Interesting tactical analysis of our systems under Struber

https://spielverlagerung.com/2020/08/31/gerhard-strubers-intense-pressing-system-at-barnsley/

 

It’s looking well and I’m excited for the coming season to see where we are against other supposedly bigger sides .
The only thing that worries me is the finishing tbh.
Times many in this league we see teams pegged back by constant pressure from teams but then pop in a couple of goals with top finishers and bag the points because the other team despite all the possession and chances couldn’t put them away .

 

Yes I read it earlier on News Now.
German.
Who the foooking hell goes into all that trouble to sell trade secrets !?!?!
Is it an attempt to analyse Gerhards tactics that much that they have deliberately undermined him ???

 

Because the other 23 clubs don't have their own analysts and statisticians? Who aren't at least as capable as a German journalist working from a few video clips?

 

Someone looking for a job in football analysis I'd have thought. I believe quite a few analysts have been picked up by professional clubs off the back of work they've self published online.

 

It’s not just a news article is it.
It’s a full report with analysis of his tactics.
I find it quite weird.
I wonder what people at the club think about it being floated on the Internet.

 

Fascinating stuff - thanks a lot for that.

 

Every club at our level will (or should) have teams who analyse any available footage of every team they play in order to gain an advantage. I'd imagine the Barnsley coaching team get a report very similar to this from our data analysis guys before every match, and the opposition will have the same about us.

There's nothing secret there - it uses freely available videos and almost certainly a lot of stats which are in the public domain. I suspect the reason that our friendlies haven't been streamed is that GS and the club think that it will deny some of this advantage - however minuscule it turns out to be - to the likes of Forest, Luton and Reading.

 

The thing is that few who watch the game are interested in the basic mechanics of what makes it tick. They recognise the excellence in individuals, and they recognise when a player makes an obvious error, but beyond that they have no interest. They value watching as an emotional experience, and of course, they love to watch their team win, but they do not wish to engage in any mental exercise when they have come to be entertained.

I am different, and that is why Minority Report is different. I do not assume that the result is wholly dependent upon the ability of the players. I recognise when sacrifices have been made in one area in order to benefit another. The question that I try to answer in every Minority Report is WHY. Now my style, and particularly my analysis, will never suit everyone. There will always be those who find it too long, or who are simply not interested. Minority Report is for those who crave a deeper understanding.

In order to illustrate what I mean, I have reproduced below an extract from the Brentford Minority Report, the final match of last season. It underlines the point being made in the first part of this analysis

"Brentford wanted to pass the ball out from the keeper. We did not make the mistake of over-pressing the keeper, but we did mark all his short passing options, putting them under pressure as soon as they received the ball and never giving them an easy pass forward. We defended from the front and Jacob Brown and Connor Chaplin deserved huge praise for their work rate. They were our first line of defence, and although Brentford had a huge share of possession, most of it was in their own half. I have been very critical of Struber, but today, in that first half, he got it spot on".

 

It says that he (Cameron Meighan) is a 19-year-old analyst and coach, currently an analysis intern at Preston North End u18s.

 

The analysis from Sky during the game was contrary to the plan of forcing the ball wide to the wing backs is was to cut off Pinnock's options and force him to hit it long something he wasn't too adept at. Maybe Struber doesn't hold Pinnock in as high regard as others do. I must put my hands up and admit that this wasn't any of my analysis since I do prefer to switch off and wish to be entertained.

 

That is what the press does. It puts pressure on the player with the ball. When he runs out of options, he can kick it back to the keeper, and potentially the whole process begins again, or he can hit a pass that is more difficult to execute, and with a higher chance that the ball will be lost.

 

I tried to read the article, but after a few paragraphs I felt like my brain had been subjected to some high-intensity pressing.

 

Yes, it wasn't easy, was it

 

I understand what you are saying here.
I also try to look at the finer detail of what is happening - although I’m not a football professional so I will obviously get things wrong.

I didn’t watch the Brentford and Leeds games on iFollow - I watched them on Sky.
It was interesting to hear what the Sky commentators had to say about Barnsley tactics during those games.

And if you do look deeper at the tactics etc - then you will have noted the same as what I have about Mowatt and Brown being currently the weak links of the team.
Brown not suited to that forward position - but potentially an excellent wing back.
I’m sure Gerhard and James Cryne will have.

 

I am not going to argue the points that you have made about Brown and Mowatt other than to say that in my opinion, you could not be more wrong. Your problem it that you were brought up on 4-4-2, and you are relating everything to your understanding of how that system worked. The game has moved on, and few teams play in that way now. If you are to truly understand the way that the modern game is played, you need to relearn it from the very basics. It requires an open mind and a willingness to throw away the basics that you learned in your youth. It really is that different. I began relearning the game about 3 years ago, and I am still going through that process. Gerhard Struber and his very different pressing tactics have been a real culture shock and not only to me. I recommend you go away and relearn the game from a different prospect, just as I am doing.

 

Fixed that for you RR. Otherwise a fine post.

 

Fascinating? Really? Better than counting sheep for curing insomnia.

 

I find that first and second paragraph to be the most patronising verbiage I’ve ever read on the BBS in the 20 odd years I’ve been on it.