post whenever a ball is being
crossed in from the left.

Defensive organization - This is when the team without the ball has settled into their
defensive shape and begin to try and stop the opponents attack, attempting to stay
organized and balanced while pressuring the opponent into mistakes and regaining the
ball.
Pay attention to how the opponent sets up on defense, look at how high their defensive
line is. Pay attention to how narrow the team plays horizontally. How narrow is the team
vertically? Are they allowing space in between the lines? These are some basic questions
to ask yourself when looking at a team who is set up in defensive organization. Does the
team press or do they aim to sit off and cover passing lanes? Are the defenders trying to
pressure the opponents to the sidelines, or inside into traffic? There are different types of
presses. Do the pressing team press aggressively in large numbers? Or do one or two
players aim to press the ball with the rest covering the nearest passing options?

A good example of a team set up in defensive organization is the example I used


earlier, Bayern Munich defending against Arsenal after extended periods of Arsenal
possession in the 2013 CL. Here Bayern have all 10 of their players back defending
in a compact unit, with their defensive line on the edge of their own box. They dont
allow any passes in between their lines, they play very narrow and allow Arsenal
space out wide. Once Arsenal are out wide, Bayern shift over as a defense and dont
let them pass back across the field and pressure them into mistake against the
sideline. Pep Guardiola is quoted saying The sideline is the worlds best defender.
When Bayern were in defensive organization they aimed to push teams against the
sidelines and regain the ball.

Offensive transition - When the defensive team regains possession of the ball, they have
the option of either quickly counter attacking if the other team is defensively
unorganized, or beginning to build their offensive organization.
Take note of whether the team would rather build their offensive organization or try to
quickly counter attack. How does the counter attacking aim to attack? Are they
immediately and quickly trying to exploit the unorganized areas, and which areas of the
defensive team are unorganized and open to attack?

Here we have an example of Real Madrid exposing


the unorganized areas in Barcelonas defense
immediately after winning the ball in the 2013
Copa Del Rey semifinal. Barcelonas fullbacks
(Alves and Alba) like to move up very high, this
leaves space in behind them down the flanks for
Madrids wingers (Di Maria and Ronaldo) to
exploit. This means that the only defensive players Barcelona have back are Pique,
Puyol, and Busquets. Madrids wingers are extremely quick and were too fast in
transition for Barcelonas center backs and holding midfielder alone, Madrid ended
up winning this game 3-1. Pay attention to what style the team likes to counter attack
in. Do they like to counter with a lot of players going forward or do they like to counter
with only a few quick players?

Madrid like to play an out ball to Ronaldo usually through the defense. Ronaldo
positions himself to be very dangerous on the break and then he either scores,
assists, or plays a good pass for the team to continue the break. The down side to
that is that Ronaldo neglects his defensive duties in order to be in a good position to
break and that can be taken advantage of.

Barcelona like to close down the ball high up the pitch and once they win the ball
they are usually around 30 yards away from goal instead of 80, then they try to
quickly break through the defense of the team who just lost possession because they
are unorganized.

How do they get the ball outside of the pressing zone once the ball is won back? Does the
team usually try to play a long ball forward immediately after winning it or use short
passing to try and get out of the immediate pressing zone? Once a team has lost the ball,
they usually have a large amount of players around the ball. Those players then
immediately try and pressure the team who just won the ball into making a mistake. This
is whats known as a pressing zone. Some teams might not have the ability to short pass
their way out of an immediate aggressive press so they might launch long balls as soon as
they win the ball. This can be very risky and lose them the ball very quickly after
regaining it.

Defensive transition - When the offensive team loses possession of the ball, they have
the option of immediately pressing after losing the ball to try and regain it quickly, or the
team can get back quickly in transition and set up their defensive organization to try and
regain the ball.
Is the team very organized and hardworking in getting back in defensive transition? If so
then team who just won possession might look to build offensive organization more often
than trying to counter attack.

Bayern Munich get back in defensive transition very well so it is hard to counter
attack them. They are also very organized in defensive organization which makes
them a very good defensive team. They have had an amazing defensive record in the
2013 season and its due to their great defensive transitioning and their great
defensive organization.
Is the team weak in defensive transition and leaves spaces open to be exploited? If ball is
lost in dangerous area with defense exposed, how do they drop back and set up their
defensive organization? There are different things certain teams might do when their back
line is exposed in transition. Some may keep dropping back very deep with their back
line looking to hold off the attack until the rest of the team transitions back, others may
look to hold their line and catch the opposition offside.

When Barcelonas back 4 are exposed in transition, they change formation. The
closest defender steps out and presses the ball, and the other 3 form a solid back 3
behind the defender who stepped out, this way they still have depth in their defense
and can stop most attacks until the rest of the team gets back in transition.

How aggressive is their pressing zone is once the ball is lost? Do 3 or 4 players
immediately press to try and win the ball back as quick as possible, or does the team
cover up and make one man press? Notice how the team reacts to losing the ball. Do they
all immediately look to drop back and set up defensive organization, or do they all look to
push up and press to win the ball back quickly. An important thing to look for is how
quickly the other team reacts to losing the ball. Do they react slowly when switching their
mindset to defense and getting back, or pressing the ball? If they are too slow they can be
exposed.
GREAT COACHES
The best coaches can analyze all of this in a game and make the right adjustments to their
team to give them the best chance of victory. Pep Guardiola is one of the great coaches
who can change formations in game and make substitutions in positions where he thinks
a player with different characteristics could help the team win if they played that certain
position. He is a coach that is constantly evolving and changing how his team plays while
keeping the teams core beliefs. This makes him difficult to figure out and read. If you
play the same way every game you will eventually be figured out and will begin losing.
There are also other great coaches capable of this in the game today, Pep is just a great
example I used.

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