BallerzBantz (Page 2)

Sign in Subscribe

Outlets: Football's Pressure Valves

Outlets: Football's Pressure Valves

This essay examines qualities of outlets, introduces the concept of outlet value, suggests ways to spot (potential for) outlets, and attempts to establish a broader definition for this attribute of football players.

What Should We Expect from Head Coaches?

What Should We Expect from Head Coaches?

We argue that a head coach's decision to adopt an attacking style, despite their team's inability to effectively compete using such tactics, might reflect poorly on their talent ID.

Precision Play: Features of a Great Sho(o)t(er)

Precision Play: Features of a Great Sho(o)t(er)

Some features of a great shot and great shooters

What Can Scouts Learn from Crawling Plants?

What Can Scouts Learn from Crawling Plants?

How a hypothetical observation of crawling plants can help up develop and affirm scouting paradigms.

Projections: Sheffield United's Anel Ahmedhodžić

Projections: Sheffield United's Anel Ahmedhodžić

Blitz report and projections on Sheffield United's Anel Ahmedhodzic

Avoiding the Description Trap when Scouting (or Analyzing)

Avoiding the Description Trap when Scouting (or Analyzing)

Public analysis tends to elevate description to the level of insight, occasionally veering into fiction. How avoid that pitfall?

More Non-Trivial Scouting Cues

More Non-Trivial Scouting Cues

I share more non-trivial scouting cues: on set-pieces, why reputation matters for strikers, and young players who feature in dysfunctional teams.

Non-Trivial Scouting Cues

Non-Trivial Scouting Cues

I share some non-trivial scouting cues I've acquired over the past two years. Most, I learned from conversations and immersion. Few, I stumbled upon. Others, I inferred from adjacent domains – and have found them applicable here.

What Can we Learn From Synergies?

What Can we Learn From Synergies?

Combining Xabi Alonso's reflections and earlier published words to highlight the importance of synergies in football – plus more data-points on the most important trait of a coach.

On Motivation, Arsenal's Arteta – not Arteta's Arsenal – and Throw-ins.

On Motivation, Arsenal's Arteta – not Arteta's Arsenal – and Throw-ins.

What the title says. On motivation, Arteta, and throw-ins.

Archiving as a Scouting Tool

Archiving as a Scouting Tool

This blog is an archive. What does this mean for you, the reader? What does that means for me, the writer?

Beyond the Playbook: The Role of Anti-Strategy in Competition

Beyond the Playbook: The Role of Anti-Strategy in Competition

What is anti-strategy and how does it manifest in football?