The Lowdown

We have a special episode this week as we dissect the upcoming Champions League Final clash between Manchester City & Chelsea. An advocate of positional play and an alumni of the Ralf Rangnick coaching school there are few better to preview this intriguing tactical clash than Holstein Kiel U-17 coach Christian Dobrick. Listen to find out more including;

- How Pep Guardiola built a collective bigger than any individual?

- How Man City regained their rhythm?

- Why the half spaces are integral to City's game model?

- How Thomas Tuchel has impacted Chelsea?

-Why Tuchel is unlike any other Premier League coach?

- Why Chelsea fans should be enamoured by Timo Werner?

- How undervalued is the role of social competence within top level football?

Christian's Twitter; https://twitter.com/chrdob?lang=en

Christian's LinkedIn; https://www.linkedin.com/in/christian-dobrick/

Timestamps;

00:00 - 15:30 - Manchester City

15:31 - 33:29 - Chelsea

33:30 - 37:18 - Holstein Kiel

John Muller is author of the “Space Space Space” newsletter; a weekly publication musing about data and tactical analysis within football. For quite some time now I have followed John's work and there are few better qualified to give a breakdown on the modern state of data and tactical analysis within football. Listen to this episode to hear more about;

- How a move to South America and watching Pep's Barcelona fueled a desire to study tactics?

- Moving from law into football

- Why we are in a new era of data analytics within football?

- Preview of the upcoming Champions League Final

- Why there is no single path to understanding football?

- What is the next frontier of data analytics?

John's Twitter; https://twitter.com/johnspacemuller?lang=en

“Space Space Space” Newsletter; https://spacespacespaceletter.com/archive/

FiveThirtyEight article: https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/soccer-is-learning-to-see-the-whole-game/

Timestamps;

00:00 - 05:50 - Intro

05:51 - 09:30 - How to analyse a game?

09:31 - 14:15 - Event & Tracking data

14:16 - 21:34 - Data analytics within football

21:35 - 28:56 - Elbow backs

28:57 - 32:51 - Categorising midfielders

32:52 - 41:00 - Man City v Chelsea

41:01 - 49:21 - Validity of data

49:22 - 52:19 - “Learn as much as possible & share what you can”

Essam Alsuhaibani is the Regional Development Manager for Asia at FIFA. In this episode Essam speaks to me about his journey to date and why you should pursue your passion. From growing up in Saudi fascinated with the English and Argentinian game, Essam pursued his curiosity. This eventually takes us to the current day where Essam leads a department at FIFA responsible for developing the Asian game. Listen to how multi-facted the day to day really is at FIFA. Furthermore hear more on ;

- How football contributed to a cultural shift in Saudi Arabia?

- Leaving engineering and a scholarship for football

- What the day to day looks like at FIFA?

- What is Essam's proudest project to date?

- How to get started in the football industry?

Essam's LinkedIn; https://www.linkedin.com/in/essam-alsuhaibani-44129422/

Timestamps;

00:00 - 08:08 - Life in Saudi

08:09 - 14:27 - Liverpool

14:28 - 18:21 - AFC

18:22 - 25:28 - FIFA

25:29 - 27:30 - Proudest Project?

27:31 - 29:53 - Future of Asian Football

29:54 - 32:58 - Advice

Jason Stephens is the co-founder of “Modern Football Group” and is a lecturer in International Football Business at UCFB Wembley. There are few people more qualified than Jason to speak about the global game. The long list of clubs and organisations Jason has worked for includes Charlton, Sao Paulo, Portland Timbers, San Francisco 49ers, Inter Milan, the Cook Islands and Hashtag United. Nevertheless what is it really like to work at these institutions and how did he end up there? Sit back and enjoy this deep dive as Jason pulls back the curtains on his story. We discuss;

- How early beginnings shaped his journey

- Innovating youth development with Charlton

- Getting out of his comfort zone in Brazil

- Coaching SF 49ers third choice QB

- Bringing street football to Qatar's labour camps

- An infamous honeymoon in the Cook Islands

- Insights as to why the Super League is not over

- His advice for people wishing to embark on their own football journey

Jason's LinkedIn; https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonstephens4sports/

“Modern Football Group” LinkedIn; https://www.linkedin.com/company/modern-football-group

Timestamps;

00:00 - 08:27 - Early beginnings

08:28 - 18:07 - Brazil

18:08 - 22:44 - USA

22:45 - 26:25 - Inter Milan

26:26 - 34:40 - Qatar

34:41 - 42:28 - Cook Islands

42:29 - 57:45 - Women's football

57:46 - 01:05:20 - UCFB

01:05:21 - 01:17:10 - Modern Football Group

01:17:11 - 1:23:06 - Elevator pitch

Hugo Scheckter is the founder of “The Player Care Group” who are the UK’s first consultancy group focused on Player Care, Team Operations and Player Wellbeing within sporting environments across the world. Yet what exactly is player care? Hugo joined me to reflect upon his career to date and discuss his journey which has included successful periods with Southampton and West Ham. As Hugo begins a new chapter, we sat down to discuss everything including;

- Running a six figure budget as a student

- Helping to build Indy Eleven from the ground up

- How to reduce the risk of a new signing not settling?

- Why player care is a good investment?

- How does football compare to other sports?

- What does it feel like to win at Old Trafford?

Hugo's LinkedIn; https://www.linkedin.com/in/hugoscheckter/

“The Player Care Group” Website; https://www.playercaregroup.co.uk/

Timestamps;

00:00 - 03:45 - What is player care?

03:46 - 11:03 - Indy Eleven & College in the US

11:04 - 14:39 - Southampton

14:40 - 21:01 - How is player care perceived?

21:02 - 23:05 - Onboarding process of a new signing

23:06 - 30:04 - “The Player Care Group”

30:05 - 33:53 - Staff burnout in football

33:54 - 37:02 - Legacy

37:03 - 40:09 - Elevator pitch

Eric Gottschalk is the President & CEO of United City Football Club, a Philippine football powerhouse. Last year Eric was part of the MMC Sportz Asia ownership group which acquired “Ceres Negros” a club on the brink of insolvency. Close to a year and a Philippine Championship later Eric sat down with me to discuss the ins and outs of owning and running a football club. We discussed topics such as;

- What does the ownership process looks like from due diligence to acquisition?

- A blueprint for building Philippine football

- Why you cannot give assurances to fans?

- Why some ownership groups fail?

- Eric's advice for those wishing to enter the industry

Eric's LinkedIn; https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-gottschalk-0b774315/

United City Football Club Website; https://www.unitedcityfootballclub.com/

United City Football Club Instagram; https://www.instagram.com/unitedcityfootballclub/?hl=en

Timestamps;

00:00 - 04:31 - Philippine Football

04:32 - 09:16 - Acquiring a club

09:17 - 11:44 - Ownership concerns

11:45 - 14:07 - Vision

14:08 - 20:52 - Changing the club's name

20:53 - 26:51 - The big picture

26:52 - 29:56 - The day to day

29:57 - 31:43 - Legacy

31:44 - 34:23 - Elevator pitch

CONIFA, the Confederation of Independent Football Associations, is the football federation for all associations outside FIFA. It’s a global acting non-profit organization that supports representatives of international football teams from nations, de-facto nations, regions, minority peoples and sports isolated territories. CONIFA was founded on the 7th of June 2013, and organized his first World Football Cup in June 2014 in Ostersund, Sweden. Recently I had the pleasure to sit down with Jason Heaton, global ambassador of the organization to discuss all things CONIFA and his passion for football. In a wide ranging discussion we remarked upon the following;

- Finding your purpose through football

- Why the strength of an organization is it's people?

- What does a Kernow FA board meeting look like?

- Sticking to your principles amid geopolitical pressure

- The workload of representing a population base of 675 million

CONIFA Website; http://www.conifa.org/en/

CONIFA Instagram; https://www.instagram.com/conifaofficial/

Jason's LinkedIn; https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-heaton-6a9083106/

Timestamps;

00:00 - 04:36 - What is CONIFA?

04:37 - 14:00 - Passion for football

14:01 - 18:04 - Common purpose

18:05 - 23:16 - Kernow FA

23:17 - 30:31 - Heart warming stories

30:32 - 33:45 - Upcoming tournaments

33:46 - 40:16 - CONIFA future

40:17 - 44:31 - Closing thoughts

As a new MLS season approaches I sat down with Joe Lowery to preview the upcoming season. Alongside his knowledge of the MLS, Joe has a keen eye for the tactical side of the game. Throughout this episode it was interesting to learn of the strides which MLS teams have made in this area over the past few years. Furthermore we discussed the ins and outs heading into this new season and what neutrals should be looking out for including;

- Where does the MLS rank in terms of tactical modernity?

- How Joe Lowery FC would strategize for a playoff run?

-What to expect from Gabriel Heinze at Atlanta United?

- Why Bob Bradley should never change

- Predictions for the upcoming season

- Joe's advice for those aspiring tactical analysts & writers

Joe's Twitter; https://twitter.com/joeclowery?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

Timestamps;

00:00 - 03:54 - Tactics

03:55 - 12:21 - MLS v Modern day tactics

12:22 - 17:44 - Atlanta United

17:45 - 20:46 - Columbus Crew

20:47 - 25:42 - Philadelphia Union & the Supporter's Shield

25:43 - 27:04 - Rest of the East

27:05 - 30:55 - Seattle Sounders

30:56 - 33:53 - Portland Timbers

33:54 - 36:08 - LAFC

36:09 - 41:22 - LA Galaxy & Efrain Alvarez

41:23 - 45:04 - USMNT & Gregg Berhalter

45:05 - 49:55 - Season predictions

A lot of people think; “Wow you work in football!” but what does the reality actually look like? Recently I had the pleasure to sit down with Chris Rush as he reflected upon his 15 years working in professional football at clubs such as Middlesbrough, Manchester City and most recently Blackburn. The interview focuses on the realities working as support staff in the professional game and the circumstances surrounding his recent departure from Blackburn. We discussed topics such as;

- Working as support staff in football

- What did the weekly routine look like?

- When does a passion become a profession?

- Can universities do a better job at raising awareness among students?

- Cultural reform

Pacey Performance Survey; https://www.strengthofscience.com/pacey-performance-academy-performance-staff-survey/

Timestamps;

00:00 - 03:17 - 15 years in football

03:18 - 11:30 - Reasons for leaving professional football

11:31 - 15:15 - Pacey Performance Survey

15:16 - 17:35 - Is it just football?

17:36 - 19:38 - What does a typical week look like?

19:39 - 26:36 - Can universities do better?

26:37 - 31:04 - Reforms

31:05 - 35:30 - What's next for Chris?

Interview with Valencia Academy Director; Sean Bai covering all topics on youth development including;

- Integrating ideas from other industries into football

- Sean's advice to growing academies

- Behind the scenes into the organizational change at Valencia

- Building a culture during Covid

- Their process in identifying and developing a youth player

- Academies as an immune system to FFP & European Super League

Timestamps;

00:00 - 07:59 - Sean's role at Valencia

08:00 - 15:32 - Individual first Player second

15:33 - 23:07 - What does the support network around a player look like?

23:08 - 35:25 - Building a culture during Covid

35:26 - 42:34 - Recruitment

42:35 - 47:52 - Pathway to Pro

47:53 - 55:07 - FFP & European Super League

55:08 - 57:18 - Sean's version of success