11 Questions with Tobias Hahn

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 Tobias Hahn, founder of The False Fullback

How did your first opportunity in football come about?

I actually haven´t had an opportunity to work for a professional football club, although I was in

contact with one club through my analysis articles on the different websites I am writing for. For me, analysing games is mainly a hobby because I love the sport and I coach on amateur level. However, I have many other passions so I´m not sure whether I actually want to work in professional football at all.

What attracted you to coaching? What’s more intriguing now winning or developing players?

I started coaching because I wanted to do it differently than all the coaches I had. In amateur level

football many training sessions did not include small sided games but rather isolated drills like

passing or shooting. I was not convinced that this is the best way to train and it was boring for me as a player.

Therefore, I started to coach youth teams in my hometown club. The challenge of creating games

that are fun for the players but also push the players remains very intriguing for me. Also, the way a coach has to talk and treat every player in a different way is a challenge and I learnt so much

personally. I´m more confident now and not afraid to speak in public. The weekly training sessions

were the perfect practice for me.

I definitely enjoy the development of players and the creation of a team more. Of course, everyone

likes to win but seeing young players improve and play together as a team is more fascinating for me.

Who is the first coach/teacher that resonated with you? What stood out?

Difficult question, I think I haven´t had a coach or teacher who influenced me particularly. I would say my boss at the small startup I work for, influenced me a lot. He is always positive, beliefs in what he does even in streaks of failure or lack of success. He inspires me and motivates me to start my own project and be curious. My passion for innovation is due to him. The good thing is, many principles of successful innovation and business are applicable to football as well. So, I can combine those two passions.

What is the biggest misconception in football? Why?

Oh, there are many misconceptions. What annoys me the most is when a team in relegation battle

sacks its coach and then they install a coach who is only focused on defence, fighting and outrunning the opponent. In my opinion having a clear concept offensively and defensively is more valuable than a coach who just wants to focus on the “basics of football”. Julian Nagelsmann at Hoffenheim and Christian Titz at Hamburg showed that playing offensively and trying to score goals can help you avoid relegation as well. The right strategy as well as the right tactics is so important in modern football. Simply outrunning the opponent and fight more won´t lead to more points.

The other misconception is the deviation of football in different, isolated phases. But football is

connected. The way you attack ultimately influences how you can act in a transition moment or in

the defensive phase as well.

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

If I could start over again, I would focus on a specific skill but rather try to remain open minded as

long as possible. Forming an opinion about different strategies too early leads to cognitive biases

influencing your judgement. For instance, I always thought using deep fullbacks is stupid. Every

possession-oriented team used high fullbacks to give width and allow the wingers to move inside.

Hence, I concluded deep fullbacks do not make sense because only teams focused on not conceding would position their fullbacks deeper. Due to the early formation of my opinion, I did not try to find potential advantages of deeper fullbacks. Through Twitter and different articles, I slowly learnt about the benefits of deep fullbacks. This whole process could have been easier if I would have remained open minded.

Do you see player development as more of an art or a science? Which would you start with?

In my opinion it is both. There is the scientific part which deals with how players learn, and which

ways are the best. A coach should try to create the best learning environment possible, therefore, he needs to be aware of scientific evidence. For example, the effectiveness of small sided games. A lack of knowledge about the research done can lead to training sessions which are dominated by isolated drills or non-football related fitness training which increases the injury risk. Sometimes new evidence seems to be contrary to common belief. For example, the approach that kids should do different sports as long as possible to develop a variety of movements and game intelligence.

However, there is also a bit of art in player development. Especially, the uncertainty about how a

player reacts and develops to different situations can be considered art. If it would be purely science, we could design the perfect development strategy and every kid would become a great football player. But the uncertainty and the different characteristics of each person force the coach to experiment a lot, try what works and foster the development of creativity of each player.

What is your favorite sports moment? Why?

As a Bayern supporter, my favourite sports moment is definitely the goal scored by Arjen Robben in the Champions League final 2013 against Dortmund. It felt like the final goal reached because as a Bayern supporter you dreamt about the Champions League for a long time. Also, the story with Arjen Robben who missed to decisive penalties the year before against Dortmund and Chelsea which costed the German championship and the Champions League title.

What coach/player/team inspires you? Why?

Puh, hard question. Pep Guardiola of course because of the way he sees football. His teams simply

play in a way which is for me the right way to play the game. But Gregg Popovich and the San

Antonio Spurs team with Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker certainly inspired me even

more. Not just because of their way of playing but because of their team culture. The approach that no one is bigger than the team and that they treat each other as a family member.

Gregg Popovich certainly inspired me the most because of his relationship with his players and how he trusts them but remains a hard coach. He can scream at you in one moment and in the other give you a hug. For me, he is the role model of a great leader.

What advice would you give to someone wanting to get into coaching/scouting/analytics?

I´m definitely not in the position to give any advice. But if I have to, I would say that analysing games and thinking about the game helped me a lot. Furthermore, questioning common belief. Just because everyone thinks something is right, doesn´t mean that it is the truth or the right way to do something.

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

I don´t use many tools, only OneNote once I analyse a game to make notes. However, my graphics

play an important part in explaining different tactical moves or specific situations. To create those

graphics, I use a tool called Inkscape.

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

Basketball certainly has a lot of insights and concepts applicable to football. For instance, the ball and body movement to screw up the defence. Or the concept the Warriors use(d) to leave the paint open and have multiple players cutting and receiving the ball in the open space. I like the concept of leaving space unoccupied but constantly having players moving in this space because it is so hard to defend.

Interestingly, the lean startup approach has also important insights for every strategic work. In the

lean startup approach validated learning is fundamental. In my opinion this is true for football as

well. If a coach tries a new tactical move or a new formation, he should decide before the

experiment what he expects and what determines whether the experiment is successful or not. This

leads to more rational rather than emotional decisions.