Scouting the Opposition

If you are ever fortunate enough to scout the opposition, then apart from looking at how to unlock them tactically and restrict their strengths, then you should also look to consider;

• How to unlock them mentally?
• How they react to particular events?
• How patterns of play may develop if certain circumstances or events arise? Then, how you can make these events arise
• Qualities of the oppositions strengths and weaknesses, collectively, as units and as individuals
• Players with dubious temperaments and what they react to
• Players that need to be ‘kept out of the game’
• Recent form: Good – what tactics they are employing? What has their opposition allowed them to do? Bad – what tactics have their opponents been employing? What have their opponents stopped them doing?
• How does their strategy change when playing home or away?
• Tactical changes they enforce throughout the game and why?

Additional factors that can be considered, whether the opportunity exists to scout them or not include;

• League position and whether they are ascending or descending
• Injuries
• Scoring patterns; when they score / concede? How they score / concede? Where their goals come from players / areas / situations?
• Isolated or misc events of real significance that could be of use; such as losing or reversing a 3 goal deficit.