The best football players have great awareness of their surroundings, even before receiving the ball. I started studying SCANNING in 1997. Since then, we have filmed & analyzed more than 250 professional players and 200 elite youth players. What have we learned? Thread 1/15.
We have produced 10 scientific publications on scanning in football, another 25 unpublished student theses/dissertations, and have discussed results with hundreds of players and coaches. Overall conclusion: The best players look at the game, others look (more) at the ball. 2/15
A player scans when temporarily directing face/eyes away from the ball, to prepare actions with the ball. High scan frequency (scans per second) is linked with higher pass completion and more progressive passes. Result holds across match situations. frontiersin.org/articles/10.33… 3/15
Players in all positions and field locations will likely benefit from scanning, but some positions naturally scan more than others. At both Premier League and top U17/U19 level: Midfielders scan the most, forwards the least. frontiersin.org/articles/10.33…tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.10… 4/15
Many of the top players in the game are/were extraordinary scanners. Of all players we have filmed these past 20+ years, Xavi Hernández is the one with the highest average frequency in a full game (measured last 10 seconds before receiving the ball): 0.83 scans per second. 5/15
When interviewed and made aware of these numbers, Xavi: “(...) it's like an obsession. When I entered this room, I analyzed how the chairs, the tables were placed. I always want to sit where I can see the whole room. It's a reflex, I always do that.” sofoot.com/xavi-clearing-… 6/15
Scanning is as important for defending. In a student project, we found that premier league defenders guarding the box against crosses adopted a more open body orientation and scanned more frequently than reserve league/academy defenders. nih.brage.unit.no/nih-xmlui/hand…@NylandN 7/15
Timing is key. Elite players scan between teammates’ touches of the ball. When the ball is touched, it changes direction/pace, so they look at the ball. Between touches (or when the ball moves between players), nothing new happens with the ball, so they look at other events. 8/15
The football match is so dynamic, fast-paced, and complex it challenges the limits of the eyes. Our eye tracking studies show elite players’ scans are quick (90% lasts less than 0.7 sec) and rarely involves fixation of the eye (less than 3% of scans). journals.plos.org/plosone/articl… 9/15
Scanning is never sufficient. To benefit from it, players need to actually pick up the information and convert it into action. Many complex cognitive operations are involved, but scanning provides an observable and manageable (i.e., “scoutable” and “coachable”) portal. 10/15
Scanning can be trained. This is documented with adult professional players and academy players. It is easy and quick to increase scanning frequency. Takes more time to improve perception and subsequent actions with the ball. researchgate.net/profile/Geir-J…researchgate.net/publication/32… 11/15
Make scanning a habit by starting training early! Just like we tell our kids to look to both sides before crossing a busy road, kids can be taught to look left and right before receiving the ball on a busy football pitch. Many elite players did this at a very young age. 12/15
Game-based activities where players are required to pick up game-specific information are essential to develop scanning. To get many relevant repetitions, supplement with exercises where scanning is necessary for successful task solution. Video: SC Heerenveen first team. 13/15
Technology can accelerate the development of scanning. The best tools make you scan with optimal frequency and timing, perceive realistic and game-specific information, and act out your decisions. Here, Brighton/Stoke City’s Leo Østigård. beyourbest.com@leoskirio 14/15
Scanning does not reveal everything about a player’s match awareness, but it is ONE concrete indicator that can be measured, scouted, and coached. Greater knowledge and integration of scanning will make the game richer and better for players, coaches, analysts, and fans. 15/15
The rule is: Position yourself at the opposite side of where the player behind your back moves. If he moves to the right, you position to the left, etc.
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A subtle England penalty shootout innovation (since 2021) is their deliberate, structured & functional use of social psychology.
Here, Saka is picked up by John Stones after his penalty, to swiftly welcome him back in the team.
What did England do and why did they do it? 1/7
Against the Swiss, each English penalty taker had a buddy assigned, who would leave the mid circle and greet the penalty taker back into the group after each kick.
This is consistent with a new trend that teams now not only assign penalty takers, but also assign protectors. 2/7
I assume this buddy would also support their assigned penalty taker if he were to fail.
This was was painfully lacking in 2021, when Rashford walked 50 m alone after his missed shot, while facing a wall of teammates in an interlocked formation as if communicating US vs YOU. 3/7
The last minutes before penalty shootouts can teach us about managing under pressure.
France's Deschamps doesn't buy into penalty training. This can be spotted.
In the World Cup final, he seemed clueless about who would shoot. Tchouaméni was picked after intensely scanning. 1/8
Argentina's manager Scaloni has a different view: "We always practice penalties."
Ahead of the penalty shootout vs the Netherlands, Scaloni took less than 15 sec to pick 5 penalty takers (Messi was a given).
The swift process communicates confidence and that he has a plan. 2/8
Each of the 5 penalty shootouts in the 2022 World Cup was won by teams whose managers spent the shortest time communicating their tactical/logistical instructions after extra time.
To be brief under pressure could indicate that important decisions were made in advance. 3/8
A penalty shootout is a psychological battle. In the 2023 Women’s World Cup, players on Sweden & USA tried to cope with stress in very different ways.
We cannot see inside their heads, but we can observe micro behaviors & try to infer what they mean.
Here are my best guesses.
The two goalkeepers handed the ball to their penalty takers ahead of each penalty kick. This is a, by now, well-known strategy to give each penalty taker a friendly start to their pre-shot routine.
However, the two teams substantially differed in HOW this hand-off took place.
Naeher, the US GK, did a quick & focused hand-off.
Then, for the first 3 US penalties, Sullivan, Horan & Mewis had a nearly identical pre-shot routine.
✔️Eyes focused on the ball
✔️A 3 sec pause after the whistle
✔️A deep breath prior to run-up
Alexis Mac Allister’s penalty kick against Manchester United s a pure test of performance under pressure.
Penalty at 0-0.
8 minutes into overtime.
One way to maintain calm here is to proactively take control over yourself & the situation.
How did Mac Allister do this? 1/5
First, Mac Allister grabbed the ball early, then moved away from the commotion and chaos around the referee and the penalty spot.
This is likely helpful to keep a clear focus on the task - the imminent shot, and avoid opponents' attempts to disturb and distract. 2/5
When the penalty area is cleared, Mac Allister moves towards the penalty mark, places the ball & takes up a waiting position by the ball – instead of immediately walking back.
I like the composed, step-by-step routine, where HE (and not others) decides when he does what. 3/5
Was this the moment that decided the United v Brighton FA Cup Semifinal?
Wout Weghorst scored his kick, then got the ball and handed it over to Brighton’s Solly March with his own “kiss of death”.
March proceeded to deliver the only miss in the shootout.
Here the details: 1/6
Up until this point, Brighton goalkeeper Sanchez had given the ball to the Brighton players.
This is a routine many teams have employed since England successfully did it at the 2018 World Cup.
The do it to give the penalty taker a “friendly” beginning to their kick routine. 2/6
When Weghorst spotted the ball and handed it over with his personal greeting, he also attracted attention from the referee, who carefully monitored the situation.
While the referee then had his back to De Gea, the United GK started brushing his foot along the penalty mark. 3/6
Lionel Messi has an extraordinary ability to perceive & act appropriately upon critical information on the pitch.
Here is a breakdown of his perceptual, cognitive & emotional performance in key moments of the 2022 World Cup final - starting with his 3-2 goal.
Thread 1/12
For this goal in the 109th minute, Messi scans extensively towards areas off the ball prior to receiving the ball.
In the last 10 seconds before scoring, he has 7 scans (0.7 scans/sec). Initially, his scans are long, allowing him to gather more information from each scan.
2/12
Right before Messi gets the ball the first time, he swiftly redirects his gaze when the ball moves right to left.
A head-to-head gaze comparison with Upamecano shows Messi moving his gaze to imminent ball locations a few 1/10s of a second earlier than the French defender.
3/12