OnTheCourt Issue One

thefutsal magazine issueone

dani rodriguez levante fs xG in Futsal packing analysis leo higuita game changers charlie hyman goal of the month nelson lutin

april2021 free onthecourt. April 2021

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the only futsal coaches magazine

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onthecourt . April 2021

welcome It’s here finally...

We have been working non-stop to launch something we felt the futsal world and community needed but not solely for the futsal world.

Sport, and futsal, should be there for everyone and everyone should be able to decide how and why to utilise it; for recreation, as a development tool or to compete at the highest level. We wanted to create something around this that would accomodate to everyone; the futsal beginner to the futsal expert, and the futsal fanatic to the futsal casual. We believe it’s important not to discrimate and the only way our fantastic sport will be able to grow to acheive the respect and recognition it deserves!

We have team analysis articles, player analysis articles (not forgetting the Goalkeepers of course!), statistical analysis and interviews with people we believe are the pioneers in changing the game.

I want to thank all of our writers who will be providing content after content every month for you to read, enjoy and learn from.

Welcome To Futsal...

john antony tapia-owens Manager ProFutsal London, & University of Hertfordshire.

Co-Founder OnTheCourt

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buy us a coffee! click below!

www.buymeacoffee/onthecourt

Your donations will help us produce even better content!

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collaborators

davidtapia-owens @12DTO jonkurrant @futsaljk8 benpickford @BPAnalysis96 markfinney @thegfc_tv benlazarus @ben_lazarus96 johntapia-owens @jatowens

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Growing the Game Futsal Arenas exists to invest in facilities, promote the sport, and increase the participation in Futsal at all levels.

To find out more visit: www.futsalarenas.com otc | Page 6

onthecourt . April 2021

The Spanish LNFS has announced a partnership with the National Futsal League in England which will see the NFL become LNFS England next season, raising the profile of futsal in England and creating a vibrant new futsal identity.

Within the partnership LNFS will lend its expertise, advising on futsal competition organisation and management plus effective marketing and communications.

JOMA (official LNFS technical partners) and L4 Teamwear (official LNFS teamwear partners) have also agreed to partner with LNFS England.

The partnership will also focus on improving the communities where futsal takes place by developing grassroots sporting collaborations, encouraging change at a local level, and adding significant value to lives and communities.

President of LNFS, Javier Lozano says: “I am looking forward to working with

LNFS England to help build futsal across England, using the skills and experience we have developed over many years in Spain.”

Peter Sharples, Director of LNFS England added: “The LNFS is the world’s leading

league and we are very excited at becoming part of their wider futsal family.”

LNFS England will be broad and inclusive, welcoming any new or existing futsal clubs and leagues to join as members of the democratically run Community Interest Company which will own the league.

The application window for new clubs to join LNFS England for Season 20212022 will open in April.

Follow us at @LNFSengland on Twitter to discover more.

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contents 12

Introduction to Futsal beginners guide to futsal

18

Levante FS Team analysis

42

Dani Rodriguez head coach focus

56

Organisation Session of the month

60

Higuita - The best in the world Goalkeeper Focus

68

Nelson Lutin Player focus

74

Intro to xG in Futsal xG in Futsal

80

Sassuolo v dodokds futsal packing analysis

92

Waltinho Goal of the month

96

Lunar Gato II Futsal Shoe focus

100

Game Changers interview Futsal equipment focus

106

Charlie Hyman interview Club interview

114

74

80

Upcoming Games

...enjoy...

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4

42 100 68

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FUTSAL

THE STORY OF AN INDOOR FOOTBALL REVOLUTION Futsal is one of the fastest-growing sports on the planet: over 60 million people play this lightning-fast and tactically intricate variation of indoor football. Despite its growing status, however, futsal’s history remains largely unknown and untold.

Jamie Fahey is a leading futsal expert and qualified youth coach.

He spent his childhood playing endless football matches in the shattered urban landscape of 1980s Liverpool – on the same streets later graced by Wayne Rooney, the ‘last true street footballer’.

Yet when Fahey’s own footballing career stalled, he realised he had been unwittingly learning the skills that pointed to his true passion.

In Futsal: The Story of An Indoor Football Revolution, Fahey makes the case for futsal’s transformative grassroots effect, both in the UK and abroad. He also tells the story of futsal’s politics, tactics and personalities – and in doing so, illuminates a hidden corner of sporting history.

JAMIE FAHEY WITH A FOREWORD BY ROBERTO MARTINEZ

https://guardianbookshop.com/futsal-9781911545590.html

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1ST JULY 2021

‘Superb... as stylish as any of the great Brazilians whose skills gave us this sport’ - Daniel Taylor, The Athletic

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sub bench

3rd referee

sub benc

referee one sub gate

sub gate

goal area centre spot 6m penalty

10m penalty

goal

centre circle

goal line

half way line

corner

byline referee two

introduction to futsal beginner’s guide

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ch

Whatisfutsal

e

Futsals origins are found in the South American countries of Uruguay and Brazil where, in the 1930’s, there were two versions of small sided football that were being played in the cities of Montevideo and Sao Paulo.

Juan Carlos Ceriani, an Argentinian coach, in Motevideo, developed an indoor version of the 11 aside game that could be played in youth competitions in the local YMCA’s.

In Brazil, however, a version began to develop on the streets of Sao Paulo, this would lead to the publishing of the first rules of the game in 1936.

Brazil would go on to be one of the dominant forces in Futsal for generations to come.(1) Each month we will be giving an insight into basic futsal concepts for the beginner futsal coach or casual futsal coach. We will cover concepts from the game of one, game of two (dualities) & game of three.

We will begin with the basic rules around Futsal on the next page.

Let us know what you want to learn and we will include it in our future issues: onthecourt.coach@gmail.com

(1) https://www.thefa.com/get-involved/player/futsal/history-of-futsal

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introduction to futsal the rules guide

5 players v 5 players

international standard 40x20m

size 4 heavier ball

2 x 20 ‘Stop c

5 players versus 5 players, one of which will be a GK. Squads can be up to 14 (competition dep.)

UEFA set a minimum of 40x20m for international games. This can vary for National

The ball is heavier than a normall football to emphasise play on the floor

2 halv minutes. will stop the ball ex and resta into t

N ‘pass

4s kick ins

4 second rule

goal throws

There are no throw ins and players will place the ball on the line to restart play.

This can be slightly behind but never on the pitch. The opposition must be 5m away

Players will have 4 seconds on restarts such as kick ins, corners and free kicks

GKs will restart play with a goal throw from their hands.

Like football, GKs can now throw to a player inside the defending area

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Players c the ball b GK if th already to that pha The GK unlimited the oppo

0 mins clock’

5 foul limit

goal size 2x3m

ves of 20 . The clock every time xits the FOP arts on entry the FOP

Teams can commit 5 fouls total each half. The 6th foul will result in a 10m penalty kick

Goals used are 2x3m and are the same utilised in Handball

no offsides

‘fly’ subs

Players cannot be offside in Futsal

Players can sub continuously but must enter and exit the FOP through the designated ‘sub gate’

NO back’

cannot pass back to the he GK has ouched it in ase of play.

K can have d touches in osition half

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levante fs d.rios team analysis

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The champion in waiting?

In 10 years, Levante can go from their creation in 2oB to winners of the top division. Their rise has been both strategic and quick, only coming into the 1st division in 2014 and reaching the semi finals stage last season, overcoming Barca in the QFs in a surprise victory.

With a huge overhaul of players and the incorporation of the young master, Diego Rios, at the helm, Levante have become one of the most intense and feared teams in Europe over the last couple of seasons.

The huge impact on the LNFS was apparent this season in the dismanteling of Pozo Murcia in the 5th round of fxitures in a tightly battled contest which saw Levante turnaround a 5-3 deficit to win 6-5 within the last 3 minutes of the game. After conceding 2 goals from errors from attacking with the fly GK, Diego Rios kept his cool and continued to pursue with the risk, scoring 2 to level at 5-5.

Pozo then risked the fly themselves resulting in an error and goal into the empty net for Esteban to put Levante in front and what would be the decisive blow. They were ready to battle with the best...

Levante went unbeaten for the first 9 games of the season until losing to Barcelona in the 10th round of fixtures.

They now find themselves 5 points clear with 9 games of the normal season to play, giving them the best possible platform in the play-offs where they will still need to beat the best to come out as the overall champion.

johntapia-owens @jatowens

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Diego Rios: The young master At 37, Diego Rios has managed to become one of the most innovative, exciting and intelligent coaches in the sport. Vastly experienced for his age, he led Parrulo to the top division and was able to maintain them there above the odds before finally moving on to Levante last season.

He has taken some old friends along his journey such as Ruben Lemos & Chano (now not at Levante FS) but has been able to mould his new players into his philosophy along the way.

outofpossesion

To understand how Levante play we must first understand how Diego wants to play and how he has evolved his philosophy over the years, but how a certain player is also required to play the way Diego wants to play.

‘‘ Diego’s teams are intense, have unbelievable anticipation and are high risk with limited defensive covers...’’ otc | Page 20

onthecourt . April 2021

inpossesion

Diego Rios: An evolving philosophy Out of posession, Diego’s teams are intense, have unbelievable anticipation and high risk with limited defensive covers. This has led to his teams stealing the ball high and creating short transitions leading to a high % of goals scored from transition, but has also led to the majority of their conceded goals coming from open play when a player is beaten in an individual battle.

setpieces

In posession he switches between using a 1-40 and pivot (1-3-1) but will usually encourage wide play from his pivots. This is also dictated by the quality of 1v1 player which he has always had at his disposal; Adri at O’Parrulo, Cuzzolino last season and Rivillos this season at Levante. The use of a wide pivot allows mobile players such as Rubi, Maxi Rescia and Rafa Usin to attack these spaces created off the ball, made more apparent when they play man2man defences such as Valdepenas. The importance of Chano at Parrulo and Pedro Toros at Levante is apparent in the stats they were able to produce.

Above all, Esteban has become one of the most dangerous Ala-pivots in recent years, offering mobility, power, strength and intensity both in and out of possession.

His teams are also notoriously set piece masters and score a high % of corners, kick ins and free kicks. Both innovative and emphasis on specialist takers such as Roger, Tolra and Rubi who have a great understanding of both variations and timings of the set piece.

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SQUAD 1

fede

1

2

3

goals for participation*

on court when goal was scored

27

matiascasas

15

rauljimenez

2

araca

11 26 5 9 8

gallo

1 fede 87% (61)

2 8

5 3

7

11 gallo 40% (30)

10

11

rivillos 62% (44)

joanmiguel

marctolra

esteban 49% (34)

2

3 1

carlosmarquez

maxirescia

4

4

7

4

5 1 11

10

24

3

maxi 40% (28)

pedro t 32% (22)

rafa usin 32% (22)

5

16

2

tolra 26% (18)

jorge 20% (14)

araca 7% (5)

goals scored fro

21

cayetano

16

jorgesantos

3

rafausin

4 12

3 2

7 14

10

mariorivillos

12

7

19

14

rogerserrano

7

7

14

7 4 24

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rubenlemos

5

5

10

esteban

14

8

22

pedrotoro

10

5

15

open play

15

21

transition

15

21

kick in

10

14

attack fly

7

10

defend fly

7

10

corner

5

6

free kick

2

3

10m

2

3

goal throw

2

3

4v3 red

2

3

6m

1

1.

17

set p 23%

onthecourt . April 2021

*

goals against participation**

d

on court when goal was conceded

1 fede 81% (45)

11 7

8

rubi 49% (34)

rivillos 52% (29)

7

gallo 46% (25)

rubi 50% (28)

8 maxi 44% (24)

14

14

4

3

2

roger 30% (21)

roger 36% (20)

esteban 29% (16)

rafa usin 27% (15)

araca 23% (13)

9

24

16

5

9

carlos 3% (2)

pedro t 20% (11)

jorge s 18% (10)

tolra 12% (7)

carlos 4% (2)

om

goals conceded from

1%

open play

16

33%

1%

transition

11

23%

4%

attack fly

6

12%

0%

defend fly

5

10%

kick in

4

8%

6%

free kick

3

6%

3%

corner

2

4%

3%

6m

1

2%

0%

3%

Levante: The numbers As mentioned previously, the objective numbers also reflect the subjective view on Diego Rios’ philosophy and outcomes. We will see over the next few pages the subjective view and attacking/defending tendencies the team seeks to make but first we can see to the left the key strategies that are giving Levante goals as well as the areas they usually concede from.

The goals scored are distributed between 4-5 players with Rafa Usin, Rivillos, Esteban and Pedro Toro leading the pack. These also provide impressive assist stats along with Roger, Rubi and Araca. If we focus however on goal participation (player being on court for the goal), Gallo and Rubis influence is seen alongside Esteban and Rivillos, who has been on court for an incredible 62% of Levante’s scored goals. The use of Rivillos is comparable to Diego’s use of Adri at O’Parrulo and the play ‘ticks’ through him.

The majority of Levante’s goals are through open play, transitions (we will look at how Levante use anticipation to gain these advantages) and set pieces (the highest if we combine these). We are able to link this to the goals, assists and participation numbers with Levante having great set piece takers which reflects in their numbers. Roger, Tolra and Rubi are all specialists who read the defensive situation perfectly.

From open play, we will look at how Rivillos is used as well as the importance of the ‘pivots’ Esteban and Toro, who have become crucial to Levante.

Late incorporations to the squad such as Tolra, have added incredible balance to the team and, are already performing to a high level with good return.

*goals for participation is based on 70 out of Levante’s 84 scored goals. Videos of 14 goals (4 games) were not available to see players on court for the goals scored **goals against participation is based on 55 out of Levante’s 62 conceded goals. Videos of 7 goals (4 games) were not available to see players on court for the goals scored

3%

.5% onthecourt. April 2021

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Over the next few pages we will delve further into the in possession moment for Levante and how they seek to hurt their opponents. There are two attacking strategies we will look at which will be: 1. The use of a pivot: Inside of this we will look at a few strategies. Mainly a ‘false’ pivot on the wing where the priority is to dominate spaces over dominating the player. We will also see how Pedro Toro still can dominate the centre of the court acting more as a central Pivot than Esteban.

The use of a pivot to create 1v1 scenarios for Rivillos: A key player to the squad, his team mates recognise his qualities and ability to control the tempo of the game. The isolation will usually happen on the right wing with the defensive team given the decision to cover or not.

2. Without a pivot: Levante have an abundance of Fixes’ and Wingers that are able to function within the 1-4-0 ‘system’ when needed. Diego seeks to use this against more aggresive teams that defend man 2 man where the ability to gain spacial advantages in behind are high.

We will also briefly look at the use of set pieces of how both timing, variation and understanding is key to the success Levante have in this area, looking at how Tolra, Roger and Rubi all deliver the perfect dead ball.

1-3-1

1-4-0

central

false

aclarado

pedro t

esteban

rivillos

‘‘ priority of dominating spaces over dominating the player...’’

dia

attack otc | Page 24

onthecourt . April 2021

The ‘aclarado’ Adri to Rivillos

goal involve.

0

agonal

19

goal partic.

44

goal partic. % total

62%

Adri was a huge part of Diego Rios’ plan at O’Parrulo.

They would often allow the talented left footer enough space for him to engage in 1v1 battles on the right wing. At Levante, the squad allows Rivillos similar liberties and the influence on the play is apparent on the naked eye and on the stats.

Both Adri and Rivillos aren’t just capable technically of gaining the advantage in a 1v1 battle but are also able to recognise positional advantages from their teammates. On numerous ocassions this season, Rivillos has been able to identify when the best decision is to ‘go’ in a 1v1 or when to switch the play once the cover or help has crossed the axis meaning there is a positional advantage on the other half.

Utilised with and without a Pivot, his team mates are adaptable to his strengths and recognise the advantages he can give them in the 2nd or 3rd phase of play. His ability to control the ‘tempo’ and allow the defensive team to dictate the execution of his decision making is key in his success.

qualitative superiority

positional superiority

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4

key player esteban

Esteban has evolved over the season to become an incredible asset in and out of posession for Levante. Scoring 14 goals and assiting 8, his goal involvement is the highest in the squad. He is also on the court for nearly 50% of the teams goals.

He attempts to dominate the space rather than the man. Diego pushes for this and was heard recently in the Copa shouting to open to the wing.

His positioning brings his team mates into play and causes the defence a dilemma to leave the central axis to engage with him or to allow him this space and time on the ball. On the ball his decision making to either set and assist for his team mates or engage in a 1v1 battle himself has been on point this season leading to the stats he has been able to produce.

1

maxi rescia goal v Cordoba.

Esteban set.

2

v Valdepenas. ‘ala sweep’

3

esteban goal v Santa Coloma. ‘crossover’

In possession: Central Pivot, Pedro Toro One of the most experienced and feared pivots still in the league, Pedro Toro is a threat with his back to goal but not afraid to also join in the play from the back of the court.

Levante don’t utilise the central pivot often but have done so on occassions to devastating affect isolating Pedro Toro against either 1 or 2 defenders. This was apparent already in the 2nd round of fixtures against Santa Coloma when a direct ball from Fede into Pedro caused issues and resulted in a goal for the ‘Granotas’. His strength, shooting and finishing from anywhere within 12 metres is apparent in many of his goals this season.

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onthecourt . April 2021

4

5

In possession: Use of a ‘false’ pivot The domination of ‘spaces’ is key to the use of the pivot for Levante. Their main source of play comes through the false pivot which will seek to off-set the defensive team from the central axis.

We will see later how they utilise the spaces left by the false pivot attacking these off the ball.

As mentioned, Esteban finds these areas of the court quite well and has had a lot of success over the season either creating goal scoring opportunities for himself or for his team-mates.

We can see on the left some examples of different ways the false pivot has been utilised over the course of the season so far and then how the executions vary depending on the defensive positioning and spacial availability.

The first goal is created through an opposite winger movement into the centre of the court, then following the ball into the pivot and utilising the space between the defensive lines for a set-shot.

The second option again is a same side winger movement into the middle, meaning the pivot now offers the width of the court. In spanish we can call this the ‘barrido’ - the sweep. It isolates the pivot on one side of the court and has been utilised by Diego Rios at his time in O’Parrulo on various ocassions.

4

5 onthecourt. April 2021

The third movement is similar to the first, however the execution varies due to the spacial constraints and decision making from Esteban. His decision to fixate the opposite defender means Maxi now overlapscrosses over to allow Esteban to generate a shooting opportunity for himself resulting in a goal.

The variation of execution within the main core principles and strategy Levante utilise is devastating to the opposition. This has allowed them to continue to utilise Esteban and Pedro Toro to good effect in wide areas, either directly utilsing them or indirectly utilising them through spacial creation leading to aclarados, diagonals or paralel runs amongst others.

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without a pivot: attacking the back spaces Levante can often shift to 1-4-0 positions on court, either with their privots on court (Esteban and Pedro Toro are comfortable in these situations), or with the introduction of more ‘mobile’ players like Jorge Santos, Rafa Usin and Roger. They are often found using these approaches against very aggresive defences such as ElPozo, Jimbee and Valdepenas, in particular when the defending team approaches with a more individual defence approach.

Levante will seek to flatten completely, or partially the defence (the first or second line) and then take advantage through attacking runs off the ball in behind and on the blind side of the individual defenders.

The principles remain similar to that of their approach in the 1-3-1. The manipulation of space in the first phase with attacking runners in the second is key to their success. The players’ ability to consistently create space in sync with another attacking the defenders backs are made apparent in every Levante game. Diagram 1a & 1b highlight Jorge Santos’ goal against Jimbee this season ,where the positioning of the 4 players and defenders allowed him to attack the space behind the defender with great timing and control of the tempo. This is something which we can also see highlighted in diagram 2a & 2b which shows a Pedro Toro goal when found in a fix position (we will look at this in more detail on the right).

Another situation which is frequently utilised is the aclarado of Rivillos, mentioned before. This is also encouraged in the 1-4-0 set up when other players may be deeper. In diagrams 3a and 3b we see first the creation of space and isolation of Rivillos, then the ability of Jorge Santos to recognise the spacial advantage. Once again, he then attacks the back of the defender, receive and score.

1a

1b

2a

2b

3a

furthest player forward

3b

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onthecourt . April 2021

7

4a

4b

key player Rubi The captain is one of the most trusted players int the squad. He was brought from O’Parrulo with Diego and is often used with or without a Pivot and in Fly GK situations (either defensively or attacking). His ability to be comfortable at the back of the court in fix positions as well as offering the high mobility of an ala has benefitted Levante’s play.

4c

His involvement in goals will go sometimes unnoticed with only 5 goals and 5 assists, yet if we look at his ‘participation’ he is on court for an astounding 50% of Levante’s scored goals.

Pedro Toro: Just a Pivot?

Pedro Toro, frequently joins the play towards the back of the court and is not uncomfortable when found there (diagram 4a). Due to Diego’s principles, players are often see occupying strategic ‘positions’ on court when they are found away from their usual ‘roles.

This is seen in diagram 4c which highlights Pedro Toro from the fix into space between the lines when another player was adding the verticality he usually does. His understanding of space and required positioning is one of the very best and therefore, his goals are not always what we could consider those of a classic Pivot.

Diagram 2a, 2b & 4b show again, Pedro in a fix position but able to attack the space off the ball to receive a diagonal and eventually score.

Like Esteban, they have a threat of acting as Pivots and entering into a 1-4-0 pattern of play and that is where Diego has been intelligent in aligning certain principles between the two ‘systems’. onthecourt. April 2021

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contents At O’Parrulo, Diego Rios utilised very agressive principles and positioning on the court. This was regardless of the lesser quality, at that stage, of his squad than the majority of the LNFS (1a,1b,1c).

He has re-emphasised these principles at Levante, bringing in aggressive players with the defensive qualities he wants to succeed.

They mainly implement a full court pressing strategy, with man 2 man principles (individual defence) with very limited, if any, exchanges. The emphasis becomes more on the individual defensive qualities each player has.

Due to the nature of the principles, this means that they usually are positioned with reduced cover, especially high up the court (see imagesright). More towards their own goal, Fede will act as cover(2a) (a tactic we see with ElPozo and Juanjo). What this does allow is the ability for the players to concentrate on the anticipation of the ball into ‘their’ player. This is also reflected in the stats with 21% of their goals coming in transition, usually short transitions high up the court in the final third when the press has been effective. Maxi Rescia, Esteban and Roger are all key players in an incredible first line pressure and anticipation, causing the attacking players issues in rotations.

‘‘ intensity, anticipation, high risk with high reward defending although it’s evident that the consequences are also very high...’’

1a

1b

They have also managed to score numerous goals from opponent set-pieces such as high kick ins and and corners. Rivillos, is usually is able to steal the ball and start the transition towads the opposition goal.

1c

Images 2b and 2c highlight the body orientation and agression of this first line, both these actions resulted in goals for Levante. Over the next page we will look at how they have managed to implement this.

We will look at the positional side, principles and anticipation of Levante’s defence.

force error next phase

anticipate to steal

defence otc | Page 30

3b

onthecourt . April 2021

2a

2b

2c

key player maxi rescia Off the ball, the argentinian shows the traits that won Argentina the world cup in 2016.

His aggression, body orientation, ability to move witht the ball and reduce spaces very quickly allow his team mates an opportunity to anticipate the next pass.

He has been key in Levante’s success off the ball resulting in many transitions and goal scoring opportunities, made apparent in the game against ElPozo this season. You can see in the three screenshots above his ability to cover and recover, resulting in the winning 6-5 goal for Esteban. onthecourt. April 2021

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1

key player el ‘muro’ fede Regardless of the number of goals conceded, we could arguably consider Fede one of the Goalkeepers of the season, if not THE Goalkeeper of the season.

For a team to win the league, they always have to obtain a world-class goalkeeper and that is what Fede has brought this season. Due to Levante’s high risk defence, he is consistently involved either with shots, transitions or acting as cover as part of the low block.

In the next few issues, Ben Lazarus will look at Fede’s strengths, weaknesses and how he has developed Levante into a hard defensive team.

1

full court defence

2

half court defence

3

Levante individual defence

4

jump out of cortina

5

roger goal v Burela. ‘jump’

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onthecourt . April 2021

positional defence: full court v half court & principles Levante usually deploy a high court press with man 2 man principles. Figure 1 emphasises the spacial opportunities for the attacking team and set up against Barcelona. The importance in the individual is evident to reduce passing lines for the attacking team.

They will usually follow their player (as seen in Figure 3) and jump out of any curtains or attempted blocks (shown in Figure 4). The physical demands of this are huge as well as the consequences of losing out in your 1v1 battle. Levante usually concede from open play fast-attacks where a defensive error has caused a momentary advantage for the opposition. They maintain their principles when in a low block after being pushed back with Fede and or the Fix acting as partial covers.

However, they have had huge success also from this, with the majority of their goals coming from transitions as a result of the defensive principles put in play. The principles along with the individual qualities of the players have thrived this season.

Esteban, Maxi, Gallo and Roger are all incredible first lines of pressure, resulting in the next defender being able to read the game and situationa a lot easier.

This results in high steals (seen on the next page) and the possibility for defensive jumps in wide areas when short passes are made (figure 5 and next page).

The opposition has to deal with this with increased mobility and variation in pass length. Barcelona were able to get some success through diagonal balls as well as balls into the pivot through players cutting ‘hard’ into the court offering verticality and opening passing lines momentarily. Teams also attempt to isolate certain players in 1v1 scenarios from which the opposition has had some success in fast attacks.

What is obvious, is that Levante’s defence will continue to risk big and gain a lot of successes from this, regardless of the consequences.

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Levante’s defensive jumps Levante usually don’t exchange their defensive obligations, but will however, jump in short passing situations, mainly in wide areas.

The key again to this is the first phase pressure and anticipation skills of the secondary defender.

In the first image below we can see a nonexchange compared to a defensive jump which Roger does.

The first pressure from Roger to push the ball towards the channel which allows the 2nd phase pressure to be good enough that they can restrict the space for the two attackers.

Roger is then able to steal the ball and score from this jump.

This was a tactic used against Burela, who often look for the pisada, thus eliminating the change of direction.

1

full court defence

2

half court defence

3

esteban goal v Santa Coloma. ‘crossover’

4

esteban goal v Santa Coloma. ‘crossover’

Estebans intensity in the first line is key for others to anticipate and provoke errors for the attacking team.

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onthecourt . April 2021

Levante’s anticipation and success The majority of Levante’s player are great ‘individual’ defenders. As we have previoulsy mentioned, this allows for the other players around to read the situation and anticipate, resulting in many high ‘steals’ and transitions.

The key details for good anticipation are based on : Original pressure from the player, Body orientation from the player to show one way or the other, understanding of the attacker’s tendencies and their dominant foot.

Figure 1 shows the good body orientation of Roger in the first line of defence towards the weak attacking side. This allows Esteban (the defender on that side) to anticipate the ball into the attacker with success, resulting in a transition and goal.

Figure 2 again shows the high defence originally from Esteban and secondary pressure again from Roger.

Roger’s body orientation again channels the attacking player to one side. The next defender, Rafa Usin, tempts the player to play the ball then anticipates much quicker than the attacker.

Rivillos leads the anticipation stats from set pieces and in Figures 3 and 4 shows how he is able to begin transitions after stealing the corner.

The players are always in movement with the ball which allows them either to anticipate or apply constant individual pressure, creating a circular process of stealing opportunities for the next player.

Rivillos is key in the anticipation when defending corners or low kick ins against the opposition

onthecourt. April 2021

Roger offers a great out of possession anticipation in ‘jumping’ situations.

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set piece masters: threat from the dead ball The key to a good set piece is: understanding, variation, timing and execution Understanding the defensive principles and tendencies, your players on the court (dominant foot) and what their strengths are.

Variation in the set piece, allowing the ability to change which option is used depending on the macro and micro tactics of the defenders.

Timing of the set piece, utilising the four seconds given to allow spaces or advantages to materialise.

Execution and understanding around the details, how a lobbed pass for a volley is made, firing the ball into the box at knee height, the strength of a setpass.

Levante have scored most of their goals this season through set pieces (23%). The key to their success is all of the above. With key takers such as Tolra, Rubi, Roger and Pedro Toro they have been able to execute and vary their set pieces considerably.

You can see on the diagrams on the right the variations over the season they have put in play for one of their Kick ins and one of their Free Kicks.

The classic ‘L’ Free kick utilised in the recent Copa, allowed them to take the lead against Barcelona.

Rubi’s movement along with Pedro’s timing to the execution are all key.

10

kick ins

5

corners

2

free kicks

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1a

1b 1.strike 3.’pivot’

4.box

2.volley

2a

2b

goals scored.

% of goals scored.

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1c

1d

2c

variation is the key: same difference 2d

We have looked over some of the set pieces used by Levante but it’s key to understand their variations and how they can confuse defences to continue to create doubt about ‘cheating’ a passing line.

We can see in diagrams 1 and 2 the variations highlighted on the boards that have been utilised. At the same time in diagrams 1c and 1d, and 2c and 2d, the slight variations in set up also for some.

This constant game of cat and mouse causes issue for the defensive set up, Levante’s dead ball specialists have been key to readin the situation and understanding which variations to utilise.

In 2a/b and 2c/d, the L set up is used in two different ways, both resulting in goals. In 2a/b the player attempts to block for the third man shooter but then rolls into the pocket once the defender cheats. In 2c/d the context of the free kick is a lot closer, resulting in the middle player and usual blocker becoming the direct shooter because of the wall set up.

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the mobility the balance

th

the pivots def intensity aclarado set pieces

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squad balance: masters in different areas

ORG ULL GRA NOTA

he 4-0

We have seen how Levante have different ‘masters’ in their areas and attempt to utilise their strengths to the team’s advantage. With a balanced squad from Pivots that are adaptable (Pedro Toro, Esteban) to mobile fixs that can attack high up the court on and off the ball (Tolra, Maxi Rescia), we can say Levante’s attempt on the title is real.

Currently, at the 25th round of fixtures, Levante still sit top and with a 5 point gap. However, they will be aware that the play-offs against teams like Barcelona, Inter and ElPozo will be difficult. They will need to emphasise all their key attributes we have looked at to be able to overcome these challenges with consistency. The reduction in defensive intensity against Barcelona in the 2nd half was consequencial resulting in Barca wrestling the game away from them.

What we do know is that this exciting team has only just started...

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jaen f.s: a tactical look into their cup success overview the unpredictable magician Over the past decade, Dani Rodriguez has brought a successful period of futsal to the region of Andalusia. Despite producing many LNFS stars over the yearS, the region has infamously never produced a league winning team and has had numerous periods without a representative in the top division of Spanish futsal. Whilst in the 20/21 season there are now four Andaluz teams, with Real Betis currently having an excellent season, Dani Rodirguez’s Jaen team have led the way for futsal in Andalusia.

In this article, we will take an look into some of the tactical and psychological features that Rodriguez has used since 2015 and how he brought cup glory to his homeland, the city of Jaen in 2015 and 2018 as winners of the Copa de Espana; and how his side have become one of the most feared in knockout formats after the two Copa de Espana titles and three successive finals in the Copa del Rey in 2018, 2019 and 2020. Widely respected amongst coaches across the country, we take a look at, his passion on the sideline, his understanding of the club and its strong following, his excellent knowledge of the game and attention to detail and finally, his ability to shock the heavy hitters of Spanish futsal with unpredictable and innovative solutions.

david tapia-owens @12dto

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dani rodriguez head coach focus

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2015

underdog champions

Following a beautifully intense performance to defeat Duda’s ElPozo side in the quarter finals; a slightly more uncertain semi-final win on penalties against Burela who had shocked Inter FS in their quarter final; Rodirguez’s Jaen side found themselves up against a strong Barca side in the Copa de Espana final in 2015.

However, in what would become true Jaen fashion, Rodriguez’s side put on an absolute spectacle of a performance from the first minute in front of an incredible fan base “La marea amarilla” (the yellow tide). And what a suitable nickname for the fans, who seemed to sweep players energetically across the court, particularly defensively, from the very first whistle.

Whilst, Rodriguez has the ability to be unpredictable in a genius way with his sides, one can only imagine that he certainly referenced the extent and ability of la marea amarilla in his final team talk, emphasising that the players needed to trigger their fans with an electric performance on the court to keep the energy flowing on the court, on the bench and around the arena.

True to the energy from the fans from the first whistle, Jaen’s full court individual press was relentless even trying to avoid exchanges when blocked but doing defensive jumps following short passes Within the first 30 seconds, there were already off the ball incidences between the experienced Jaen captain Jose Lopez and Barca pivot Wilde; as well as young pivot Solano with Barca skipper Lozano. And if the electric start off the ball wasn’t good enough already, Jaen were rewarded instantly when the freshly-signed, Andaluz, dominant pivot Paco Solano received the ball on the edge of the 6m area from a triangle set-up on a set-piece. Pinning one of the all time greats, Lozano, rolling onto his left foot centrally, faking once to fool the goalkeeper and then striking past the also great Paco Sedano. The favourites Barca seemed to be rattled by the relentless Jaen with their balance of experience and youth encompassed by la marea amarilla.

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in possession: without solano Without a dominant pivot on court, Jaen were extremely flexible between a 3-1 with a false pivot which merged to a 4-0.

The false pivot was used to draw the cierre out, primarily on the right-hand side, one player always appeared between the lines to form an initial triangle and one player from the triangle would then do a change of rhythm past every defensive line to create verticality.

They usually engaged their marker first, in order to “win their back” and take advantage of the space in behind.

This was an extremely successful strategy in keeping the ball for extended periods of time, allowing Jaen to regulate the game.

The ability to start as a 3-1, merge to a closer 4-0 and then create verticality again and again with cuts, forced Barca to cover a lot of ground defensively due to the ever changing distances between the Jaen players. Jose Lopez, Borja Blanco and Carlinhos were used to regulate the intensity of the fixture when needed and managed to secure long possessions, whilst also forming one of the stronger defensive 4s available to Rodriguez. Jaen also tried to manipulate defensive pairings and positioning to allow Chino to have “aclarados” (isolated 1v1s) on the left wing.

‘‘ The favourites Barca seemed to be rattled by the relentless Jaen with their balance of experience and youth encompassed by la marea amarilla ...’’

onthecourt . April 2021

‘‘ They forced Barca to cover a lot of ground defensively due to the ever changing distances between the Jaen players...’’

inpossession: with solano With the left-footed dominant pivot, Paco Solano on court, Barcelona tried a few different defensive pairings against him, following his classic pivot goal in the first minute. Despite only 4 minutes in the first half, primarily on the right-hand side; Solano dominated the game in his stint in the second half against Gabriel, Ari and Lozano allowing Jaen to secure the ball centrally. He was then used as a decoy, false-pivot on the right-hand side, allowing aclarados on the opposite wing or space in behind on the same side.

JAEN PIVOT PLAY: Overall attempted passes: 35 Successful (ball received and controlled): 21 (60%) Attempted pass to Solano as pivot: 16/35 (45.71%) Successful: 13/16 (81.25%) onthecourt. April 2021

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in transition A key element which provided significant moments in the overall picture and had a huge impact on regulating the game and shifting the momentum. These were perfectly summarised once again by the lungs of the team, Jose Lopez, as well as an incredible finish by the talented Emilio Buendia.

At 1-0, with the ball near the sideline and everyone within the Quijote Arena expecting the ball to go out, Jose Lopez (who had just had another off-the-ball scuffle) thought otherwise and threw everything at it to keep it in and play a pass, receiving again and then playing the ball across goal for Chino to finish in the 3v2(+1) and put los jiennienses 2-0 up.

Emilio Buendia had a similar attitude in the second half.

Saad fouled Buendia off-the-ball after the referee had blown his whistle. Immediately after, Barca went on the attack, with Jaen recovering and immediately throwing numbers forward again. 20 seconds after the off-the-ball scuffle, Buendia squared up 1v1 against Saad and toepoked the ball into the near top corner past Paco Sedano.

In Spain, this is known as “Picardia”. The ability to make a game heated to increase performance. Buendia had been very much inexistent until the challenge by Saad.

Once again, Rodriguez’s side backed by la marea amarilla were to win another psychological battle. This picardia would eventually become a key feature of Rodriguez’s Jaen sides in cup games, where the hardwork, humilty and selflessness of every single member of the team pulled in the same direction.

‘‘Picardia. The aility to make a game heated to increase performance...’’

22 key player jose lopez

If any individual represented this selfless, humble and resilient Jaen team, it was the captain Jose Lopez. He was a key component for Rodriguez’s side and was in multiple “special teams”. Lopez was used to regulate the speed of the game: led the initial full court press, kept the ball for long possessions to kill the clock, provided a key assist in transition and got his individual reward by scoring into an empty net from defending against the fly goalkeeper.

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LA MAREA AMA RILLA out of possession: without solano

‘‘ The ability of Dani and the team to recognise situations and target patterns and adjust the defensive system...’’

onthecourt. April 2021

Rodriguez’s men took a high risk approach offthe-ball, which had also been successful against ElPozo in the quarters. The individual defense was extremely aggressive (despite only conceding their first foul in the 11th minute), doing very few exchanges, jumping out of blocks (particularly when Barcelona reached 5 fouls early on) and only doing defensive jumps following obvious short passes between two players in the line of sight or in unfavorable positions to force the long ball.

However, the highest risk was in the lack of cover in the 1v1 which Barcelona identified.

As Dani mentions in his timeout, the countermeasure to this was to force isolated wingers down the line onto their weak foot and for other defenders to cover the back post.

Despite a few periods when Barcelona were able to carve through the first two lines of the press, reaching the pivot, the individual defense of the ”runners” meant that they were able to neutralise this threat. What was obvious throughout was the ability of Dani and the team to recognise situatons and target patterns and adjust the defensive system individually and as group to react to key threats such as shots rom cutting inside or adjusting to the spin of Barca’s fly system which allowed the azulgranas a quick goal when first using it. Rodriguez’s team were able to maintain their concentration, with all of the team reacting to adjustments either from the manager or by recognising the set principles of the team, e.g when to do a defensive jump, when to jump blocks or when to retreat to 20m. However, what was embodied by all of the team was to use the heat of the game to their advantage defensively, with the men in yellow certainly winning the psychological battles of the game from the very first pressure and subsequent scuffle between Solano and Lozano

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2018

Following the wins in the quarter finals against and the semi-final win against Rio Renovables. Rodriguez’s men were back in the Copa de Espana final in 2018, this time up against the big name players of Inter FS. Whilst the final produced many memorable moments for Inter’s Ricardinho, who scored an incredible goal by chipping the ball over Didac before tapping in (apologies to the purists but think Messi vs Arsenal.) Despite this, it was another vintage Jaen performance in a cup and a second win from a second final appearance for Dani Rodriguez and his side that had a plethora of changes from the 2015 winning team, but remained a highly experienced group of players who all had an obvious, shared culture and identity, and an excellent understanding and consistency of the principles that Dani wanted from his team.

make a diagonal movement, which clears the 1v1 on a side. If it is not on then to repeat on the opposite side.

The intelligence and ability of this experienced Jaen squad allowed them to manipulate the Inter defense and create their ideal match ups and to keep switching positions until they were able to do so. However, particularly during a period of the first half, Rodriguez recognised a key issue which was the lack of verticality despite the number of safe passes available in their own third. This was playing into Inter’s hands, allowing them to steal the ball high up and create more shooting opportunities, despite Jaen dominating possession stats (unusual for a game between two LNFS sides).

inpossession: positional attack for ‘aclarados’ In the 2015 final, we spoke about how Rodriguez tried to draw out the Barcelona defense with a false pivot, one player going between the lines and the final player rupturing and creating verticality.

The amount of rupturing runs and the change of rhythm allowed Jaen to keep lengthy possessions and control the game. This was an attack built on principles. In the 2018 final, Inter FS began engaging at around 2/3rds. Whilst Jaen dominated the ball with fluidity initially and had long periods of passing, using Didac from deep setpieces to keep the ball; the key patterns appeared from Jaen’s perspective who had decided for more of a positional attack.

From either the 4-0/False 3-1 with Alan Brandi, or with a more fixed pivot in Angel Bingyoba, the plan was to isolate Chino, Dani Martin or Burrito. Rodriguez even refers to this in his time-out where he asks his players to cut and then

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inpossession: set pieces In the 2015 final, every set piece for Jaen involved the triangle set up and usually a short wall pass to then open a corridor into a pivot (Solano’s goal in the first 40 seconds.) However, in this final, Rodriguez’s team had a lot more variety and created their first two goals from set pieces. Towards the 10m line, Rodriguez had prepared the side to lift the ball over the Inter defense and create an overload.

The players set up in a line, the first man would run across as a set for a shot or as a safe pass; the furthest player forward would block; the middle player would use the blocked space to be able to volley. And it was this exact set piece that then led to the Jaen equaliser early in the second half for the experienced Mauricio.

key players: chino & dani martin Following his two goals in the 2015 final, it came as no surprise that Chino would have an impact on this game also. Both him and Dani Martin were essential in implementing a positional attacking system but also varying the strengths of the 1v1. Chino has an incredible knowledge of the game and reading the defensive body shape as well as the team shape around him. He is known for his powerful shot from cutting inside but also his laterality allowing him to use this to his advantage to drive down the line instead. Dani Martin took a hold of the second half also with his ability in the 1v1, due to his change of pace, quick feet and powerful shot with short backlift.

The energetic “Salamantin” created multiple chances within minutes during an important time in the second half when Jaen were 3-1 down with 5 minutes left. Following two unbelievable saves from Herrero after Martin dribbled past multiple players each time, the quick thinking Jaen players reacted quickly and scored another set-piece, with a quick diagonal run and Dani Martin shot that fortunately ricocheting off Carlitos. Minutes later, Dani Martin would continue running riot causing fouls with his speed and then finishing from a 2-3 fly goalkeeper system at the back post. The professor Jose Lopez regulated the tempo of the 2015 final, but this time it was all about the injection of energy and quality from Dani Martin and Chino when needed.

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out of possession: comparison of principles with inter

1

1 Here we can see the clear difference in principles regarding coverage in the 1v1, especially if we focus on the orders of team mates by pointing. On the top Jaen have isolated Chino against Solano (ideally their perfect match up) and Ortiz orders the fix at that time, Daniel, to cover as he is able to cover two passing lines.

Alternatively, on the bottom, Inter have cleared space for Ricardinho to face Alan Brandi. Both Boyis and Didac are pointing at Giasson to get out to his man, away from the cover. In the same way as the 2015 final, Dani Rodriguez took the risk of defending individual, by forcing wingers down the line, allowing the goalkeeper to predict angles and cover, as well as the rest of the defensive players predicting and therefore covering the back post. Within the first few minutes, Ricardinho won a few 1v1 battles down the line, including this one with an elastico but allowing an easy save for Didac due to the poor shooting angle and on his weaker foot.

2 Again, on the left we see a perfect picture for Jaen of Chino isolated against Elisandro. This time Inter switch their cover. Initially, the fix is watching and is ready to cover if Elisandro is beaten. However, as Jaen bring a screener across to open an interior channel for Chino to shoot, their defensive pair is now in an ideal position to offer the cover. Alternatively, we can see Jaen players sticking with their man despite the movement off the ball. By forcing the line, the attacking player will look to flick. In this case, Didac can see no player at the backpost so decides to offer the cover from the predictable scenario forced by Jaen.

2

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outofpossession: Double Team the Pivot If Jaen were being bold by offering no defensive cover even against Ricardinho, then they certainly weren’t willing to allow the familiar face of Paco Solano to put in a similar dominant performance to what he had done in a yellow shirt 3 years before at the Quijote Arena. When Solano received the ball on his favoured area just off the right wing (in some cases, an also left-footed, dominant pivot Elisandro), Jaen’s first line of defense sacrificed their player as a safe recovery pass as opposed to allowing Solano the opportunity to roll and shoot. Here we can see 3 situations within a 3 minute period, where Rodriguez and his men showed just how much they had learnt about the Cordobes pivot during his time in Jaen.

‘‘ Jaen avoid exchanging when blocked, offer no cover in the 1v1, double up on the pivot if their man is a deep safe pass...’’

onthecourt. April 2021

outofpossession: Same principles in 2015&2018 finals Although Rodriguez’s offensive structure has varied between his teams and based on the opponent, the defensive system used has shown a lot of similarities throughout his time in charge.

Possibly due to the incredible fluidity of Jaen’s attacking play in their first third, the defensive ability and consistency in principles are evident and may be due to the in-possession strengths which Jaen come across themselves at training sessions. Jaen’s players avoid exchanging when blocked, offer no cover in the 1v1, double up on the pivot if their man is a deep, safe pass and only do defensive jumps following short passes between two players they can see and/or if this puts an opponent player in a unfavourable position forcing them to play long.

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10

2018-2020 3 consecutive finals

Over the past few seasons, the World Cup winning pivot has been a key part of Jaen’s game plan, particularly linking extremely well with the leader, Mauricio, as well as complementing the individual ability of players like Michel and Mithyue. Interestingly, Alan Brandi is used as a reference point in a 3-1 from which Jaen then produce vertical overlaps; they have an excellent understanding of when to play as a false and drag the last defensive line out to allow quick players to create verticality by breaking lines into the vacant space. Finally, across a number of games, including his memorable goal against Barcelona in the 2020 final, Brandi creates the verticality himself by starting as a four and breaking the lines. Rodriguez has made adjustments in every game based on a game plan, for example by starting the goalkeeper,Marcao, when expecting a high press in order to create numerical superiority against the first defensive line. However, in many games it is clear that Alan Brandi has become the key link and that other combinations of players are selected to complement his role in the game plan. Below we can see the positional play approach used throughout the past few seasons. In diagrams 10 and 11, we can see how a corridor is created for the left footed Brandi on the inside right. Once under control, either the fix or the opposite winger (doing an indirect curtain) overlap around Brandi. This is done as fixes expect Brandi to role inside and more importantly, can’t allow him to do so; therefore opening up space based on the fixes defensive orientation.

In diagrams 12, 13 and 14, we can see patterns that have been used frequently by Rodriguez’s Jaen side, in order to begin as a four against a high press or engaging line and create verticality through ruptures and lifting the ball over the top. As always, Jaen have excellent fluidity as expected from a Rodriguez side. They are able to use this fluidity to draw out defensive lines, with their comfort on the ball under pressure, and then look for verticality with quick changes of rhythm.

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11

12

13

14x

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SIN JAEN NO HAY COPA Conclusion

Although there is a great level of fluidity in every Jaen team across the past 6 years, we can try to establish what characteristics really make a Jaen team:

Hard skills: Attacking and Defensive 1v1s, fluidity and regulating the ball speed, defensive principles (individual, body shape to allow no cover, avoiding blocks), creative special teams (set-pieces, game of 5).

Soft skills: Intensity, ‘picardia’, humility, togetherness as a club.

As with any elite level coach, Dani Rodriguez has produced a team and also a club with a clear identity.

As soon as you start watching a Jaen game, you will understand immediately what they are all about and the certain energy that they give to a game unlike any other team. Whilst there may be obvious principles, particularly defensively; it is the versatility and adaptability of his team and his understanding of opponents that has allowed the underdogs of Jaen to create a successful legacy. Whilst Jaen still performed well in the 2020 final, the side thrive off their fans more than most clubs (close with Valdepenas and Barcelona) and are the perfect image of their coach: humility, intensity, knowledge and resilience.

#SINJAENNOHAYCOPA

The hashtag shared by Jaen and ‘la marea amarilla’ fans says it all. Dani Rodriguez has created a legacy at the club since their first finals appearance in 2015 (and victory), they have now won two Copas de Espana and appeared in three consecutive Copa de la Rey finals in 2018, 2019, 2020 (all defeats to Barcelona.) Whilst the league positions don’t always mimic the incredible cup runs, Rodriguez continues to create teams year in and year out that are capable of performing on the big stage against teams with a lot more recognition internationally and despite losing multiple players each year, in most cases, to these same clubs.

With the new Olivo Arena being close to completion, it is exciting times for Jaen, who will be moving away from La Salobreja and to the new arena which is expected to potentially seat up to 10,000 fans. No doubt, la marea amarilla will be bringing the cup home once again, as a host city but also as champions.

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Futsal PremierLeague WestwayLondon

U7-8S U9-10S U11-12S U13-14S U15-U16S Adults FUTSAL - 3X3 - PANNA registernow thefutsalpl@gmail.com @TheFutsalPL

onthecourt. April 2021

@TheFutsalPL

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session of the month

defensive organisation davidtapia-owens @12dto

organisation Small court: (18-20)x15 3 teams of 5. 2 on court, 1 resting 10 balls total for each team ( 5 from set piece, 5 from GK. Attacking team takes a set piece. Once ball is out of play, they immediately begin next play from their GK. Swap role after 10 plays.

Winning team stays on

objectives 1

Scoring from set pieces

2

IP and OOP organisation on set pieces and immediately after

3

Concentration

15 time

15 players

key coaching points 1

Set piece finishing and taking techniques

2

Defensive body shape to trigger correct organisation

Rule changes/progressions: 1

Change value of set piece or open play goal (e.g, set piece goal =3)

2

Ask players to decide which is worth more.

3

Defending team’s counter goals =double value

4

Attacking team writes down a set piece name on a board. Worth more if they score from it. send in your sessions to: onthecourt.coach@gmail.com

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intensity

corner onthecourt . April 2021

organisation

phasetwo

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t r e adv a e r a

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t t r r e e v v d d aa a a e e r r aa

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In any sport, conversations often spring up about the best player in the world, and futsal is no different.

A whole host of names tend to be on the tips of futsal fans’ tongues when this discussion arises: Ricardinho, Ferrão, and Sergio Lozano, to name a few. A name that certainly deserves to be involved in this debate is Leonardo de Melo Vieira Leite, or Leo Higuita, to you and me.

With the notion that a goalkeeper is a futsal team’s most important player gaining more traction, why shouldn’t Higuita, who is widely recognised as the male game’s best goalkeeper, be considered as the best player in the world? Having achieved significant feats on both an individual and team level, having won various personal accolades, as well as the old UEFA Futsal Cup twice, he’s hardly a novice that has something to prove.

Within the goalkeeping community, the AFC Kairat ‘keeper is revered as a match winner, not just in terms of his ability to keep the ball out of the net, but because of his utility as a fly goalkeeper. Having such a complete skill set has enabled him to reach the top of the game, and he’s showing no signs of letting up.

leo higuita goalkeeper focus benlazarus @ben_lazarus96

onthecourt. April 2021

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on top of the world So, what exactly has Leo Higuita achieved to be rated so highly? Let’s first break this down into personal titles. Since 2015, the Kazakhstani international has been crowned as the world’s best male goalkeeper a staggering five times, with only the phenomenal Paco Sedano preventing him from making it six straight wins in 2017. To be able to maintain such a world beating level for such an extended period of time is nothing short of superhuman, but this is simply what we have become accustomed to with Higuita.

These personal victories have not been easily obtained either. As well as Sedano – who himself mustered a strong challenge to retain his title in 2018 – the world’s best has fought off strong competition from Jesús Herrero, Stefano Mammarella, Juanjo, Guitta and others to represent the pinnacle of futsal goalkeeping.

To put Higuita’s accomplishments into perspective, not even the great Luis Amado took the crown more than twice.

It’s not just his achievements that have endeared him to the futsal community, his charisma is infectious. Be it his cheerful smile as he walks onto the court or his passionate celebrations of both saves and goals, it is clear as day that Higuita thoroughly enjoys playing.

2015

2016

2019

2020

a pioneer The recognition of Leo Higuita as the best goalkeeper in futsal also stems from his role in changing the perception of a goalkeeper. The aforementioned names that have competed with him for the title – and the many, many world class goalkeepers that play the game – are all outstanding in their ability to keep the ball out of the goal. However, this is no longer enough.

Where Higuita stands out, perhaps apart from the likes of Guitta, Roncaglio and Chemi, is his capacity to provide a fifth threat of attack for his team; his ability on the ball enables Kairat and Kazakhstan to always have the option of the fly goalkeeper, be it from a save or an interception that he has made, or a set piece.

Whilst, for example, Paco Sedano was an undoubtedly spectacular goalkeeper, he didn’t pose the same attacking threat that this mould of ‘keeper is able to.

Acting as an extra attacker, the fly goalkeeper can be utilised at any moment in an attacking phase, pinning the opposition back to either keep the ball or create a goal scoring opportunity. As we will analyse shortly, Higuita is often an extremely threatening presence in these scenarios.

2018

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onthecourt . April 2021

‘‘Higuita’s playing style is all action...’’

1 2

‘‘Not just a goalscoring threat...’’ onthecourt. April 2021

doing it in style Higuita’s playing style is all action. Able to impressively dive to a shot seemingly destined for the top corner one moment, the next he could be on the ball lining up a shot that is more than likely to cause the opposition trouble. Here, we will break down his technique, firstly analysing the more ‘traditional’ aspects of a goalkeeper, before going into his ball-playing credentials.

As a shot stopper, there is arguably nobody better in world futsal than Higuita. Possessing seemingly impossible levels of athleticism and reaction speed, his defenders can feel safe in the knowledge that when the opposition unleash a strike from distance, he is usually equal to it. Perhaps the best example of this comes from the 2018 Euros third-place play-off against Russia.

With Kazakhstan defending a corner, Russia’s Sergei Abramov broke free from his man, controlled the ball eight metres out from goal and struck the ball cleanly on the half volley towards the top corner. Deciding to stay on his line and give himself as much reaction time as possible, Higuita set himself on his toes, enabling him to propel himself in the direction that the ball was struck; with his arms in a narrow position slightly above his waist, ensuring he was able to make a save at any height; and with his torso upright and facing the ball (1). Despite the ball hurtling towards the top corner, Higuita’s set position gave him the chance to spring off of his toes, dive with both feet off the ground towards the ball, and divert it away from goal (2).

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These athletic tendencies are also evident in his ability to cover his back post. What futsal goalkeepers in this country are traditionally taught to do when the ball is played towards the second post is to enact a split save, covering the space across the floor with the legs, the centre of the goal with an upright torso, and the mid-to-upper section of the target with the arms. Of course, this is an extremely useful tool, and one that Higuita certainly has in his repertoire, but what distinguishes him is his ability to effectively select when to split and when to dive to the back post, as is more commonly seen in football. For example, as is shown here, he sets himself at the near post as the ball travels towards the danger man (Fig. 3). As the ball is played across goal – albeit more towards its centre than the back stick – he reads the situation and decides that he would be able to cover a greater section of the goal at that moment in time with a dive than a split (Fig. 4). Whilst a split may have been effective too, the position that the shot is taken from around the six metre line may have meant that the Kazakhstani international could have been more susceptible to a nutmeg if his technique was not perfect.

On top of the athletic aspects of his game, Higuita has also proven to be incredibly reliable in 1v1 situations, and the progression in his game is evident. As shown here in a World Cup group stage game against Argentina in 2016, he approaches this scenario by collapsing to the ground whilst in the process of attempting to make an initial knee slide block (Fig. 5). Whilst he ultimately makes the save, this technique can be fairly simple for an attacker to overcome; a feint, a change of direction, or even a chip can leave a collapsing goalkeeper in a precarious position. Since 2016, however, we have largely seen far more of a traditional block technique in Higuita’s game. For example, in a 2018 Champions League fixture against Sporting Lisbon, when 1v1 with Erick Mendonça, here we see the evolution in Leo’s shape (Fig. 6). He is stood tall with his torso upright and square to the ball, with his left knee ready to drop towards the floor and cover the space at the far post as Erick lines up his left-footed shot.

Whilst his initial approach is narrow, he moves his arms outwards to prepare to block the effort should it be lofted above waist level, and this is where the save is made. Although there is a small backwards motion, his arms stay largely strong and don’t sweep too much, creating as big a sufrace area as possible with which to execute the block.

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‘ e t 3 4

5

6

onthecourt . April 2021

‘‘an extremely effective goal threat...’’

7 8

fly goalkeeper Moving on to Higuita’s attacking influence, there are many facets to his distribution. Able to execute pinpoint passes with both his feet and hands, to manipulate the ball when attacking in the fly goalkeeper role, and to take advantage of a mistake in the opposition’s fly ‘keeper to score, he has honed his skills to become an extremely effective goal threat. When on the ball in a structured fly ‘keeper scenario, Higuita is able to maintain possession with safe passing, ensuring that his side are not in danger of giving the opposition a clear shot at goal. However, his role in proceedings is far more than just keeping the play ticking. Positioned at the base of the fly system, one aspect of his teams’ structure is to create space for Higuita to drive forward and unleash a shot towards goal. Often feinting to play a simple pass to the winger before ball-rolling into an area whereby he has the momentum to shoot powerfully, Higuita is renowned for his capacity to trouble even the best goalkeepers, having scored past both Sedano and Herrero.

This ability also creates the possibility to trick defenders into blocking his path to shoot, which in turn creates space to feint a shot and pass to a teammate higher up the court (Fig. 7 and Fig. 8). Not just a goal scoring threat, the world’s number one ‘keeper has an excellent range of passing; he is able to clip balls from his own area to the in-step of a teammate, and can play line-breaking through balls in the fly ‘keeper and when sweeping up.

conclusion In short, there is no easy way to sum up Leo Higuita.

He is a box office goalkeeper that has continued to win over those who watch him, with an exciting and combative style of play that has propelled him to the heights of being the world’s best male futsal ‘keeper.

Amidst a truly stunning array of goalkeeping talent, it speaks volumes of his ability and application that he has held onto this title for such a long period of time.

onthecourt. April 2021

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KMCreate onthecourt. April 2021

Web. www.km-create.co.uk Email. kmcreate@outlook.com Instagram. @km.create otc | Page 67

Nelson is an exciting French talent who has only played in his native country. He joined ACCS in 2018, at the age 20 and now, at 23 has started to show the world his skillset.

An explosive player with real, genuine pace and a technical toolbox to compliment, Nelson has been one of the stand out players for ACCS amongst the marquee names of Ricardinho, Ortiz et al., and showed how dangerous he can be in the Quarter Finals of the Champions League, when he made himself a nuisance against Barcelona that almost caused an upset for the French champions.

We have all seen the dazzling displays of Landry N’Gala - depicted as a street baller that has brought his flair to the game of futsal and caused problems, most notably against Spain for France in the 4-4 draw in the European Championship Finals in Slovenia only a few seasons ago. Well, Lutin has subtly gone under the radar and is now refining his street flair technicality. If Mbappe is the archetypal football player made in a laboratory, Lutin is close to the new-age desired futsal player and we look to explore what makes him so good.

Mbappédu futsal

nelson lutin jonkurrant @futsaljk8

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onthecourt. April 2021

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9

therise

nelsonlutin 23 age

foot

25 8

france

3 1 3

UCL

pos.

His rise in his club status has been clearly evident.

Littered with stars, Nelson had been used as a ‘second four’ winger but most recently started in the starting V against Barcelona in the Quarter Final of the Champions League with fellow outfield players ‘Ricardinho’ Da Silva, Carlos Ortiz and Abdessamad Mohammed and is showing his value and worth to the ACCS manager: Jesús Velasco.

He has been a major influence in scoring important goals and having players around him like Ortiz and Ricardinho has given Nelson the confidence to offer passing lines, but move through the court to penetrate with his running and receiving between the lines that makes him a formidable team-mate.

keymovements Apart from his 1v1 ability, most notably in the Champions League round against Red Star Belgrade where he scored the opening goal, safe-carrying before nutmegging the opponent and toe-ing his effort into the bottom corner, Nelson’s most dangerous passage of play comes from his movement when cutting through the court - specifically receiving indirect passes from opposite fixes and rolling through the court.

He comes to life in a moving 4-0 formation where players are cutting deep, which allows him more space between lines. His trademark move is to start in the left-sided ala/winger position and as the ball moves and ends up in the right-sided fix area (from the fix having it, or opposite winger moving inside with the ball) he cuts into the middle pocket diagonally towards the topright hand corner of the court.

The pass is played to his safe side (right foot), and he rolls out and either gets a shot, or heels a set onto an on-rushing fix or the opposite winger to get a shot at goal.

This movement creates a lot of issues for the defending team. For one, Nelson is moving indirectly to the ball, the defender who is pressing the initial ball with the fix #3 or #14 on the same passing line cannot see Nelson moving out of sight. Therefore, Nelson makes it hard for the pressure on the ball to block the passing line into him and/or for the exchange defensively to happen with his teammate. Nelson is quick and so when he makes that decision to go, his tracking defender finds it hard to get close enough on occasions which opens up the opportunity, like in this example against Barcelona - grabbing a 1v1 opportunity. If Nelson does not receive the ball, he has opened up space for his nearest fix to exploit or creates the space for an isolated 1v1.

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onthecourt . April 2021

thefuture Either with the ball at his feet in 1v1 situations, or in front of goal, he has formidable composure to get it to do what he wants! Off the ball he is extremely intelligent and usually exploits the space well enough to cause problems on every occasion he moves. If he gets his defending 1v1 and pressure to restrict space to the same level, Nelson will be a name not to forget in the futsal world for many years to come.

onthecourt. April 2021

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t r e adv be aarpart of ea the journey adults & u6-u16S INFO@PROFUTSALLONDON.COM

@PROFUTSALA

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@PROFUTSALA

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t r e v d a a e r a

onthecourt. April 2021

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xG is often considering a divisive topic. It splits opinion, partly because the concept is foreign to many, perhaps considered an anarchist’s approach to unnecessarily mathematising performance. “All that matters is the goals scored column” I already hear you shout, hear me out here.

For me, xG values in their simplest form allow a coach or analyst to assess and subsequently quantify goal scoring opportunities. No more no less. Simple right?

A whistle stop introduction xG is dealt as a decimal figure, between naught and one. One being a guaranteed goal, a naught value offering a 0% chance of the ball finding the net. A simple example, a shot returns 0.5xG, if the average player takes 10 shots from this identical location, we should score 5 goals. The sum of xG from the shots taken/ conceded can be summed to give an xG for that team in that particular game, averages across multiple games, and totals for a season.

It is vital to also consider variability, it is complex enough to consider xG to begin with for some, but to then to explain that if a team collects 3 xG but score 2 goals, that the model still works, may seem illogical to most. We often don’t consider the amount of luck, variance, and other unquantifiable factors that may benefit or hinder performance on any given day.

One of my own personal favourite anecdotes for xG is the ever-present comment of the pundit and armchair supporter alike “oh he should of buried that” judged solely on his distance from goal. When in fact, that shot may return an xG value of less than 0.2 (1 shot in 5 is scored from this location), suddenly we can begin to understand the complexity of goalscoring actions.

intro xG in Futsal analysis

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onthecourt . April 2021

MyxGjo urney As someone, involved in professional football also, understanding the similarity but stark differences of futsal have helped scope out performance indicators that provide a valuable crossover between the sports. But for all the futsal purists out there I hear you, it is vital to consider the sport on its own. I am of the view that its essential for futsal to explore its own performance evaluation techniques, and methods of analysis, which is what I have tried to do with my futsal specific xG model.

What started as very much a hobby of observing where goals were scored in the NFS, quickly became an obsession. How many goals should we be scoring was a comparison that I wanted to relay to coaching staff. How can we engineer favourable situations in futsal to maximise our chance of scoring?

Soccermatics by David Sumpter is an excellent book which provided the inspiration to develop my own xG model for futsal, leant to me by Mark Finney (Thank You Mark!). There is a current lack of event/tracking data at the elite level in futsal, so accessing a pool of 1000s of shot data which is readily available in football proved complicated. But with a bit of inspiration and a lot of Pythagoras theorem later we got there in the end.

benpickford @BPAnalysis96

onthecourt. April 2021

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barceonavluparense casestudy gamestats

barcelonashots

To stress test my model I initially tested over 500 shots from futsal across UEFA Champions League qualifiers, the NFS and the LNFS. For this case study I am taking a game which I was able to download from WyScout, Barcelona vs Luparense. A back and forwards affair in the 2017 Champions League qualifiers which finished 3-3.

Clipping, observing and quantifying every shot from the game utilising my model. I was then able to observe the game through a new lens, one which the box score maybe wouldn’t reveal (Detailed far below).

barceona

v

luparense

3

-

3

(2 3-3

-

2-3

2-2

1-2 1-1

1-0

barceona

v

3

-

shots 13

xG 7.74

-

xG 2.10

dist 10.81

-

dist 11.55

shots 54

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3)

luparense

3

onthecourt . April 2021

does shotvolume equal success?

Luparense scored 3 goals from 13 shots which equated to 2.1 xG according to my model.

Barcelona on the other hand racked up a monumental 54 shots, cultivating 7.74 xG. We can now use the model for purposes outlined in my intro, assessing chance creation.

If you are the coach of Barcelona, Andreu Plaza, and have access to this data, you may feel hard done by, on another occasion, you may have scored upwards of 7 goals. But what you would also be able to focus on is tactically where the game may have been won.

Luparense’s tactics were very clear from the off, they would sit in a Mourinho-esque half court deep block and try and spring to life in transition – which worked for them in more ways than one.

Not only did it prove fruitful in the chances they created, mainly in transition, where overloads produce favourable finishing angles, and reduced player ocllusion (factors which increase and decrease xG respectively). But also, in frustrating Barcelona into extreme amounts (46 to be exact) low quality shots with an xG of 0.1 or lower. 7 Good quality chances (between 0.2 and 0.5 xG) were created (which incidentally is where all 3 goals came from). With 1 high quality chance of >0.5. I have detailed the shot map with the shot data visualised left.

The question I pose to Coach Plaza would be this. Is pure shot volume proportionate to success?

To test this out feel free to follow the link to the following site - https://danny.page/expected_goals.html to get an idea of how this works.

Take two teams, who both accumulate 1.2 xG in a game.

Team A takes 24 shots, each of low quality, whilst Team B takes 3 shots of good to high quality. Ran through a simulation of a 38 game season laws of probability will determine that Team B will win 37%, Team A 34% and roughly 29% of the games would be draws.

This is where utilising xG to assess and quantify chance creation for me is at its most valuable. As a coach consider the Infinite game (recently popularised

by Norwich City), you give yourself a better chance of long-term success by creating less high quality chances, than you would purely measuring net chance volume and aligning this with “success”.

To compound this, you can observe Team B would average around 1.4 PPG based on the output observed above. Whilst Team A would achieve 1.31 over the same season, taking 24 low quality shots per game, by reducing variance, you are reducing the chance of suffering “bad luck”.

I’m hoping I have introduced you to the much-debated xG metric, how it works, how we might use it in futsal, and hopefully there are some coaching takeaways in there which have highlighted the ability to evaluate your own teams chance creation.

xGreference Below is a digestible view of my model, giving a rough idea of the xG achieved per shot in each shaded area. For those armchair supporters out there, the 0.5 shaded area gives you permission to pull out the aforementioned catchphrase!

onthecourt. April 2021

Moving forwards my aim is to present more case studies, analysing teams goals scored, and xG creation, so for any requests do contact OTC with teams you would like to see analysed.

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spart custom commissions contact @spart_visuals

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onthecourt . April 2021

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onthecourt. April 2021

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1

in possession

2

the analys

PI

passes (*by role) 1v1

Lost possession (pass intercepted, 1v1 tackled...)

Key Peformance Indicators Paramount to any analysis that made. Used to evaluate perform period. Can be individual or tea recovery of ball (interceptions, tackles..)

bypassed by opposition (passes, 1v1s...)

out of possession

Perfomance Indicators - Com Player rating, Packing metric, G

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CUS Ancona 4 Futsal Cesana 3 packing analysis otc | Page 80

onthecourt . April 2021

Fig

sis process KPI

AV

t takes place, to inform decisions mance in the immediate or over a am based

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gure 1 PPIP is the top left quadrant in the diagram and of that adrant, we are focussing on passing, split by provider and receiver

gure 2 action variables, performance indicators and KPIs.

mark finney @thegfc_tv

onthecourt. April 2021

This match was analysed via the packing lens, a tecnique whereby points are amassed based on the number of bypassed opposition players. A detailed discussion of packing, its origins and its application to futsal can be found on YouTube (YT) via a search for ‘packing metric thegfc.tv’.

At the time of writing, the game can also be found on YouTube via a search for ‘ CUS Ancona vs Futsal Cesana ’ (watch here: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=sSxpMdYmxpY). Game times referenced in this article will be real-time and will correspond to that of the YouTube video as there is no view of the stopped clock; times referenced in this article will be prefixed with YT and the reader is encouraged to reconcile the text of this article against video footage of the game events discussed. This article focuses on passing actions, split by provider and receiver. A passer and a receiver accrue points based on how many of the opposition players were bypassed with the pass. Although this focusses on paired actions (passer and receiver), this scope is felt to be valid given the data cited in an online presentation, Playing Out of Pressure in Futsal, by Jorge Braz in June 2020: an analysis of the Portuguese national team showed that combinations between two players were where the team scored most (50%)(1) .

As such, the scope of this article is focussed on paired actions. 1v1s are out of scope as is any game time spent flying the keeper. There are further discussions of these scoping points via the references in the first paragraph, but to summarise the scope of this analysis, of the four quadrants identified in figure 1 it is positive. packing in possession (PPIP) which is the focus of this It is important that the packing metric scores are not ‘polluted’ by other events. A common reaction is one which picks out the goalscorer(s) in any given match and questions why their packing scores are not higher. In this particular match, CUS Ancona #8 Liam Palfreeman scored a hat-trick. From an analysis perspective, goals are a separate entity to be measured and their occurrence should not spill over into other measures.

They can be analysed separately.

Ben Pickford (@BPAnalysis) created the slide shown in figure 2 which shows how action variables, performance indicators and KPIs fit together.

(1) Individual play accounted for around 25% of goals with three players being involved in 21% of goals and four players involved in just 4% of goals. These figures hold true across the Portuguese U21 and U19 teams and it is reasonable to extrapolate these figures across high level futsal as a whole

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PPIP Positive Packing in Possesion

CUS Ancona

It is important to stress that the highest scores on the PPIP matrices do not necessarily indicate the best players; game time is not taken into account, so it may be that other more effective combinations of players exist. There could also be emerging players or impact players used more sparingly but who score less overall due to having less game time.

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However, the approach is still valid on the basis of profiling a team in that it identifies which players link up most in any given game through successful combination play. Game time is a major contributor to higher scores, though there is also the theoretical possibility that player combinations can get game time without accruing many points due to being ineffective.

Other visualisations such as playing rosters should be used to give further context and will be left out of the scope for this article, though they are discussed online in the references cited in the introduction.

3a

4a

3b

4b

Cesena

The PPIP scores are presented as a heat matrix on a cross-tabulated table (figures 3a and 4a), showing pass provider and pass receiver. Figures 3b and 4b show the cumulative scores for player combinations regardless of which player was provider or receiver.

onthecourt . April 2021

‘‘It is important to stress that the highest scores on the PPIP matrices do not necessarily indicate the best players...’’

Player Profiles Individual players generally profile into provider, receiver or mixed with this being influenced by the role of the player. Pivots, for example, would receive more than they provide, with the opposite being true for the fix although the fluid nature of futsal can blur the edges of this distinction.

It is possible to identify the out-and-out pivots from the heat matrix - taking CUS Ancona as an example, #10 Alessio Taurisano scores just 3 PPIP points as a provider compared to 32 PPIP points as a receiver.

A plot of the ratio of provider to receiver points indicates these relative attributes of a player as can be seen in figure 5. #9 Alessandro Benigni (CUS Ancona) is not solely the pivot which his futsalmarche.it profile indicates as can be seen from his attributes in figure 5.

Cesena #8 Federico Venturini played as and profiled more like a pivot than the Posizione: Laterale listed on his futsalmarche.it profile.

CUS Ancona #5 Luigi Bartolucci profiles as a fix as opposed to his listed Posizione: Laterale.

Figure 5 provider to receiver ratio; this attribute is a spectrum with those who profile more as a provider being more on the left and those who profile more as a receiver being towards the right.

Cesena #6 Marco Pulini, while used sparingly, has comparable provider to receiver scores and this ties in with his listing on futsalmarche.it where his position is noted as Posizione: Universale.

5

onthecourt. April 2021

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Team Profiles In this game, CUS Ancona can be seen to rely on a core set of five outfield players - team captain #5 Luigi Bartolucci (fix), #8 Liam Pafreeman (ala), twin brothers #7 Frederici and #9 Alessandro Benigni (allrounders) and #10 Alessio Taurisano (pivot), with the occasional use of #19 Daniel Enzo Martin (ala). The concentration of colour in the upper-left of the heat matrix 2 (figure 3a) shows that the full squad was not used, with four outfield players not getting off the bench at all. In terms of goalkeepers, #12 Mirco Mazzarini was replaced midway through the game by #2 Federico de Luna while the former was recovering from an injury before returning for the latter stages of the game.

Cesana used eight of their ten outfield players, with their starting quartet being #11 Christian Gardelli (ala), #14 Tommaso Ansaloni (pivot), #21 Nicolò Pieri (left-footed fix) and #6 Marco Pulini (ala).

The Cesena goalkeeper #1 Andrea Montalti profiles very differently to both CUS Ancona goalkeepers in that Montalti scores 13 PPIP points compared to a score of just 4 PPIP points 2 The first four rows and columns align with the starting quartet by the two CUS Ancona goalkeepers combined. Is this a characteristic of this particular goalkeeper or is this an encouraged style of play by Cesena? More game analysis of Cesena would make this clear. We can proceed nonetheless with the Cesena goalkeeper narrative categorised under team profile .

Andrea Montalti was instrumental in the Cesana second goal, first bypassing three CUS Ancona players by travelling with the ball 3 before reaching and creating a 3v1 in the opposition half and passing to #14 Tommaso Ansaloni. Ansaloni subsequently played the ball across goal for #11 Christian Gardelli to score [YT 41m57s]. Goalkeeper Montalti acquired more PPIP points at YT 1h07m09s for his deft chip to #6 Marco Pulini when playing out of pressure in his defensive third and was generally comfortable with the ball at his feet -- in spite of a clumsy moment which he got away with at YT 57m36s. The remaining PPIP points accrued by #1 Montalti were via thrown distribution such as the example at YT 1h12m19s, though it should be noted that while some of these events, such as YT 1h18m43s, were successful in that the goalkeeper distributed the ball and, in this case, #8 Venturini brought the ball under control, the move itself subsequently amounted to nothing due to a speculative shot (very low xG) in this case or sometimes due to poor subsequent hold-up technique (YT 1h25m04s; YT 1h08m32s).

11 Gardelli

1

21

14

Montalti

Pieri

Ansaloni

6 Pulini

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onthecourt . April 2021

Ta

Big Match Events Big events in the match can be reconciled against significant PPIP points. The most notable of these was the winning goal scored by CUS Ancona #8 Liam Palfreeman, with the move as a whole accruing 4 PPIP points. CUS Ancona captain #5 Luigi Bartolucci bypasses three Cesena players with his pass to #7 Federico Benigni and Benigni’s first time pass to #8 Palfreeman takes out the fourth Cesena player for Palfreeman to finish deftly [YT1h35m31s.]

The third goal by Cesena [YT 1h04m51s] is another such example of big match events reconciling with significant PPIP events. CUS Ancona suffer a counterattack with Cesena #11 Christian Gardelli bypassing three opponents(4)x with his pass into #14 Tommaso Ansaloni from which the Cesena pivot Ansaloni scored.

It is important not to be myopic around big events such as goals though. Whether the final shot results in a goal or not is in some ways irrelevant to the value of the preceding passage of play. If that preceding play resulted in a significant shot on goal then it has value.

At YT 11m07s, CUS Ancona #8 Palfreeman makes a cutting rupture to throw off his reference Cesena #14 Ansaloni, then as Ansaloni charges back in to ‘make good’ the initial feint which he bought, Palfreeman makes the real cut, with CUS Ancona #9 Alessandro Benigni playing the pass to Palfreeman. This pass bypassed all four Cesena players given the defence were drawn into a straight line. Although the Cesena goalkeeper saves the subsequent Palfreeman shot, it is a move worthy of note and it is adequately picked out via the PPIP events.

7 Federici

5

12

Bartolucci

Mazzarini

10

aurisano

8 Palfreeman

onthecourt. April 2021

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Leaderboards Presenting selected values from the heat matrix as a top five leaderboard (figure 6), we can see that the split between teams is polarised. CUS Ancona had four of the five best combinations between two players, with the combination between Cesena #11 Gardelli and pivot #14 Ansaloni being the only top five ranking achieved by the away team.

7a

7b

Figure 6 hints at the dominance of the contribution by CUS Ancona #7 Federico Benigni. Federico profiles as 29:19 provider-to-receiver (figure 3a); i.e. he provides more than he receives in passing combinations (figure 5), albeit both of those scores are each relatively high compared to his peers. Figures 7a through 7c show the leaderboards for provider, receiver and overall scores and Federico Benigni comfortably tops the leaderboards for both provider and overall scores.

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7c

onthecourt . April 2021

What if?

Analysis In business, it is common to do “ What if? ” analyses.

In the case of this article, we can also start to speculate on things. For now, we will ask the following question: what if we tightened up our receiving to the point that we realised our maximum scores? While that focuses only on receiving players as opposed to those playing the passes 5 , scope has to be introduced to stop this particular analysis piece disappearing down rabbit holes. The data is already collected for those passes which were executed but which were not received (individual technique errors), so it makes sense to explore this briefly. Of the two teams, the away team stand to gain most from this area 6 , so figures are produced solely for Cesana (figure 8). As this only focuses on players receiving the ball, it is mostly #14 Ansaloni and #8 Venturini who will be discussed here. It does not mean that other Cesena players are any better in this area; merely that the Cesena players in more pivot-type roles are the focus of the discussion.

8

There are several conclusions to draw from this. In terms of potential for improvement, the slow start

by Cesena pivot #14 Tommaso Ansaloni needs to be discussed. Poor receiving technique was evident in the early stages of the match. While this improved after the opening stages of the game - Ansaloni was ultimately the Cesena player with the highest receiving PPIP score (31) as can be seen in figure 4a - there were 7 PPIP points dropped in the first four minutes of the game (YT 6m15s; YT 8m10s; YT 13m39s). As a result, the combination of #11 Gardelli and #14 Ansaloni would have scored higher if Ansaloni had received those three early passes from Gardelli. This could be subsequently addressed either at training if it is an issue with the technical ability of the player.

However, Ansaloni subsequently demonstrated better capability in this area. One suggestion is that Ansaloni increases any role-specific warm-up routines he may already have; the amount of receiving practice prematch needs to go up so that the opening minutes of the game are not needed for him to ‘tune up’ his technique.

Cesena #8 Federico Venturini could have accrued another 10 PPIP points through improved receiving technique, the associated effect of this being that #21 Nicolò Pieri would have gained most from having more of his passes realised and would have scored another 6 PPIP points for passes played into Venturini.

This sort of analysis also lends itself to speculating as to different player combinations; for instance, could a providing player score much higher with different receiving players on the end of the passes? Remember also that just because a pair have accrued the most points on the heat matrix, this does not necessarily mean that they are the best option; merely the one which yielded the most in this game.

onthecourt. April 2021

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Statistical Quirks As a final point, a statistical quirk which is worth noting and watching for in the future is that of those passes successfully received by Liam Palfreeman, the mean score for each of them far exceeds those of his peers. It is not a large enough data set from which to draw conclusions, but this quirk sees Palfreeman on the end of passes which have bypassed 2.4 players on average even when compared with players who have pivot-type roles (e.g. #10 Taurisano 1.66). Does Palfreeman read the potential for killer balls better than his peers?

Much more data is needed but it is an interesting hypothesis.

‘‘while statistics purport to remove subjectivity, there is still a huge amount of subjectivity when encoding some game events...’’ otc | Page 88

onthecourt . April 2021

Final Thoughts There are many further areas which could be explored albeit it is equally important to limit the scope of what is being addressed for fear of drowning in numbers. One area which is of interest is to identify the performance of the ‘whispering’ players as this is elusive; these are the players who facilitate other players. These players are not recognised by the implementation used in this article - e.g. a third player making a screen movement which facilitates a successful link between two other players. Specific examples from this game are at YT 23m18s, YT 24m41s and YT 29m14s whereby the ala cuts inside to take their reference with them and open up the line from the fix to the offset pivot. The cut by the ala facilitates the move though the ala is not currently rewarded if we are only identifying provider and receiver. We could therefore identify provider, receiver and facilitator(s).

Alternatively, a similar end result may be possible through a plus/minus type analysis and a large data set, whereby the two other outfield players on court at the time of any successful provider/receiver combination are also noted. There would be much noise in this data, but it is possible that enough of a signal would come through to identify those players who are facilitating moves. This sort of measurement is elusive, as it is tantamount to measuring what is almost intangible, so this possibility is intriguing.

Finally, it should also be pointed out that while statistics purport to remove subjectivity, there is still a huge amount of subjectivity when encoding some game events. For instance, in this analysis, did a pass which bypassed players really take players out of the game, or did it merely play around the edges of a compact and still intact defence? As such, subjective encoding still occurs. However, this is not felt to be a huge issue and becomes less with match analysis practice as encoding decisions become more consistent over time. It would be interesting, though, for another analyst to complete this same analysis.

A comparison of figures could then help determine how much subjective inconsistency there is between different analysts in this technique.

onthecourt. April 2021

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letstalk procast

the latest futsal podcast available now on:

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onthecourt . April 2021

PROFUTSAL LONDON @7futsalbe

@7futsal

#7futsal

onthecourt. April 2021

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1v1 aclarado 10

15

7

4

14

1 12

11 vertical wall pass

goal of the month waltinhovbetis

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onthecourt . April 2021

11waltinho 12lucao 10juanpi jimbeevbetis 16feb2021

Jimbee were able to isolate Juanpi 1v1 against a Betis defender. He eventually engages a second player who comes across to offer defensive help, however he is able to beat the defender down the line and then switches the play to Waltinho. The fix then engages Waltinho who finds Lucao in the corner who returns it to him with a Vertical Wall Pass before finishing past Cidao in the near side of the goal.

The goal is a classic example of controlling the tempo, switching the play to find the positional advantage and using dualities to finalise.

Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7mjpthb3sI

Wsell de Guimbarda

onthecourt. April 2021

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CAL ADV i a (w

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onthecourt . April 2021

LM T R E V ) g n iti

onthecourt. April 2021

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futsalshoe review nike lunar gato powered by

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spart onthecourt . April 2021

The LunarGato II for me is the best futsal shoe currently on the market. Developing from the Nike Gato, that first came out in the UK in 2011. This was the first shoe to not only deliver on performance for futsal, but had the street, urban feel which gave the royal tick for aesthetics.

Doing one better, Nike brought out the Nike LunarGato II in 2013. This was a serious elevation in style and comfort from the already successful Gato trainer in 2011. The appearance got a revamp too, but the most important development was how comfortable the shoe became without added ‘clumsiness’ that made it feel heavy or thick.

The LunarGato II also came out in some classic but quirky colours that quickly made it the most fashionable trainer on the futsal circuit and make it even more appealing to the urban street scene too.

Now, Nike are innovators, they very rarely if at all revisit a model and ‘bring it back to life.’ But since 2013 a futsal trainer has not quite ‘hit’ the way the LunarGato II did. In 2019, remarkably Nike relaunched the Nike Lunar Gato II in new colours and they feel as durable, light and comfortable as they did in 2013, if not better.

comfort

aesthetics

weight

In 2020, Nike developed the Nike React Gato. The trainer has had good reviews. The most notable update was the synthetic material encasing the trainer, but it does not quite pop as much in my opinion as the Lunar Gato II.

true fit

There are other brands and models out there for us to review, but currently the Lunar Gato hits the aesthetic grade, the comfortability, the flexibility and feels about the right weight to give all your favourite futsal and street moves everything you have.

4.5 overall

jonkurrant @futsaljk8 onthecourt. April 2021

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HELP PLAYERS UNDERSTAND Coaching young players to understand the importance of body position in team sports is critical to them being able to play quickly and at the highest level.

Shapers were invented to show orientation (body position) clearly and unambiguously. Engage your players and communicate more information visually.

Visit gamechangers.coach to order your Shapers today.

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onthecourt . April 2021

THE IMPORTANCE OF BODY POSITION

Shapers Futsal MINI

Shapers Red/Blue

Shapers Futsal MAX

Training Cone Packs

Session Planner

Available in 3 sizes:

onthecourt. April 2021

Shapers MINI

Shapers

Shapers MAX

22mm (0.87”)

27mm (1.06”)

33mm (1.3”)

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Coaching young players to understand the importance of body position in team sports is critical to them being able to play quickly, and at the highest level. One of the visual aids at your disposal is the magnetic whiteboard and magnets. While there have been massive advances in how we coach young players in all sports, there has been little or no evolution of the humble whiteboard magnet until now...

We talked with Brad Walker who told us about his journey and how his shaped magnets have allowed coaches in futsal and football to thrive!

changing the game

interview with Brad Walker otc | Page 100

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“One of the most important fundamentals in Futsal is BODY ORIENTATION, so it is critical to show this kind of technical and tactical detail when explaining futsal situations to our players. Shapers enables much clearer and more detailed information about the game

Antonio Garcia, Assistant Coach and Goalkeeper Coach Vietnam National Team

Hi Brad, could you give the readers a bit of an introduction around who you are...

BW. While I had done some coaching previously, my passion for coaching was ignited when my son started to play at age 6. Having played at a reasonable level (but not professionally), I knew that coaching children had to be different to the way I was coached at a senior level, so I set out to research how to coach kids. I took every single opportunity to educate myself and attached myself to coaches who I knew I could learn from. These coaches have been and remain my mentors in the game.

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How did you get the idea for Shapers?

BW. One of those education opportunities was a coach education trip to Spain organised by Football NSW. We spent a week at the RFEF in Madrid and a week in Barcelona - visiting a number of clubs including Real Madrid, Barcelona, Rayo Vallecano, and others!

I arranged to extend the trip and spent an additional week at Liverpool’s Academy hosted by then Academy Director Steve Cooper.

Always eager to learn, I noted with interest a symbol that Spanish coaches used in their session plan images - to show a player from above, including the way that the player was facing. I latched onto it immediately, as I believe body shape/position is critical for players to be able to play quickly, and at the highest level.

I tried to use the symbol in my session plans but found it did not work that well when the session plan image had 16 players, for example. So I designed a thicker, more visible shape and used that in my session plans for a number of years.

One day I was late for training and not as prepared as I should have been. I grabbed my round magnets, put them on my tactics board and drew the areas, cones, goals and the runs/passes players should make.

I took a photo of the “session plan image” and scribbled some notes on the side. I then did the same for each progression and each component of the session.

I ran the session and reflected on it while driving home. I had really missed having the body position cues that my “shape” gave me during the session. It was such a pity that my round magnets weren’t my shape!

And then it hit me - but the magnets could be my shape right? So I locked myself away for the long weekend and did multiple designs. I tested the designs on my mentors and one or two trusted friends. I reached out to a friend who I had worked with previously who could assist in getting the magnets made - and Shapers were invented!

While I originally made just a handful of sets for myself and a few friends, it soon became clear to me that there was much wider interest in Shapers. I started Game Changers to enable me to sell Shapers worldwide and engaged patent lawyers to protect my invention and designs.

“I have been looking for Shapers - a visual representation a player can understand at a glance not only where I want him to be but also that his body position is critical for the success of the action...’’

Sergio Mullor, Head Coach MVFC Berettyóujfalu otc | Page 102

“The individual and collective body orientation visible using Shapers shows where the attack/defence is heading - very important for training, matches and time-outs.

Positioning for set pieces such as corner kicks leave no doubt about where players should be, should face and how they should move. Shapers are an indispensable tool for me!....”

Josan Gonzalez Head Coach Córdoba Patrimonio de la Humanidad onthecourt . April 2021

What do you see as the future of the tactics board and magnets?

BW. While professional clubs with big budgets can afford video technology to assist with visual communications, for the majority of coaches the humble tactics board and magnets will be around for a long time to come. I believe that the use of Apps will continue to grow, but with the limited size and current lack of weather-proof drop-proof options for devices, tactics boards and magnets will be a viable and preferable option for the majority of coaches.

There have not been many advances in how tactics boards are made. I believe that this may be an area for some research, development and innovation.

“Shapers have arms, enabling an explanation of very important Futsal concepts, which without body position would be impossible to clarify. Thank you for improving/facilitating the work of many coaches...’’

Eduardo São Thiago Lentz (Duda), Head Coach Jimbee Cartagena

You have begun to already sell colour blind shapers which shows you have a strong ethos around inclusion, do you plan to begin selling other types of shapers which can help some disabilities going forward?

BW. I am amazed at the lack of awareness among coaches, football associations and national bodies around the topic of colour blindness. The occurrence of colour blindness is staggering: 1 in 12 males are colour blind 1 in 200 females are colour blind To give an example: my local community club has 1,250+ players. With our ratio of males to females we could have over 80 young players who are colour blind and we previously did nothing to accommodate them. There is no doubt that being colour blind would be immensely challenging for a young player and may well be a big reason why kids drop out of the game.

@bw_gamechangers www.gamechangers.coach For more information on colour blindness, including guidance documents for football, please visit Colour Blind Awareness https://www.colourblindawareness.org/

DISCOUNT CODE

OTC5

While I am not currently developing any additional inclusivity options for Shapers, if you believe there is a need to cater for a specific disability please reach out to me. onthecourt. April 2021

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We sat down and interviewed Charlie Hyman, CEO of Bloomsbury Football, who has managed to turn the Football Club into one of the top grassroots clubs in the Country in just under 3 years. They engage over 3000 Chidren every week in London and continue to grow weekly. What can we learn from the structure of the club to help us grow our own to both provide a key service for children and engage thousands.

Introduction into Bloomsbury and yourself The Bloomsbury Football Foundation is a charity that uses the power of football to improve the lives of young people. Founded in 2018, Bloomsbury Football are now one of the largest providers of free-to-access football in Central London, working with 3000 children in London every week.

I founded The Bloomsbury Football Foundation in 2018, where I currently serve as CEO. I’m proud to have been recognised as a Sport Industry NextGen Leader for 2021.

charlie hyman

building a club

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Q. What are the most intimidating aspects of starting a new club?

CH. Living month-to-month financially and managing our cash flow; basically, making sure we survive and people get paid at the end of the month.

Alongside that responsibility, the need to do things for the first time with no prior experience there have been a lot of “firsts” for me!

Q. What and how did you get the idea for Changers?

CH. The first session is the hardest. Start by identifying your target audience and where to find them. The next stage is helping them to find you - how to ensure they know about the session you’re running. It’s important to use your personal contacts and ask people you know if they would be interested or know someone who would. Going to your audience is also key, such as flyering outside schools. Once you have a few established participants, scaling up is really about putting in the time and effort. You should push “word of mouth” promotion as much as possible. Ask parents to post on group chats, and children to invite their friends. A recommendation from a friend is more powerful than any paid advert.

It’s much easier for us now, with a large database, digital marketing, a team of staff, the resource to hire pitches in advance and the ability to apply for grants and funding.

‘‘A recommendation from a friend is more powerful than any paid advert...’’ otc | Page 108

onthecourt . April 2021

‘‘Good outcomes begin with good relationships.

Go in with a ‘give’ not an ‘ask ...’’

Q. What have you found are the most important aspects of growing and developing?

CH. Take every outcome as feedback. You booked one pitch this week and ran a fully booked session? Next week, book two.

Define your values. Build your organisation around answers to these questions: What do you stand for?

What’s your purpose? Who fits your culture?

Avoid “one-offs”. Have a process for everything. You should be able to replicate any of your decisions. It’s the best way to establish effective and consistent policy.

Q. How do you integrate futsal into your football programme, and why do you think it is beneficial?

CH. As part of our academy programme, all squads have a futsal session each week. Futsal has many benefits. You have to look at the constraints of the sport to see them. Court space is limited and there are fewer players. This requires quick decision making, frequent touches and forces players to use both feet.

Players are constantly under pressure which demands agility, balance and acceleration.

Q. How important is a senior pathway for you?

CH. We want to be able to offer our players the opportunity to continue playing football at whatever level that might be, whether that’s professional or recreational. There is a big drop-off in football participation amongst late teens as costs increase due to travel and the required pitch space. So it’s really important that we offer a service here and retain participation. It’s also nice to have young adults as role models for younger children to look up to.

Q. What’s the plan now that you have been successful? What are your aspirations for the next year and where you want to be in 5 years?

CH. In terms of scale, we’re only scratching the surface. There’s so many children in London that would benefit from our programmes and we want to be able to offer opportunities to as many as possible. We want to scale our operations without compromising quality; to continue to provide the best football experience for more young people.

Bring in good people. Give them responsibility early on and know when to let go and trust others to manage things independently.

Keep your door open. You should be constantly offering your time and help to others. Good outcomes begin with good relationships. Go in with a ‘give’ not an ‘ask’.

Remain focussed. There really is no substitute for putting in the hard work. onthecourt. April 2021

get in touch: @bloomsburyftbl @bloomsburyfootball www.bloomsburyfootball.com otc | Page 109

@lightninggripofficial

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advertise here! ...

contactus! onthecourt.coach@gmail.com

onthecourt. April 2021

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t r e v d a a e r a

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upcoming key futsal this month...

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onthecourt . April 2021

game watch April Acqua&Sapone v Pesaro Futsal Serie A

3

France v Georgia Euro 2022 Qualifiers

8

Belgium v Italy Euro 2022 Qualifiers

8

Poland v Czech Republic Euro 2022 Qualifiers

14

Barca v Levante FS LNFS

17 April

Barca(SPA) v Dobovec (SLO) Uefa Futsal Champions League QF

28

Kairat (KZK) v Benfica (POR) Uefa Futsal Champions League QF

28

Inter (SPA) v Gazprom (RUS) Uefa Futsal Champions League QF

29

Sporting (POR) v KPRF (RUS) Uefa Futsal Champions League QF

29 May

onthecourt. April 2021

Semi Final 1 Uefa Futsal Champions League SF

1

Semi Final 2 Uefa Futsal Champions League SF

1

Final Uefa Futsal Champions League F

3

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onthecourt. April 2021

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buy us a coffee! click below!

www.buymeacoffee/onthecourt

Your donations will help us produce even better content!

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onthecourt . April 2021

collaborators

davidtapia-owens @12DTO jonkurrant @futsaljk8 benpickford @BPAnalysis96 markfinney @thegfc_tv benlazarus @ben_lazarus96 johntapia-owens @jatowens

onthecourt. April 2021

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write for us! draw for us! talk for us! snap for us! ... getinvolved

contactus! onthecourt.coach@gmail.com

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see you next month ;)

@otc_coach @otc_coach

onthecourt. April 2021

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