THE ART OF SPYING (& II)

I spoke a few weeks ago about Scouting at level teams, watch their movements, their tactics, set-pieces, etc.

Now I will talk about players. How can we see that a player is good/useful for our team?

The first thing to do is to distinguish between two types of scouting. One is that when the clubs are looking for a certain player for a given position. The second is people who are dedicated to seeing players (even working for a particular club), without any specific position on the pitch.

In the first case, since there is no perfect player, you have to find the closest thing to what we want and sometimes we have to decide which features are more important than others. I will not go much more in this part, since we are talking about a scouting "made to measure".

We go to the most usual. Going to see (live or on TV), football players. What we have to look to decide if a player is or is not a good player? Well there are many things, but for me, the most important is speed. But speed does not mean just being faster than the others running. In fact, we can distinguish 3 kinds of speed: the "physical" speed, "mental" speed and "action" speed.

The "physical" speed ​​is what we have said before. Fast player. The arriving before the opponent to the ball, either attacking, and defending it. This player is always interesting, because we can always teach him to play. Whether running from the flank and crossing, either to arrive before the striker to a long ball. Cristiano Ronaldo, Bale, Jordi Alba, David Luiz may be examples of such players.

The "mental" speed is the one which allows the player to do things before anyone else. Usually they make play their mates, because they usually give the ball ready to be played well. You will recognize these types of players easily, since they are always with the head up, scanning the entire field to see where the ball can go. They are players who are always where they are supposed to be, sometimes to cut and retrieve a ball, sometimes to make a decisive pass. Xavi, Pirlo, Riquelme, Gerrard or Busquets are players who fit this profile.

Finally, we have the "actional" speed, the executive, the player that makes the actions at a very much higher speed than the rest, either to shoot on goal, either to dribble an opponent, either to change the orientation of game at first touch. Messi, Iniesta, Robben, Ibrahimovic and Rooney would be players in this style.

However, what is common to all these players, that do different things, playing in different parts of the pitch, which don't have the same functions in a football team? Well, these players are "different", ie they do different things to what we can consider "normal".

Cruyff once said that with 5 meters of space, any player can make a pass 30 meters away. It's about to make this happen when you have the opponent close to you. It'a about dribbling opponents changing 3 times the pace on 20 meters. That is, it's not quality "per se", but quality at high speed; this is what distinguishes some players from another. And when we speak of "decision making", we talk about the same. About the player that, as far he will receive the ball he knows what to do with it: running with it, short pass, long pass, etc.

But that's not all. To do it right, it's not just to look at what a player does. Must see what the player can do. What does this mean? It means to study the characteristics of the player and see if its features can be used for other functions. A winger, could play as central midfielder? A center back, could he play as attacking midfielder? And so, with all players. In fact, an it is not always done, the reports should include, further than all the points of the players, all their options. Many times players are signed without knowing exactly all their potential.

But, as all activities where there is the human factor, the scouting is not an exact science. The "nose", the intuition, makes a lot, sometimes, when you are spying players. You see a player who has done nothing for most of the game and, in a play he decides it, either with a shot, with a dribbling, with a pass. Or, even if not decisive, but when nobody expects it. As mentioned before, the "different" player.

We still have the goalkeepers. What is the first job of a goalie? Stop balls. Therefore, this is what we have to look. If you do this or that, but does not save goals, no good. Then we go to the aerial game, or foot play, or this or that feature. But first, to stop the balls. And, do not forget that the goalie who makes a great save, but concedes a goal after the rejection, it is very possible that he has saved badly. It is not just saving the ball. It is to save the ball and the opponents do not have a second choice. Remember that good goalies win games, but the great goalkeepers win championships.

But also with the goalkeepers, they must be fast. Fast to put a hand, to get back into position after a long ball rejected, fast to go to this long ball. The one that is not fast is no good for football.

Jordi Pascual

You can follow me on Twitter: @JordiPascualP

THE ART OF SPYING (I)

One of the most challenging tasks in football is the scouting. There are basically two types. One is to watch the opposing teams to know what they do and being able to counter it the day we play against them. The second, is about players. I will talk about  the first, and I'll leave the second for an upcoming entry.

Today there are many applications that allow us to analyze a game and do a quick summary taking those plays that interest us. Even include word processing that allow a good presentation of the game in question, and that players know what they are going to "find" in this game.

This, however, has two problems. The first is that such programs are often expensive and not all the clubs can afford them. The second is that in lower categories and minor league games may not be recorded and, therefore, this is where involved, very directly, the work of the scout.

What are the steps to follow? What should we show our coach? What I'll put now is just a model.

1) Data of match: Teams, day, hour, competition (League, Cup, European Competition, etc.), weather conditions (temperature, rain or shine, wind, etc.) and pitch (short grass, high, artificial. Wet, dry, muddy). Spectator attendance and types thereof (Silent, babbling, respectful, aggressive, etc.).

2) Lineups and substitutions. Minutes and reasons (injury, fatigue, tactical substitution)

3) Systems (formations) used, with variants (because injuries, expulsions, substitutions, substitutions of opponents, etc., and when they have been applied)

4) Analysis of the team when attacking. Combinative, direct. Building up from the back. With long kick from goalkeeper or a defender. Short or long combinations. Use of the wingers or full-backs. Striker static or mobile. Crosses. Their types. Second plays. Movements to create spaces. Key players in the building of the play. Positioning of the team at the end of play.

5) Analysis of the team when defensive transition. Type of transition. With attempt to recover the ball once it is lost or not. If the attempt, which players and how it is done, and how the rest of the team retrieve. If not done, how is the retrieve of the team after the loss.

6) Analysis of the team when defending. Zonal, individual, mixed, combined. Gap between lines. Which players follow to who. Who never follows. How they close the pitch. How they pressure the ball holder. In which (flanks, center) areas?. Support.

7) Analysis of the team when offensive transition. Going out safety. Going out long. By the flanks. By the middle. How many players. What they do those who do not participate.

8) Analysis of lines and players: Goalkeeper. Defenders. Midfielders. Forwards. Reserves. Strengths and weaknesses. High balls. Ground balls. Short or long spaces.

9) Set-pieces. Kickoff, throw-ins. Near own goal. Near opposing goal. Fouls. Own half. Opponents half. Side fouls. Centered fouls. Corners. Number of players participating in the plays. Defensive surveillance.

10) Other points of interest.

Obviously, this must be accompanied by the necessary graphics where all these circumstances can be seen. As we said, many of these matches do not have video of it, so the coach should have as much information as possible from the scout view. Moreover, this report should be long enough to give the most information, but concentrate enough to not do heavy reading. Remember that this information is transmitted to the players, and if the coach can not assimilate all that is said, hardly able to communicate to the players and prepare for training the necessary actions.

You should also think that not all coaches are equal and not all want the same amount or the same type of information. Some want to know more about how they defend than how they attack. Others want a lot of information about set-pieces, etc. It is very important, when making a report of this kind, to know what the coach wants and at the same time, what we can consider the most important.

Like almost everything in the world of football, scouting and analysis of the opponents has become another one specialty. And, it is very normal that many coaches have in their staff someone responsible for this work. The more we know of the opponents, better for us.

John Le Carré made an art about espionage in his books. These "spies" of today continue to give information that is used for winning and losing wars ... in football, fortunately, though "Football is not a matter of life or death. It's much more important than that."

Jordi Pascual

You can follow me on Twitter: @JordiPascualP

THE TIMES THEY ARE A CHANGING

This is what the song of Bob Dylan said, referring to all political and social changes of the 60s. If you look at the world of football, is also applicable. A few years ago, most of the clubs revenue were by membership fees and the sale of players. This has changed. Today the Clubs receive large amounts of television rights, selling T-shirts and other things.

Some of those listed as possible candidates for future elections to the presidency of Barça (it should be 2016) have said, in social networks, that the Club needs a renovation as it relates to marketing strategies and similar. That is needed a renewal of their management structures. It's not me, that I have no idea about these issues, who will tell you about the direction of this kind of stuff. If it is more important 3vminutes on TV or send a player to advertise anywhere in the world. If there must  be 1 General Manager and 25 Working Areas or only 18.

Something very important is the club model. Few weeks, at one of the presentations for the Reform of Camp Nou, Vice-President Javier Faus spoke of hospitality revenue in different clubs around the world. Compared with Madrid, Bayern Munich, Arsenal, Manchester City and Manchester United in terms of number of seats and revenue. City, United or Arsenal are clubs that have a single owner and are in football for many different reasons. The day they get tired, they will leave. It's that simple. Bayern is a mixed model and Madrid, despite being a club like Barça, operates in a more presidential manner here . But they want to be like them, and to have the same as them , forgetting that we are different. It seems that the economic remedy is hospitality (representing less than 10% of the total budget Club). Hospitality, Marketing, Ticketing, etc. Remember all one thing: the owners of the Club are the "socis", not the Board.

Barça is special. There is no, as we said before, an owner with more or less millions into the pocket. Here there are 130,000 owners. And those who run the Club (The Official we were talking a bit ago), are not professionals. As itself, this is not a problem. The problem is that they have no idea. They speak about "market prices" to refer to those and other questions when the only market they know is the store in the neighborhood where they buy the newspaper and the baguette. And of course, these have fixed prices. They are not debatable. Pay and return home.

This leads to one thing that has not changed for many years and has to. Historically, the club has been a buyer Club. But we have not yet learned to buy. To sell, we still do worse. We pay what it's needed for a player for the simple fact that the seller Club is waiting for us ("it's Barça and, as they like the player, they'll pay what we say"). It has worked in many cases and it appears that still works. To sell, reverse option ("we are not interested, therefore, whoever comes will be able to take him").

It is not, of course, to turn the club into a Corporation and make the Directors professionals. No, although I am sure that is their dream, for many of which there are now. It's about these executives know about football. And they do not know. Today, they like the player scoring three goals; tomorrow the defender that cuts two key plays and, after tomorrow, however the goalie that saves 5 occasions playing against Barça. It seems that, if there are 60M€ to sign, these have to spend, no matter how.

And this is related to the subject of the Technical Secretariat that I have said more than once. A club like Barça can not go around without all the player data, both technical and personal, including salary, hobbies, etc. Today for today, it  seems there is nothing. I spoke in a previous post (It is not that (II)), about the need of having a Scouting system much more useful.

Previously, there was no resources as now. Having footage of players was quite difficult and one should trust what  a friend who was in that country where there was an interesting player or player's agent in turn. And you had to pay what you were told, without knowing for sure if you had bought a Ferrari or a second hand 600 (NA: Spanish equivalent to Fiat 500). Today, it is not. There are images of almost all leagues in the world and, the most important show all the games on TV. When you buy, you know what you're buying and, theoretically, you should know the price. But it does not.

Everything I've said so far, goes around the so spoken as "renewal" at Barça. It seems that it will take I don't know how many players. And, as needed, we will pay what we will be told (or more, if we add Foundations of players, contracts of Scouting and other miscellaneous expenses. Said that is the new model of contracts made ​​in the world. That is, to sign a player, we need to hire, one way or another, all the family and friends). I can understand that there are incentives for this or that player to come. What I don't understand are thee 400k€/year for Scouting as "market price". By the way, have there been reports to justify this amount?

As I can not understand that a reserve player in a team and, which will not go to the World Cup because "competition is very tough (NA: With teammates)" according to what a reporter said today, with only 20 years old and that has not won anything yet, worth 35M€. And in this operation a player of the same nationality, who is a starter at Barça and will go to the World is included. And like this, the examples that you want. And the opposite. Players who go out for 4$ hard "because we will save very high wages".

There is a second part. La Masia. Do you remember this about "La Masia is not to be touched"? Well it seems. Except Masip, no other player will be promoted to the 1st team this year. And I wonder if, with so many people filling their mouth with this about  Barca "B" is 3rd in the 2nd Division, or that the U-19 is the Champion of UEFA Youth Champions League, isn't it strange that no player can go to the 1st team?

But as we have to sell illusion after a bad season where, for the first time in many years we have not won any of the major titles, we will pay whatever. And giving away players "to lighten the wage bill", as I said before, players that the media have been said that they are not useful. All obviously to prevent people stop looking at the pitch and look at the VIP Box. And they will go into discrepancies about if the one that has to sign is this or that one. I explained also in the same mentioned entry, how this part should run.

The times they are a changing, but it seems that many have not seen it yet. Or worse, they have only seen one part: the business. And increasingly, it seems that only the business they can do with the money of others. They have not understood that this is neither the NBA nor the MLS. There, they do sport starting in business. A League is created and franchises are spread. If you lose, you don't go down to 2nd Division. And, if the business fails, the owner sells the Team and it is moved to a different city, looking for business. Leagues here have a different starting point: from sport, they try to do business. Originally, business for the club, to sign players or build new facilities. Now, it seems that business for the pockets of some, whether or not owners.

The times they are a changing. Let's see if we change the ways of proceeding.

Jordi Pascual

You can follow me on Twitter: @JordiPascualP