Blog posts
  • Insight and analysis

    Crafting the Attack: The In-possession principles of play

    The principles of play are the underlying concepts and ideas that make up any invasion sport. Game insights…
  • Insight and analysis

    Abracadabra! The magic of assists at the Men's Euros 2024

    The magic of football is usually encapsulated in scoring goals, but most great magicians require an assistant…
  • Insight and analysis

    Game changers: The strategic use of substitutes during Euro 2024

    Substitutions are not just about swapping tired legs or managing injuries, they are crucial chess moves to…
  • Insight and analysis

    Controlling central zones - WSL case studies

    With the theme of 'controlling central areas' Game Insights Analyst Katie Sorenson delves into some examples…
  • Insight and analysis

    Using Futsal to develop footballers

    “In any football programme in any country, players should be playing futsal, because you get to a point where…
  • Insight and analysis

    Exploring the insights from the Adobe Women's FA Cup Final 2024

    This year's Adobe Women’s FA Cup final saw Manchester United pick up their first major women’s title in a…
  • Insight and analysis

    Corner delivery zones - insights into effective corners

    How are successful teams converting corners into shots and goals? Game Insights Analyst Luke Saunders explores…
  • Insight and analysis

    Net success: How goalscoring insights from the boys' academy can help us create inspirational finishing…

    Crafting a practice design that balances ample repetition, realism and relevance can significantly support…
  • Insight and analysis

    'Cross like a boss' - The goalscoring impact of crossing at the 2023 Women's World Cup

    Crosses into the penalty box have increasingly been a reliable way to improve a team’s chances of shooting…
  • Insight and analysis

    The 'Throw Show' - How can we maximise what we do on throw ins?

    With an average of 50 throw ins per game in the current WSL season, throw ins are the most common dead ball…
  • Insight and analysis

    Unpacking 'shot packing'

    When a player is shaping to shoot there are many factors to consider.  One of these is ‘shot packing’.…
  • Insight and analysis

    In the zone: The emphatic goal-scoring impact of football's second six-yard box

    When we look at where goals are scored from, we consistently see the largest percentage of goals scored in…
  • Insight and analysis

    Observing core moves and how to bring them into your own environment

    Do your players stand out 1v1 when taking players on, but find it hard to know when to lend it to a teammate…
  • Insight and analysis

    Using insight to inform practice design: Goalscoring insights and implications

    In our recent blog post we discovered that the game at the ‘top level’ does not always replicate the game…
  • Insight and analysis

    Using insight to inform realistic practice design

    Collecting objective insight is a great way to measure what is happening within games.  Si Houston, Claire…
  • Insight and analysis

    Unlocking success: Spain's central play at the Women's World Cup

    There are many different ways to win a game of football, from fast counter-attacking to set play specialists…
  • Insight and analysis

    Finishing from inside the box: 'In it to win it'

    9 out of 10 (90%) open play goals at the 2023 Women’s World Cup were scored from inside the box.  In…
  • Insight and analysis

    Transformational Coaching: Developing talent through the eyes of Lydia Bedford

    Lydia Bedford has been in the headlines in recent weeks after being announced as Brentford FC U18s Head Coach…
  • Insight and analysis

    Vivianne Miedema: What makes her so prolific in front of goal?

    Five times FIFA Women's World Player of the Year and England record breaker Kelly Smith joins FA Women's National…
  • Insight and analysis

    FIFA's in contest metric - The fight for possession

    From previous blogs we have seen that transition plays a key role in gaining or losing possession, however…
  • Insight and analysis

    Turning: The key to unlocking defences

    The month of March saw us focus on the in-possession core skill of turning. If we can support our players…
  • Insight and analysis

    Men's World Cup 2022 : Assists and how to defend against key passes

    172 goals were scored at the FIFA Men’s World Cup 2022, just under 3 per game.  But how many of these…
  • Insight and analysis

    Top tips for coaching transition

    As we have shown in our previous blogs transition happens a lot, and the more comfortable we become with it…
  • Insight and analysis

    Attacking third transition impact on goal scoring

    Across the FIFA Men’s World Cup 2022 a total of 1091 shots featured possession starting from a transition…