If you're serious about improving as a coach, whether you lead a pro academy, a grassroots club, or a youth team on Saturdays, there's one skill that will quietly level up everything you do:
Learning to see the game more clearly.
This means watching matches not just for goals or formations, but for intention.
For patterns. For interactions. For the why behind a team's behavior.
Day 4 of the Club World Cup.
Each day, I’m sharing what stood out through the lens of a coach.
Today: Fluminense vs. Borussia Dortmund
A thread on 3-box-3 overloads, wide groupings, individual escape, and possession patience 🧵
Fluminense recover from their high press (very effective)
They connect on the left, recycle to the backline, then re-enter the middle
A midfield run breaks the line, nearly a great chance
This is what their identity looks like: pause, reset, then exploit
I loved watching Arias and Canobbio. Here Arias in tight space. Sideline. Back to goal.
Most teams go backward here. Arias doesn’t. He waits, feints, and weaves his way out, carrying the ball centrally.
Doesn’t just escape, he progresses.