1.) 02 Feb 2019
02 Feb 2019 16:47:22
No Messi Ed001?

2.) 02 Feb 2019
02 Feb 2019 16:48:56
My bad, i sent that too early, strikers*, not necessarily goalscorers, tends to play everywhere nowadays lol.

Also, if i could ask, are there any websites/ books on the net that could help develop the understanding of tactics and gameplay etc or how the 'normal' person could, to a lesser extent, see the game in the way you do? Which is mesmerising, you're incredible at that mate.

{Ed001's Note - ah ok no worries.

I would suggest possibly Coaches Voice, that has some interesting stuff. Other than that you would be looking at scouting sites, such as Wyscout or Scout7 but I am not sure how much you can see on them without subscribing.

Books are difficult as they tend to focus on narrative, rather than the tactical side of things, so you are better looking at academical papers. Are you on LinkedIn? There are a hell of a lot of football people on there, particularly those trying to become coaches and scouts etc. They will often give out links which can then lead you to other links and so on, where you can get to those academical papers.

The FA website has some good resources as well, though their coaching courses are not the best, as they were created with ex-managers, such as 'Arry and Fergie, that never actually coached anyway. Still they do give you a bit of something to get started with and a different viewpoint. It is possible to do some free courses on there and get your Level 1 in scouting through the site, which does give a good basic platform to build on.}

3.) 02 Feb 2019
02 Feb 2019 19:16:22
Thanks Ed001, talking of Messi, he's just scored another two. And will also talk a look at the necessary sites.

{Ed001's Note - Messi wants to play from deeper and be a playmaker rather than goalscorer, but it seems a waste to me when he is that good a finisher.

The big thing to do is not watch the ball when a game is taking place, which can be difficult, but you will not see the tactics and formations clearly by following the ball. If you can find the videos, George Graham did a series of tactical discussions on Sky Sports back in the early days of the Prem. He explained how he wanted his defence to work, the full backs covering back etc, then you watch the modern day game and you will see massive differences. It does give you some insight into the thinking he had and the positioning a defender should actually have. Makes for a good comparison and also makes you think about how a backline moves as a unit, something which then makes it easier to see when you watch a game.}

4.) 03 Feb 2019
02 Feb 2019 23:08:27
Maybe it's just his personal preference ED001. Could be getting 70 odd goals a season if he played upfront, currently gets around 50 but couples that with assists, creating chances etc. His passing fro m deep is extraordinary, one touch play, movement, vision and going upfront would lead to some of that being diminished/ seen less often which would be a shame.

Will also take a look at the videos, just really interested about this side of the game, rather than just seeing the 'usual' every game.

{Ed001's Note - it is a personal thing, he says he gets a bigger buzz from playing someone else in to score than he does from scoring himself.

If I see anything else useful I will drop the links on this site from now on for you. Not that I tend to see much very often these days and a lot of the best resources get closed off due to the footage being used is always taken down due to copyright infringement unfortunately.}