Back in 2012, the FA voted through a number of major changes to how youth football was structured in England, in order to place a greater emphasis on the development of technical skills rather than winning in the short-term. Of the 778 votes cast in total, some 87%...

In recent times, the so-called “high press” has become synonymous with the world’s leading coaches, including pioneers in this respect such as Ralf Rangnick, Mauricio Pochettino, Jurgen Klopp, Pep Guardiola and Thomas Tuchel. While this is highly rewarding and capable...

While many have talked about the demise of the classic 4-4-2 formation, this is a misconception that doesn’t accurately reveal the nature of football’s tactical evolution since the 1990s. More specifically, while we’ve seen well-resourced teams with creative attacking...

The Most Important Coaching Principles in Youth Football The ‘Special One’ Jose Mourinho has achieved many things in his time as an elite level coach, but outside of his on-field accomplishments, he also arguably ushered in the age of the ‘superstar’ coach. Prior to...

While some trends in football may come and go, the use of the Video Assistant Referee (or VAR) at the sport’s elite level is likely to become increasingly prevalent in the coming months and years. Of course, VAR is also a highly controversial topic for discussion,...

Football has always been renowned as a working-class sport, which inspires passion and fervour in both fans and players across the globe. For connoisseurs of the sport, however, the sport’s tactical evolution through the ages has been arguably as fascinating as the...

England will hardly approach the 2022 FIFA World Cup in good form, having endured a catastrophic UEFA Nations League A campaign that saw them go winless in six matches and ultimately suffer relegation to the tournament’s second tier. What’s more, fans have been...

There are many things that can be coached and taught in the UK, although it should come as no surprise that football is the most popular of these activities. In fact, football accounts for 18% of all coached activities on these shores, with training required at...

While it’s the iconic 4-4-2 formation that remains the single most recognisable set-up for any football team, it can be argued that the 3-4-3 system has the longest and richest history. Unlike the 4-4-2, of course, the 3-4-3 has experienced various peaks and troughs...

As positional play becomes increasingly important in contemporary football, we’re seeing a much wider range of systems and formations being deployed by managers. Take the 3-1-4-2 system, for example, which is a variation of the classic 3-5-2 and utilises a structured...

Being a referee can be a thankless task, especially in the world of professional football where players have occasionally been known to disrespect and harangue officials. I mean, who can forget Jaap Stam and his Manchester United teammates surrounding referee Andy...

Being a football coach can be a challenging pastime, particularly when it comes to setting your side up in the best and most effective way. While you may have a preferred formation and style of play as a coach, for example, this may not suit either the players at your...

The 3-5-2 formation is a relatively recent team shape, especially when compared to historically popular systems such as the 4-4-2 and the 4-3-3.It’s also one that tends to experience peaks and troughs in terms of popularity, largely thanks to its relative complexity...

Tactics Explained - A Look at the 4-1-4-1 In our piece exploring football tactics, we’re going to cast our eyes over the increasingly popular 4-1-4-1. Despite primarily being seen as a defensive system, the 4-1-4-1 has been reimagined in recent years, largely thanks...

Why is Playing Three at the Back Popular Again? The tactical side of football has become increasingly evolved over the course of the last decade, particularly with the renewed focus on positional play and structured, organised pressing. This has also seen a sustained...

Last season we witnessed a brilliant Premier League season, with drama down to the final day providing for outstanding viewing. With the Premier League currently being the best league in the world it is no surprise the quality of the teams seems to be growing each...

While football is a team game in which everyone must contribute for a side to become more than the sum of its parts, there’s no doubt that special status is afforded to strikers. After all, strikers are widely considered to have the hardest job in the sport, while the...

There has been a great deal of speculation about the future of football on these shores, following a series of concerning events and the general influx of investment from overseas over the course of the last decade. These issues led to an independent, fan-led review...

When VAR was introduced to the domestic and international game, it was hoped that the quality of decisions would be optimised while the burden placed on referees would be lessened. However, it has managed to cause significant issues and debate in its relatively short...

In the continuation of our series exploring football formations, today we take a look at the rather unusual 3-3-4 system. Although this tactic is scarcely used in modern football (other than when chasing a late goal at the end of a game), it has had some recent...

It was the emergence of Jose Mourinho at Porto that first helped to revolutionise the notion of counter-attacking football in the modern age. More specifically, he transformed this into an aggressive tactic in which his teams created overloads and sought to control...

If there’s one formation and tactical setup that’s synonymous with the history of football, it’s the classic 4-4-2. This shape was prevalent in the UK throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, before tactical innovation took hold and the popular 4-2-3-1 variation (and...

There are few more contentious elements of football than VAR at present, with the use of video assistance and technology to review decisions polarising opinions within the sport. Certainly, the deployment of VAR through history would have ruled some truly iconic...

The informal origins of association football can be traced back more than 3,000 years, to the old Mesoamerican cultures who used to play a team game using a rock as a ball. However, the professional game that we know and love today emerged during the mid-1860s, during...

When Was the First International Football Match? The first international match took place on Saturday, 30th November 1872, kicking off shortly after 2pm. It was contested by arch enemies England and Scotland, who played out a tense 0-0 draw in a match that was played...

We recently penned the first in a series of posts focused on the various tactical shapes and systems used in modern football, and today we introduce another in the form of the 4-2-3-1. A clear variation of the 4-4-2 formation that dominated English football until the...

Today’s blog is the second in a series in which we will explain various coaching styles and training sessions with inspiration from some of the Premier League’s top managers. This blog will explore the training methods of Thomas Tuchel and help understand how to...

Today’s blog is part of a series in which we will explain various coaching styles and training sessions with inspiration from some of the Premier League’s top managers. This first of the series will explore the formation of Thomas Tuchel and help understand how to...

Despite plenty of evidence to the contrary, there remains a suggestion in the sport of football that coaches and managers should have played the game at the highest level if they’re to lead the very best clubs. However, there’s absolutely nothing to stop football...