Half Spaces, Automations & De Zerbi, Explained | A Coach's View

Ever hear "between the lines" or "half spaces" and nod along without being completely sure what they mean? This one's for you.

Jim sits down with JJ — a A licence coach — to learn how to read a football match the way a coach does: starting with the manager's philosophy, understanding what protagonist and antagonist actually mean (it's not attack vs defence), and getting to grips with the language of modern tactics. Then we apply all of it to Thomas... sorry, to Roberto De Zerbi's Spurs: where he sits on the scale, the automations to look for, and exactly what to watch in pre-season so you can spot his patterns before the Premier League kicks off.

00:00 Learning to read the game like a coach
01:46 Start with the manager's philosophy
03:50 Protagonist vs antagonist (it's not attack vs defence)
05:51 Mourinho: the antagonist in disguise
07:37 Forcing mistakes vs ignoring the clock
08:50 Football's new language: bounce passes and more
09:48 Between the lines, on the board
11:27 The false nine: Defoe then vs now
14:15 Half spaces: football's valuable real estate
17:31 Where does De Zerbi sit on the scale?
19:55 Automations: football's NFL playbook
22:22 Provoking the press and non-negotiable bravery
23:25 How to watch pre-season like a coach
24:41 "If you want to ruin a game of football…"
25:55 Restarts: the easiest pattern to spot
27:49 Why managers bring their own coaches
30:19 What's next + follow JJ (The Fullco)

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