How to Classify Running Capacity among Elite Players
And why those who can run and carry aggression into subsequent duels are in high-demand.
Scouting
Projections: Mali U-17's Sékou Koné
Mali U-17's Sekou Kone has joined Manchester United from Guidars FC. The writer discusses their 9-month old projection on the starlet who, at that time, took the U-17 World Cup by storm.
Profiling Dominic Solanke with Ange Postecoglou
This essay infers scouting and recruitment principles from Ange Postecoglou's comments on new signing Dominic Solanke.
Why Focusing on Strengths Leads to Better Scouting Outcomes
This essay argues that in both corporate recruitment and sports scouting, identifying and leveraging strengths is more important than flagging weaknesses.
A Case for Lisandro Martinez at Left-Back
I present a chain-of-thought argument supporting why Manchester United's Lisandro Martinez can and should be considered for the left-back position.
Post-reflective Take on Benfica's João Neves
A condensed version of my initial take and projection on Benfica's João Neves, using our guide reflection questions.
Reflection as a Scouting Optimizer
This essay adapts the Ignatian Pedagogy, a teaching philosophy developed by the Jesuits, to illustrate how scouts can use reflection to enhance their learning and improve their processes.
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 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
Blitz report and projections on Sheffield United's Anel Ahmedhodzic
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
I share more non-trivial scouting cues: on set-pieces, why reputation matters for strikers, and young players who feature in dysfunctional teams.