Guides
Every section we cover, with the explainers that go with it.
Clubs and supporter culture
Model
- How do football chants develop? Football chants spread through oral transmission in supporter sections, with melodies borrowed from existing songs and lyrics adapted to club narratives and players.
- How should a first-time supporter attend a match? A first-time supporter's guide to attending a football match, covering official ticketing, stadium entry, and ground regulations without pretending rules are universal.
- What is a football derby? A football derby is a match between clubs from the same city or immediate region, defined by supporter geography rather than competitive history alone.
- What is supporter ownership? Supporter-owned football clubs give members voting control through models like the German 50+1 rule, Spanish socios system or supporter trusts in lower divisions.
- Why do football clubs have rivalries? Football rivalries form through geography, class identity, industrial history and repeated competitive encounters, not from single matches or incidents.
Competitions and seasons
Model
- How does Champions League qualification work? Champions League qualification depends on a club's domestic league finish and its national association's UEFA coefficient ranking, calculated over five seasons.
- How does promotion and relegation work? Promotion and relegation moves clubs between divisions based on sporting merit—learn how the system works and why the specific rules vary by national association.
- How does the FIFA World Cup work? The FIFA World Cup runs every four years with a qualification phase across six confederations followed by a group stage and knockout bracket culminating in the final.
- What is the difference between a league and a cup? A league is a points-table format over a season; a cup is a knockout format—learn the structural differences and how hybrid formats combine both.
- What is the football transfer window? A football transfer window is a FIFA-mandated registration period when national associations process player registrations, with international moves routed through the TMS platform.
Football analysis
Model
- How can football statistics mislead? How football statistics can mislead through sample size, role, game state, and competing data definitions, with sourced examples and stated limits.
- How do you analyse a football match? How to analyse a football match using a framework of shape, space, pressure, and transitions, with each metric defined and its limits stated.
- What are progressive passes and carries? Progressive passes and carries explained with provider definitions and context, showing what the metric measures and what it cannot prove.
- What is expected goals (xG)? Expected goals explained as a probability-weighted measure of shot quality, including why different xG models vary and what a single match cannot prove.
- What is possession really measuring? Football possession statistics explained as ball share, not control or territorial advantage, with sourced examples of low-possession wins by design.
How football works
Model
- How does a football match work? A clear explanation of how a football match works, covering time, restarts, scoring and the roles of match officials under the Laws of the Game.
- What does every football position do? A guide to what every football position does, covering responsibilities and spaces rather than fixed shirt numbers or formations.
- What happens after a red card? What happens after a red card in football, including the immediate match effect and how suspension rules vary by competition.
- What is added time and how is it calculated? How added time is calculated in football, the difference between allowance, display and referee discretion, and what Law 7 says.
- What is offside in football? What offside means in football, the difference between offside position and offside offence, and when no offence occurs under Law 11.
Tactics and formations
Model
- How do football formations work? A football formation is a starting shape that changes in possession and defence—learn the trade-offs, spaces affected, and what to watch for.
- What does playing out from the back mean? Playing out from the back uses short passes from the goalkeeper and defenders to build possession—learn the structures, overloads, and turnover risks.
- What is a false nine? A false nine drops into midfield to disrupt centre-back and midfield decisions—learn how the movement opens space and what defenders must decide.
- What is a high press? A high press is a coordinated defensive action triggered by opponent cues—learn the triggers, the compactness required, the risks, and how opponents escape.
- What is a low block? A low block is a deep, compact defensive shape that protects central areas and creates counterattacking routes—learn the spacing and the trade-offs.