handbook for Technical Directors

Analysis of the football environment / 5 47
Criteria related to quality
At some other levels, it is more relevant
to analyse the quality of the game. This is
particularly important when it comes to
elite youth and professional football. Here
the main variable is not only the quantity
of the games played, but mainly the
performance. Particularly for professional
football, the technical analysis of top
division games will provide very good
indications of the type and quality of youth
training programmes. This qualitative
analysis will have a strong link with the
philosophy of the game that the technical
director wants to develop for the football
association in general.
Some of the elements to be looked into
are:
- How do the teams defend?
- How do the teams attack?
- How do the teams conduct the transition
(both directions)?
- What about set pieces (free kicks,
corners, etc.)?
- What are the main technical, tactical,
physical and mental strengths/
weaknesses?
- Level of goalkeeping?
- How to develop the potential of the
players?
Example of an analytical chart for team performance
in elite youth football competitions
Quality of games U-15/16
Level: 4 = excellent X = Club teams U-15/16
3 = good O = Youth national team
2 = average
1 = poor
4 3 2 1
Motivation, leadership, team spirit
Dynamic, speed
Construction, ball position, using width and depth
Attacking by wing position
Efficiency in box (attacking)
Transition (both directions)
Zonal defence and pressing
Aggressiveness in 1v1 situations
Technical skills in movement
O
X
O X
O X O X
O X O X
O X
O X
O X X
O X
O X
If there is no national philosophy for the
game or not yet, criteria for the analysis of
different FIFA Technical Study Groups (TSG)
could be used.