We want to take a look at the team of the moment in a two-hour seminar at the Academy. What makes Bayer so strong and how can their style of play be classified in regard to tactical theory and history? Leverkusen are top of the Bundesliga table and we want to look in detail at what Xabi Alonso puts on the pitch there. With an attacking system that relies on very short distances between players rather than maximising space, a major paradigm shift may also be involved. Furthermore, the elements of the team harmonise fantastically and are catalysed by the exceptional Florian Wirtz. Here is the ..read more

In this article we are trying to summarize a discussion about Positionism and Relationism in a somewhat different way. This discourse has evolved in various ways and shapes, often without a clear overview of the status quo of itself. By doing so, it did reach it’s intended goal already: Discuss football differently (again). Now we will try to give perspective and an update on the discussion by updating some premises of itself but also giving an outlook into practice and practitioners. Welcome to Spielverlagerung Discussion. Jamie, who brought us into this mess, and István, who is living in it ..read more

We will tell you (almost) everything about attacking play. After our introductory seminar and in addition to the continuing analysis-workshops, in the next topic of our academy we will dedicate ourselves to what’s probably the most beautiful and important part of soccer: the offensive game. We are going to present elementary ideas, models and concepts of offensive play. How to score (more) goals? This event will consist of three seminars that are built upon one another (but will also work on their own): Part: How do goals happen? (Basic concepts of the game) Part: How to organize offensive p ..read more

Following up the successful launch of our “Academy” we offer a new format: Analysing football in groups. After having over 400 participants in our first topic of “Analysis and Coaching” and getting great feedback for it, we are happy to anounce that we will continue our “SV Academy” with another project. Before presenting the next topic, we want to offer something that was asked for by many participants: A platform where people can analyse football together and with each other and the lecturer. We want to expand the interactive parts of the first seminar to offer an opportunity to practice an ..read more

Arsenal are in the midst of a rebuild, and since Mikel Arteta’s appointment in December 2019 a transformation of the Gunners playing style has taken place. Perhaps influenced by his shadowing of Pep Guardiola whilst at Manchester City, Arteta’s philosophy has turned the North London side into one of the most attractive and aesthetically pleasing teams in the Premier League, producing both an identity and improvement in results. Although, after falling short in their pursuit of Champions League football, Arsenal must progress further still next season if they are to reach the pinnacle of Europe ..read more

The term rest-defense, translated from the German “Restverteidigung”, has become more known (and utilized) in recent years. Its equivalent on the other hand, is still rarely talked and even less (consciously) used in coaching, though more frequently by players on an unconscious level.  In order to explain rest-attack, we will shortly utilize a brief explanation of rest-defense and mirror it from there. Basically, rest-defense is a catch-all term to describe the part of a possession phase where some players can’t contribute to the attack anymore and, depending on the possibility of a ..read more

As all coaches and tactic-nerds want to use the summer break in a constructive way, Spielverlagerung is going to offer online seminars throughout the upcoming weeks. All dates and details. With our new project “Spielverlagerung Academy” we’re heading to get in touch with coaches and football enthusiasts to present and discuss our content in a more direct way. The first edition won’t be about specific tactical things and technical details of coaching but rather we seek to create a general framework: What has coaching to do with analysis? How to analyse the game? How to develop as a coach? How t ..read more

With six wins from their first nine official games, scoring 22 goals, and a friendly win over Atletico Madrid, Feyenoord have had a pretty good start to the season. Especially considering the fact that their new manager Arne Slot is trying to implement a completely new style of play.    The previous coach, Dick Advocaat, had Feyenoord play in a defensive block with very intensive man-marking duties. Slot chooses to have Feyenoord press high-up while also preferring to build-up from the back and applying intensive counterpressing when possession is lost.  Therefore, I reckon ..read more

When I was asked to write a short essay on how an organization could push scouts to use data into their reports to improve them, I thought that was an absurd idea for several reasons. Thus, I decided to write about something else. Something I think might improve the way scouting reports are made in many football clubs. One of the premises I want to make clear from the beginning is that many scouts are real experts in analysing and understanding the game and players skillsets. This should be without doubt but just in case it is worth mentioning. On the other side, there seems to exist a signifi ..read more

After finishing 2nd last season, Shakhtar Donetsk hired esteemed, upcoming Italian manager Roberto de Zerbi. The ambitious and unique playing style demonstrated most notably at Sassuolo earned him acclaim for his tactical acumen, ending his tenure at the Sassuolo with an 8th place finish and a respectable 62 points. This article will investigate the rationale behind his build-up preferences and how that is translating to his new side. The base High pressing teams are seldom seen in the Ukrainian Premier division; thus, it seems logical to begin the discussion of possession structures under the ..read more