The Problem With Most Match Analysis

Course: How To Analyse A Match
Section: 01 - Getting Started
Subsection: 02 - The Problem With Most Match Analysis
URL: https://www.skool.com/coachingacademy/classroom/9775ce2d?md=e9d0b035934c4e8b9abeeb213351a121

The Common Scenario

Let me paint you a picture you’ll recognise:

It’s Sunday evening. You’re sitting with your laptop, ready to analyse yesterday’s match. You press play and immediately start taking notes about what you see.

“Poor first touch in the 12th minute.”

“Good run by the striker on 34 minutes.”

“Defensive miscommunication leads to goal.”

Two hours later, you’ve got three pages of observations and no idea what to do with them.

This is consumption masquerading as analysis.

The Lucky Trap

If you are really lucky, you’ll have Wyscout and an abundance of data.

The problem isn’t that you’re not trying. The problem is you’re trying to analyse without a system. You’re collecting data points without a framework to connect them. You’re treating symptoms instead of diagnosing root causes.

Why Coaches Watch, But Don’t Truly See

Most coaches analyse matches the same way tourists visit cities. They see the famous landmarks, take some photos, and maybe buy a souvenir. But they never understand how the city actually works. Where the locals eat. How the transport connects. What makes this place unique.

Tourist Coaching Looks Like This:

• “We had 67% possession” (the landmark)
• “Our striker had 4 shots” (the photo)
• “We need to press higher” (the souvenir)

Native Coaching Looks Deeper:

Why did we have possession in areas that didn’t threaten? What type of shots was our striker taking, and what does that tell us about our build-up play? If we press higher, what will that expose, and are we prepared for it?

The Difference Between Watching and Analysing

• Watching tells you what happened
• Analysing tells you why it happened
• Great analysis tells you what will happen again if you don’t change it

Great analysis is pattern recognition.

Common Analysis Mistakes That Waste Your Time

1. The Commentary Trap: Describing what you see instead of explaining why it happened

2. The Highlight Reel Error: Focusing only on goals, shots, and obvious moments

3. The Data Dump: Collecting statistics without connecting them to meaning

4. The Blame Game: Identifying problems without understanding their source

5. The Memory Hole: Analysing without a system to retain and apply insights

Professional vs Amateur Analysis

The coaches who get hired by professional clubs don’t make these mistakes. They don’t analyse matches, they decode them.

Key Takeaway

Most coaches treat match analysis as post-match consumption rather than systematic investigation. This course will teach you to move from tourist observation to native understanding - seeing not just what happened, but why it happened and what it means for your next training session.

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