Canada had one simple plan. They did it over and over, causing imbalances and discomfort, until it worked. The US had no cogent method to stop it, nor did they try the idea themselves, all too much. When they did, it was almost brilliant, but the new Kings of CONCACAF reigned supreme.
How to Make your Strikers Play Like Erling Haaland, Part Two
When a striker walks on the world's stage at 6'4" and nearly 200 pounds, we don't tend to comment on how they tenderly caress the ball. It's monster trucks and mayhem, a demolition derby of hold-up play and headers, but never fine-tuned gambetadorial silk. That is—until now.
The Perfect Torture: How Chelsea Slayed the Halfspace King
It was a work of art, worthy of adorning the distinguished walls of the Louvre, and more than worthy of a careful Touchline Theory analysis. Today, nearly four months after the decisive clash, we look back at what made the 2020/2021 UCL grand finale so special--and what to expect when they soon face off again.
Coaching “Vision”: How to Turn Scanning Research into Training, Deluxe Edition (As Seen on Soccer Detail)
The widely-held notion is, typically, that these players can see what others can't, enabling them to then act on those esoteric opportunities. We call these people maestros or artists, in large part, due to their ability to create beauty out of what we might perceive as nothingness--but it's often not the technical, execution-level ability, itself, that manifests in these stunning passes. It's the amount of information they collect, and base their decisions off of, instead.
Uncovering the Cover Shadow
And so, with the proliferation of this defensive concept, today we dive into just how we might beat it. I'll propose three, maybe ~four~ methods.