Introduction

1. 01What happened?
2. 02How did they do it?
3. 03Why did it work, or not?
4. 04The framework in action
5. 05Why it matters
6. 06The bonus: the next step

Work through it in order. Each step answers one question before the next.

When I explain analysis, I come back to three questions: what happened, how did they do it, and why.

Stating what happened is only the start. Any moment in a match can be described: a sequence of play, a period of the game, a single possession or one action. The analysis begins when you explain the mechanisms behind it. How did the team or player carry out that action, whether it was an attacking or a defensive one? What were the components and behaviours that allowed it to succeed, or caused it to fail? And why did it play out that way: why were they able to execute it so well, or why were they broken down, beaten or made to concede?

This article explains the framework, then uses it on three examples from different parts of the game. It finishes with why the framework matters when you present to coaches, colleagues and players, and with a bonus step: what you would do next.

01

What happened?

The what is the observable outcome. Describe it as plainly as you can, so anyone watching the same footage would agree with it: the team won the ball back, a pass reached a player beyond the first line, the full-back was beaten on the outside, the forward lost the ball.

Be clear about the scale you are describing. It could be one action, one possession, a sequence or a whole period of the game. Record whether it was in or out of possession and whether it was successful or unsuccessful. That frames everything that follows.

On its own, the what tells a coach very little. Everyone in the stadium saw it. The value comes from the next two questions.

02

How did they do it?

The how is the mechanism: the components and behaviours that produced the outcome. Look at what happened before the moment, not just the moment itself.

• Positions and distances. Where players started, and the space between them and their teammates and opponents.
• Movements and timing. Who moved, when, and in what order.
• Technical actions. Body shape, scanning, first touch, the weight and choice of pass.
• Behaviours. Decisions, communication, effort and reactions to the ball being won or lost.

The same questions apply to success and failure. If a team broke a press, how did they open the passing route? If a team was broken down, how did the opponent get through? Which behaviours let them?

03

Why did it work, or not?

The why explains the reasons behind the outcome. If the action was successful, why were they able to execute it so well? If it was unsuccessful, why did it break down, or why was the team penetrated, beaten or made to concede?

Answers usually connect the how to the problem the opponent posed. A movement worked because of where the defender was. A press failed because one player went early and nobody covered. A forward lost the ball because the pass arrived when the defender was already tight and they had not checked over their shoulder.

Keep the evidence beside the reason. Footage shows what players did; it does not always show why they chose to do it. Where the reason is your interpretation, say so.

04

The framework in action

The three questions work in every part of the game: attacking or defending, tactical or technical, successful or unsuccessful. These three examples are illustrations of how the game is generally played, not findings from a specific match.

05

Why it matters in an elite environment

In an elite environment, analysis is only useful if the people receiving it can act on it. “We conceded from switches” is a description. “Our far winger tucks in too narrow and starts their recovery late” is something a coach can work on.

Keep it easy to follow. One clip, one clear explanation, in the language the staff already use.

06

The bonus: the next step

Once you have explained what, how and why, you are in a position to add the most valuable part: what to do about it.

• If it is a problem, offer a solution. In Example 2, the far winger could hold a wider position and start their recovery the moment the switch is played, or the team could press the passer so the switch is harder to find. In Example 3, the forward could scan before the ball arrives and set it back first-time when the defender is tight.
• If it is working, show how to build on it. In Example 1, the opponent may adjust, with the forward curving their run to block the inside route. The team could prepare a second option, such as the full-back or the other centre-back, and keep practising the timing so the route still opens.

Put together, a finding reads like this:

We were broken down by switches of play because nobody pressed the passer and our far winger tucked in too narrow and recovered late. Pressing the passer and starting the recovery as the ball is switched would protect the full-back.

Try the framework yourself.
 Write the what first, trace the how, explain the why, then add your solution.