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The art of team talks, from Thiago Silva to Mikel Arteta

Thiago Silva is struggling to hold back the tears. Hunched over, surrounded by his Fluminense teammates and staff, arms linked around one another, there's a heavy silence in the dressing room.All eyes are fixed on their captain, the blue armband pulled tightly around his left arm, as they prepare to go out and face Inter Milan in the Club World Cup round of 16."In 2014, I was playing in the World Cup in Brazil," he says, standing with his bottom lip quivering, repeatedly wiping his nose as tears...
ESPN.com •

Goals are not enough: How data created the modern striker

"We don't see goals like that anymore." That was former Liverpool defender and Sky Sports analyst Jamie Carragher's reaction having just seen Aston Villa striker Jhon Durán unleash a ferocious strike from 35 yards that slammed into the back of the net, sealing a 3-2 win over Everton last month. It's not entirely true, but almost.In the 2006-07 Premier League season, 22.3% of non-penalty goals were scored from outside the box. By 2023-24, that had nearly halved to 12.4%. However, that former camp...
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Christen Press' transformative journey back from injury

Christen Press once believed she was indestructible, immune to the injuries that had sidelined teammates and ended careers. But in 2022, an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear shattered not only her knee but also the carefully constructed armor she had relied on throughout her career.What followed wasn't just a physical struggle to return to the field but a profound journey of emotional recovery. Initially, Press saw rehabilitation as purely physical -- a means to heal her body. However, as se...
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How meditation helps soccer stars like Haaland get in the zone

Perched on a rock surrounding by the soothing sounds of a flowing stream and tweeting birds, Erling Haaland cuts a serene figure. Sitting cross-legged with hands out and eyes closed, the striker adopts the same meditative pose that fans of Manchester City have seen when he celebrated one of his many goals for the club.This tranquil scene, captured in a video posted on Instagram on the day of the Euro 2024 final, stands in stark contrast to the chaos that unfolded in Berlin between England and Sp...
ESPN.com •

Why Premier League centre-backs no longer just need to defend

Full-backs are inverting, goalkeepers are playing like NFL quarterbacks, while centre-backs now have to do just about everything for a progressive football team. Indeed, Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher recently described centre-back as "the most demanding position on the pitch" and admitted he would have struggled to cope in today's game.

Being able to mark, tackle, and head the ball -- prerequisites of the traditional defender -- make up just a small percentage of the modern job description....
ESPN.com •

How Guardiola, Postecoglou are redefining future of tactics

Trying to work out player positions in the Pep Guardiola era is like trying to understand a piece of modern art: it's open to interpretation.Take Argentina's World Cup winner Julián Álvarez, for instance. Transfermarkt has him listed as a centre-forward, a second striker, and a right winger. This is indicative of the archetypal modern footballer: one who plays in an area of the pitch where they can be effective, rather than in a single specific position.- Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, mor...
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Arsenal players open up on Arteta, risk and a dog named Win

HERZOGENAURACH, Germany -- Arsenal have been busy. After a Premier League season that saw them lead the table for 248 days before being pipped to the title in the final few weeks of the season by treble-winners Manchester City, the Gunners have spent over £200 million to bring in three new players.For many at the club, a four-legged free transfer back in May is the one to have made the most impact on team morale. "It was really nice when I came back on the first day and they were waiting for us,...
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How stars like Liverpool's Gakpo study NFL, NBA to improve

With six minutes to play amid the Qatar heat and the beating drums, Netherlands were toiling as they tried to break the deadlock against Senegal in their tense 2022 World Cup opener. A goal looked unlikely as the Dutch couldn't find a weakness in the chain of white shirts wrapped around the edge of the 18-yard box. Then, the ball broke to Frenkie de Jong.As the Barcelona midfielder looked up and got the ball out of his feet, Cody Gakpo bolted in from the right wing, slipped in between the ball-w...
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Bernardo Silva at left-back? How Premier League stars went from 'a lot of 4-4-2' to being obsessed with tactics

Manchester City's Bernardo Silva recalled the moment that transformed his perception of the game. "Pep Guardiola called me to his office and he said: 'This is what I'm thinking, are you prepared to do it?' And I said, 'I'll do my best.'"The Portugal international was talking about his manager's radical plan to deploy him, one of the world's best attacking midfielders, as a left-back against Aston Villa in February in a crucial game as they tried to chase down Premier League leaders Arsenal. The...
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'You feel alone, and all the bad thoughts go straight to your head': Why being a goalkeeper is the toughest job in football

In extra time of the 2020 Championship playoff final, with promotion to the Premier League on the line, Fulham's Joe Bryan took a free kick from the left wing. Everyone, including Brentford goalkeeper David Raya, was expecting a cross.But instead, Bryan whipped a wicked shot inside the near post. A scrambling Raya couldn't make up the ground, and the shot zipped into the net to give Fulham the lead."I knew I could've done better, it was a lack of awareness... I left one side too exposed," Raya t...
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With Man United top of the WSL and England preparing for the Women's World Cup, Katie Zelem is ready for anything

Lisandro Martinez is in the middle of a photoshoot; fists clenched, glaring down the barrel of the lens, with a World Cup winners' medal dangling from his neck. Sitting calmly to one side is clubmate Katie Zelem. The Manchester United captain has already posed for pictures inside the same sci-fi set, minus an 18-carat slab of gold the size of a saucer.Sure, she's pleased for him, but she's fiercely competitive and she wants to bring home her own medal from this summer's FIFA Women's World Cup in...
The Guardian •

Is goalscoring natural or can it be nurtured?

Goalscorers are special. Fans worship them, managers count on them and that gorgeous, frosted-tipped goal machine staring back from the mirror loves them unconditionally. In fairness, there is substance to this inflated perception. They’re the match-winners. The top selling shirt in the club shop. The most expensive player on the pitch. According to this fraternity of goalscoring deities, no one, no matter how many hours they put in on the training ground can do what they do: put the spherical l...
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How do Premier League players like Rashford, Xhaka, Kepa find redemption after suffering setbacks?

The problem takes hold when you start to think instead of feel. What was once instinctive now feels laboured. Doubt grips you like an anaconda, slowly crushing your confidence. One missed chance quickly turns into seven games without a goal. You can't switch off the noise. Boos reverberate around the stadium every time you touch the ball.Your teammates offer some token words of support, but you know they're simmering with frustration. Your social media mentions hiss with vitriol. You don't want...
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What does it mean to be a captain at the World Cup? Unpacking the power, responsibility of the armband

The whites of his eyes glow like headlights on full beam. Trickles of blood snake down his face through a soaked bandage, forming droplets that fall from his chin. The shirt, once a brilliant white, looks as if it's been used to mop an abattoir, and the Three Lions adorning its front are saturated by the wounds of war. A blood-soaked captain's armband grips his left bicep.This is, of course, the iconic image of Terry Butcher, leaving the Rasunda Stadium pitch in September, 1989 after captaining...
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Throw-ins, ballstriking, neuroscience: How soccer is catching up with U.S. sports

They work in the shadows, away from prying eyes. They're the unseen army Premier League clubs are enlisting in pursuit of glory: the analysts, statisticians, scientists and ... surfers? Bobsledders?- Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, MLS, more (U.S.)Welcome to the world of the specialist coaches. These high-performance experts have a unique understanding of their field, and tap away on an iPad before whispering classified information into the manager's ear. They're not your traditional footba...
The Guardian •

What is the secret to man-management in football?

Managers devise training sessions, draw up complex tactical plans, manage multimillion-pound budgets, field challenging questions from the world’s press, shoulder the pressure of the club’s fanbase – and yet, when it comes to managing human beings, some of them struggle. Why? Because relationships are complicated.Players have distinct personalities, shaped by their unique upbringings, and they have egos and entourages. The best managers find the right balance between being tough on players and s...
The Guardian •

‘Every goal could be my last’: why strikers are improving with age

The ability to pump oxygen around the body is the first thing to go. The heart can’t beat fast enough to feed the grinding pistons. Fast-twitch muscle fibres start to deteriorate. Speed, power and agility lose their snap. Energy reserves deplete. Muscle mass retreats. Then there’s the aches and pains, the stiff limbs and creaking joints.This is the harsh reality for each of us as we enter our 30s but, for elite footballers, this is nature sapping their superpowers. Fighting against it is futile....
The Guardian •

The mentors who shape footballers long before they turn professional

“Break her legs!” one parent shouts from the sidelines as an eight-year-old Kelly Smith dribbles past a pack of would-be tacklers. “Hack her down!” “Foul her!” “She shouldn’t be playing!”, the barrage continues. Unfazed, Smith scores goal after goal, leaving a trail of young boys grounded by her feints and shoulder drops. The final whistle blows and Smith trudges off the pitch, gaze fixed on the ground, too scared to catch the eye of an adult bristling with jealousy. Her team, Garston Boys, cong...
The Guardian •

The importance of confidence in football – and how to cultivate it

Kepa Arrizabalaga is on his knees, hands on hips, watching Southampton’s Che Adams wheel away to an empty corner of Stamford Bridge. Celebratory screams echo around a vacant stadium haunted by a global pandemic. There are no comforting looks from Kepa’s teammates, no shouts of encouragement, just an awkward air of inevitability. It had happened again. The world’s most expensive goalkeeper had cost his team yet another goal.“That was a nightmare as far as the goalkeeper and the Chelsea defence we...
The Guardian •

What is football intelligence and can players develop it? | Ben Welch

Paul Gascoigne charges towards the box, chasing an overhit pass from Steve McManaman. Aaron Winter looks to have intercepted the ball, but Gascoigne’s elbows propel him past the would-be tackler and into a one-v-one with Danny Blind. While everyone is watching the ball, Teddy Sheringham quickly scans the field of play. He has spotted something. Gascoigne flicks a pass into Sheringham’s feet as he breaches the 18-yard box. The Tottenham forward opens his body up, pulling his right foot back as he...