Soccer video analysis: a practical guide for coaches and analysts

What soccer video analysis is

It's reviewing game film, your own and your opponent's, to understand what happened and prepare for the next game. The analyst or the coach finds the moments that matter (a build-up, a press, a turnover), cuts them into clips and shows them to the team.

The hard part isn't watching the game: it's finding those moments in ninety minutes of film and having them ready for the first practice of the week.

The coaching week

1. After the game

   Upload the full film. The sooner the better: the film session is at the start of the week.

2. The film session

   Go through your own game by phase and pick a few clips: what went well and what needs fixing.

3. Scouting the opponent

   Midweek, study two or three of the opponent's games: how they build up, how they press, their set pieces.

4. The pregame meeting

   Before the game, a short meeting: a few clips and a clear message for each line.

How to film a soccer game for analysis

Good analysis starts with good film. This is what works best:

• Fixed and raised

  About 20 feet (6 m) high, level with midfield, with most of the field in frame.

• No zoom, no replays

  Cuts and zooms lose track of the players. A stable broadcast feed also works.

• 1080p is enough

  You don't need 4K to see tactics. At 1080p, though, jersey numbers can't be read reliably.

• The whole game

  Film both halves in full, without cutting play. Under poor lighting, the ball is harder to see.

Analyzing by phases of play

The most useful way to sort a game is by phases of play: in possession, out of possession, both transitions and set pieces. Each clip then answers a specific coaching question: do we play out of the back well? Do we press together? What happens in the seconds after we lose the ball?

Watching phases in blocks (every build-up in a row, every press in a row) shows patterns you don't see one play at a time.

Which tool to use

There are four kinds of tool and they aren't exclusive: many clubs film with one and analyze with another. Tactica doesn't film: it works with your game film.

How to scout the next opponent

1. Get their games

   Two or three recent games are enough to see what they repeat.

2. Watch by phases

   Build-up, pressing, transitions and set pieces, each phase in a block.

3. Look for patterns

   Not the one-off play, but what they do every game: where they build up, who they look for, how they defend corner kicks.

4. Pick few clips

   Five to ten well-chosen clips say more than forty.

How Tactica does it

Tactica does the cutting: upload the game, mark each kickoff and, usually the same day, you have the phases as clips, your team's and your opponent's. You review, pick and present. See how it works.

Frequently asked questions