11 Questions with @PrideofChels

The pursuit of wisdom in any walk of life quickly reveals that what you think you know is not nearly enough to get you to where you want to go. As I'm starting out in my football scouting journey I challenged myself to reach out to those already working in various roles in football to answer a short list of questions. My goal wasn't to get answers but relevant perspectives on the game within the game.

Here is @PrideOfChels

How did your first opportunity in football come about?

My first opportunity to play soccer came about in the same circumstances that almost everyone else. Playing in the small streets, I learned the more technical aspects - doing rondos and experimenting with elasticos. By no means am I professional but I like to think that I am decently good. My first opportunity to analyze soccer came on Twitter randomly. I was scrolling and saw a post showing how to set up in a 5v5 game. I was interested I had a 5v5 game tomorrow so I clicked to investigate. I talked about something called the “half-space”. That’s where it all started. I started researching what it was and it led me down a winding spiral.

What attracted you to scouting/analytics/tactics? What’s more intriguing now names or numbers?

What attracted me to analysis and tactics was to see that I had a chance to see what these world-class coaches planned so meticulously. The fact that I could spot that and then show

people how it worked was what led me to my deep interests. In relation to names or numbers, I will have to pick names. 

While the world of data analysis - which I myself will be pursuing in college - is exciting, statistics without context really means nothing. Just as easily you can use a statistic to support your argument, you can also use it build a false argument seeing that you never provide context. 

Players, on the other hand, bring something that electrifies you. If you’ve ever seen a Neymar, a Hazard, or a Messi, you know the feeling players can put you in and I think that feeling cannot be quantified.

Who/what is the first player/concept you "found"? What caught your eye?

Working and writing for Total Football Analysis allowed me greater access to data and analytics. Now while analysts in South America and some analysts interested in Superliga Argentina might know of him, I am not sure of the number of people that know about Marcelo Gallardo. 

Well, now, Gallardo is a household name not only in Argentina but also in Europe. However, before those managerial links came up, I first “found” and analyzed his attacking tactics - which are spellbinding, to say the least. What caught my eye was the formation used. 

Gallardo uses a 4-1-3-2 - an aggressive formation and for good reason. When his River Plate attack, it is fast, precise, and exhilarating football. Even now, River Plate are on 27 points with one game less than everyone. If they win their match against Independiente, then as I predicted, Gallardo will finally be able to win the one trophy that has eluded him as the manager.

Who/what is the player/concept you "missed" on? What did you learn from it?

One player I “missed” on was Cristian Pavón. I had heard whispers of him and when I was analyzing MLS for Total Football Analysis, I often read and analyzed him. While I certainly did think he was some talent, I did not know that he would grow into that much of a player. The main lesson I learned from Pavón was to always consider a player over a long-term. It seems obvious now but at that point, I had limitations as an analyst - I still have some do. 

As such, my message will be to always try new things to make mistakes rather than sit back and not do anything. Obviously, I am not saying to do this on very important decisions that do require time but for things, that of less importance, always try to do things in a new manner. You might make mistakes and that is fine. Eventually, it will help you to be a better analyst.

If you could start over what skill would you build on first?

If I could start over, I would probably choose to build on my scouting aspects. Scouting players is one of my weaknesses because I assume that the great things that a player is doing is done by many other players - in otherwise, I am too harsh when scouting. It is something that I am constantly working on but it would have been better had I done it before.

Do you see player development as more of an art or a science? Is development on the club or the player? Why?

While player development has to have science in it, I personally think it is more of an art. The art of talking to a player and working with him or her in finding their strengths and weaknesses.

Some of the world-class players have been molded in their player development and it is more of an art to do so. Mohammed Salah comes to mind. His growth from an underused winger at Chelsea to putting good numbers at Roma to blasting the league in Liverpool is one of great beauty but also a testament to the art of development. 

Several other players have had the same start as Salah - and almost all of them have had access to scientific methods - however not many make the same finish as Salah. While science is definitely important, there is an art to development where if you make the wrong steps or paths and you might not achieve your potential. 

Personally, and I would love to see other’s opinions on this, I think it’s on the player. For me, the player has the option to join a certain club that has a certain reputation. 

I mean look at Erling Håland. He could’ve gone to a big club and not developed but he chose the right option to go to Dortmund to truly develop himself. As such, while the club is important because certain clubs develop players better, it is ultimately on the player to chose his destiny and decide on how to develop.

What is your favorite sports moment? Why?

I would be lying if it wasn’t when Chelsea won the Champions League. The euphoria and the atmosphere in 2012 is enough for me to relive and live it again and again. None of my family cared but I was there, watching it live on our TV, and shouting at every pass and tackle. The penalty shootout had me gripped and when Didier Drogba stepped up, I scrunched my body and closed my eyes and listened as he scored ‘that’ goal. That moment was enough for me and still is.

What coach/player/team inspires you? Why?

Currently, I really really like Jürgen Klopp and what he did with Dortmund and Liverpool. His tactics, I think, are really intuitive however he knows how to add that extra something that

makes it so elusive. 

If you asked me historically, I would probably say Marco Bielsa just because of the amount of thought and intricacies he works out with data and tactics.

What advice would you give to someone wanting to get into tactics/media/analytics?

My advice would be to just do it. Don’t waste time thinking about hypotheticals. Just do it. If it doesn’t come to fruition, then refigure, find where you went wrong, ask for feedback - people do

give this so take advantage! - and go again. You’ll falter at first but eventually, find your groove.

What is your favorite app/tool to use (for work or fun)?

I would have to say WyScout. It just has so much data and you can really play around and find young players, advanced statistics for matches, and just so much more.

What other sport/hobby/discipline do you feel improves your work as an analyst? Why?

Well, I currently study advanced mathematics and statistics and I really feel that has added to my work as an analyst. It has allowed me to include context and explanations to my statistics while also appreciating the number of work analysts and statisticians do on a daily basis.