Introduction to Football Analysis

Rhys Desmond
TheMastermindSite.com

© TheMastermindSite.com 2023. All rights reserved.

 Table of Contents

Foreword……………………………………………………………………………………3

Course Goals……………………………………………………………………………….4-5

SECTION 1: SEEING TO UNDERSTANDING

Chapter 1: Introduction……………………………………………………………………6-9

Chapter 2: Conceptualizing Analysis……………………………………………………...10-14

Chapter 3: Getting Started in Analysis…..………………………………………………..15-21

Chapter 4: Football Terminology in Analysis…..………………………………………...22-27

Chapter 5: Breaking Down the Phases of the Game……………………………………..28-47

Chapter 6: Understanding Ball, Opposition, Teammates and Space…………………….48-60

Chapter 7: The Difference Between Seeing & Understanding…………………………..61-71

Chapter 8: Why the 5 Corners are Deeply Intertwined in Football Analysis…………….72-82

Chapter 9: The Simple Task to Improve Your Analysis…………………………………..83-88

SECTION 2: ANALYSIS TOOLS FOR SUCCESS

Chapter 10: How to Take Better Notes……………………………………………………89-98

Chapter 11: Wyscout for Football Analysis………………………………………………99-105

Chapter 12: Powerpoint for Football Analysis…………………………………………..106-112

Chapter 13: Excel for Football Analysis…………………………………………………113-118

Chapter 14: FBRef for Football Analysis………………………………………………..119-125

Chapter 15: Social Media Management in Analysis…………………………………….126-130

Chapter 16: Analysis as a Player………………………………………………………....131-141

Chapter 17: Final Challenge & Additional Resources………………………………….141-144

 Foreword

In designing a comprehensive course on Football Analysis, I wanted to produce a first of

its kind article-based journey around the world.

Since the course is structured primarily through articles rather than video or personal
teaching sessions, I have now decided to turn the course into an Ebook – helping those who
prefer to view the material in a different format. Patreon subscribers traditionally get all my
Ebooks for free, but this one is only available at full price, or for those in my Consultation
Masterclass. If this Ebook sparks your interest and inspires you to learn more, I have over 1,000
articles up on TMS absolutely free, and currently have room to spare in my Consultation
Masterclass. For those that are simply here to learn more about the game, your contributions to
the course and Ebook are equally valuable, and you are free to ask any question any time to
[email protected]! I hope you enjoy this book, and I wish you the best of luck in
your football analysis journey.
 Course Goals

In anything that you do in life, it would be silly to proceed without a purpose of what you want
to accomplish. Think about why you’ve decided to take this course. What is it that you hope to
accomplish? Write your answer down or submit your answer here.

Now it’s time to discuss what you will be able to get out of this book, and why I think it will be
beneficial for your future in analysis. This book will…
-> Present you with a greater understanding of the ins and outs of football analysis, both in the
professional and public landscape.
-> Enhance your tactical and analytical understanding of the beautiful game, helping you take
your football conversations, writing, craft, etc. to the next level.
-> Gain 1on1 attention from an industry leader in football analysis, who has consulted with
professional clubs, players, agents, scouts, analysts, writers, coaches, and managers from around
the world.
-> Have a shot at promoting your work to a worldwide audience by the time you finish the book,
including the possibility to publish on TMS.

Along the way, I’m going to be teaching you how to use analysis platforms like Wyscout
(or even Powerpoint and Excel) to success. How to create your own football graphics and
telestrations; how to watch football from a different lens; and the secrets that the likes of Alex
Stewart, Jon Mackenzie and Michael Cox use to make their analysis stand out to a worldwide
audience.
Along the way, you will have the opportunity to be in constant contact with me (Rhys), as you
work your way through the book and begin to develop your own ideas about the game.
If you’re reading this only as a preview and think that you’d actually prefer the course version,
simply start your football analysis journey here…

START THE COURSE!

Begin your Football Analysis journey…

START THE COURSE NOW!
But for those of you who are ever so ready, let’s begin this journey! 👊⚽
 SECTION 1: SEEING & UNDERSTANDING

LET’S BEGIN! – CHAPTER 1

Introduction to Rhys & the Course

Let’s face it, while I’ve done well with my website, I might still be a bit of an unknown
name to you. I don’t work for Liverpool, I don’t write for The Athletic, and I’m not one of those
fake follower guys on Twitter with over 25k. I’m actually a bit of a nobody in the footballing
world, and I’m existing in a market inside North America that doesn’t really exist.
But that doesn’t mean that what I have to say is meaningless. After all, former CMNT
player David Edgar once nervously introduced me to his family and friends as “this is the genius
I’ve been telling you about.” That felt good, and in fact, it was the first time I realized I could
actually make a living out of football analysis.
 I first started coaching soccer in 2014, and in 2020 I became the youngest technical
director in Ontario Soccer history. The only problem? I couldn’t call myself a Technical
Director, as I couldn’t make my way through an impossibly difficult path to acquire the right
licenses and simultaneously afford the cost of living on my below minimum-wage job. I left the
community soccer scene in 2021, and later started doing analysis for David Edgar and various
projects across the CPL, including for a well-known agent in the Canada Soccer scene called
Andrew Jefferson. Around this time, I wrote all of the famous RDF Tactics videos that later
earned him a job on The Athletic, and surpassed 1 million views in a single calendar year on
TMS. Making just less than $1,000 a month on TMS, I continued my career as a Recreation
Extraordinaire, leading programs and events for kids in low-income neighbourhoods across
Cambridge, ON. I later started teaching a coaching & leadership course at Western University to
aspiring professionals.
As I write the Ebook version of this course, I am still working in Recreation, but have
started my Consultation Masterclass on TMS for anyone looking to develop their craft. All of
this is to say that I’ve done some really cool things, but I also recognize that I am not Pep
Lijnders or Pep Guardiola or Pepe, or any other famous Pep. I’m just an incredibly determined
Canadian football fan, who has set himself up in a place to continuously learn about the game
from industry leaders, while continuously teaching the game to industry leaders (and anyone
looking to become one in the future!).
Even in knowing all of this, I know that it’s hard in some ways to be entirely convinced
about taking my words for gospel. After all, how do I know what I know? To that I say, you’ve
passed the first test.

I don’t care who we’re talking about. From Sir Alex Ferguson to Bob from down the
road, we all have gaps in our footballing knowledge. We all have our own biases and our own
unique set of experiences that guide our path and guide our knowledge. Nothing I say here
should be blissfully taken for granted without first thinking about the wider context at hand, and
trying to formulate your own reasonings, opinions and perspectives on the subject matter. With
that recognition in mind, I want you, unlike David Edgar, to treat me as though I’m not that
smart about football. We’re here for a two-way conversation, between two knowledge people
who have much to learn. You’ll learn my processes, my knowledge bases, and a never-before-
seen behind-the-scenes look into articles like ‘The simple task anyone can do to improve their
tactical knowledge’. In return, I’ll learn from you.
Simultaneous to that endeavour, you will have the opportunity to utilize that information
to your own advantage, and formulate your own perspectives and opinions about the game. In
fact, in developing this course, my very own father asked me “Aren’t you worried that you’ll
teach people to be better than you?”. That’s exactly the point Father Desmond. I want to help
you learn, grow, develop, and become a world leading tactics expert, if you so desire. I want you
to learn exactly how you can become the cream that rises to the top, and use my musings as
inspiration for your own journey. Whatever that may be. So with that, I want you to picture this
entire Ebook as though you are having a two-way conversation with me.
 Ask me any questions you have – whether that be about tactics and analysis, the course,
or whatever at [email protected]. Unless, I’ve gone scuba diving into my own dark
hole of tactics and analysis so deep that my heart’s stopped, I will always respond within 24
hours, and give you as much detail and insight whenever possible. If I do not know the exact best
answer to any given question (I’m a unicorn, but not a wizard), I will endeavour to locate and
find the necessary resources that can lead you on the path toward greater understanding. Again,
picture this as a two-way conversation. After all…it is.
That’s right. First, let me throw the question back on you. Who are you? I’m about to
jump into the unknown on a wonderful journey with you. But I know nothing about you. So why
should I trust anything that you say or know about the game? Answer me here, and I’ll bounce
an email back to you with my answers in return.
I want to know why you’re here. Understanding your purpose, and what you want to
achieve in completing this course, will help me to better serve you as we learn and grow
together. This may seem tedious, but believe me, this needs to be clarified in everything that you
do. What is your purpose? By the end of this book, what do you hope to achieve? Knowing this
will help guide your endeavours and efforts throughout the next few weeks to months, as you
progress through this TMS trail.
Finally, I want to know why you are already a champion. I want you to praise yourself,
and recognize how far you’ve already come in your analysis journey by purchasing this book
(and everything else you’ve done so far!). Look at Cristiano Ronaldo. He knows he’s the best,
because being the best is rooted into everything he aims to accomplish. He puts in the work, lets
that work shine on the football pitch, and then backs up that ego by relentlessly working harder
than you’ve worked today. Sorry. Cristiano Ronaldo has worked harder than you today. So if you
want to be like Cristiano (in the footballing sense of course) you need to start now, by answering
the following question: Why should I invest in you on my team of All-Star ‘A’-list analysts?
The first step to achieving is believing. Not many out there are willing to take that leap.
Finally, I want you to promise me one thing as we move along together. In every
conversation I’ve ever had with anyone wishing to contribute to my website, I always outline our
two guiding “Principles of Play” – Quality and Originality. This book requires you to be
disciplined and self-directed. I’m going to invest time and energy into you. I ask that you do the
same, and put your best foot forward in giving your all into this book. You will reap the rewards,
but only if you’re willing to put in the work. I want you to question and challenge everything. I
want you to tell me why I’m wrong. I want you to write in-depth responses and put time and
effort into thinking up original responses and original takes on the beautiful game. If you just
want to skip to the end to get some bogus certificate, you’re missing out on the journey. In fact,
you can’t even get this certificate without putting your best foot forward in the final project.
Trust me. The journey is worth the wait. So if you’re willing to put in the work, and if you’re
truly satisfied with the quality and originality you poured into the questions above…then my
friend, let’s begin.
If you’re ready, answer the following questions alongside me.
WHO AM I? -> I’m Rhys – the creator of TMS, and the writer behind 1,000+ articles on the
website. Told by at least four individuals that I am their favourite writer, I strive to bring
personality, humour, quality, and originality to my work, producing content that cannot be found
anywhere else on the internet. I’ve worked in the game for the past decade, most notably as a
coach, writer and football analyst.
WHY AM I HERE? -> If there’s one thing I want out of life, it is to feel as though I’m making
a difference in the lives of others, and helping them achieve their full potential. As a Myers-
Briggs ‘Protagonist’, I have little interest in the business, money-making side of this (I even
worked below minimum wage for years in this field). I just want to help others, educate, and be a
part of your development in the beautiful game. If you even use one singular item that you learn
from this course as inspiration along a twig in your path, I’ve won the game 3-0 with a hat-trick
and an Aubameyang back-flip to celebrate.
I’M ALREADY AN ALL STAR BECAUSE -> Hundreds of pro coaches, players, retired
superstars, writers, analysts, and podcasters follow my work, and remain a DM away. (Not the
defensive midfielder kind).
I’M ALREADY A UNICORN BECAUSE -> No one else in this industry has been doing it
alone to this level of success for this long, whilst producing content that is 99% free to a
readership of 4,000+ viewers per day. That already surpasses 99% of the big hitters in the
website sphere, despite boasting nowhere near the social following.
I’M ALREADY AT THE TOP OF MY GAME BECAUSE -> I have the privilege of working
with knowledgeable others (such as yourself), week in and week out. I’ve worked with coaches,
writers, podcasters and analysts from across the globe, helping them develop their craft at an
affordable price.
Thanks for sharing, and I can’t wait to work together.