Building Your Analysis Framework

Course: How To Analyse A Match
Section: 02 - The Systematic Approach
Subsection: 01 - Building Your Analysis Framework
URL: https://www.skool.com/coachingacademy/classroom/9775ce2d?md=bd60c5b1dacb4bcf9d259218772f4669

Professional vs Amateur Analysis

Here’s what separates professional analysts from everyone else: they don’t just watch football. They interrogate it.

Every observation becomes a question. Every pattern becomes evidence. Every breakdown becomes a learning opportunity. But only if you have a system that turns random observations into actionable intelligence.

The What, Who, Where, When, How, Outcome Method

This isn’t theory. This is the exact framework used in UEFA B licence performance analysis and refined through 15+ years of coaching at every level. The same system that professional clubs use to prepare for matches and develop players.

Research Foundation

The framework comes from Ian Franks’ research: “Systematic observation permits a trained observer to use a set of guidelines and procedures to observe, record and analyse observable events and behaviours, with the assumption that other observers using the same observation instrument, and viewing the same sequence of events, would agree with the recorded data.”

What This Means for Your Coaching

When you and another coach watch the same sequence, you should reach similar conclusions. Not because you see the same obvious events, but because you apply the same systematic thinking process.

The 6W Framework in Practice

WHAT - What aspect of performance are you analysing?

• Be specific. “Poor defending” isn’t analysis. “Failure to press as a unit when the ball is played into the striker’s feet” is analysis.
• Focus on one performance area per viewing. Trying to analyse everything means analysing nothing effectively.

WHO - Who does your analysis involve?

• Individual players, units, or the whole team
• Include the opposition’s influence on your team’s performance
• Remember: football is interactive. Your striker’s movement affects their centre-back’s positioning.

WHERE - Where on the pitch is it taking place?

• Specific zones matter more than general areas
• “Left defensive third during goal kicks” is more useful than “defending”
• Pitch location often determines appropriate solutions

WHEN - When did this take place?

• Game state influences decision-making
• Time periods reveal patterns (first 15 minutes, after setbacks, final 20 minutes)
• Fatigue, pressure, and momentum affect performance

HOW - What other criteria would add value and understanding?

• The trigger that started the sequence
• The quality of execution under different pressures
• Environmental factors (weather, crowd, importance of match)

OUTCOME - What are the potential outcomes of that action?

• Not just what happened, but what could have happened
• How this pattern affects future sequences
• What training focus this observation suggests

Creating Your Personal Observation System

Your observation system should be simple enough to use consistently, sophisticated enough to capture meaningful detail, and flexible enough to adapt to different situations.

The Foundation Principles:

1. One focus per viewing - Don’t try to see everything at once
2. Context before judgement - Understand why before deciding if it’s good or bad
3. Patterns over incidents - Look for recurring themes, not isolated events
4. Solutions alongside problems - Every observation should suggest a development path

Practice Exercise with Sample Footage

Take any 10-minute segment of your tactical footage. Watch it six times:

1. First viewing: Note general impressions without the framework
2. Second viewing: Apply the 6W framework to one attacking sequence
3. Third viewing: Apply the framework to one defensive sequence
4. Fourth viewing: Focus on transition moments using the framework
5. Fifth viewing: Track one individual player using the framework
6. Sixth viewing: Review your notes and identify patterns

You’ll be amazed how much more you see with the systematic approach compared to the general viewing.

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