Best of Coaching Links This Week: Birth of the Flat Back Four, Importance of Reading & Guardiola's Debt

This will be the last message sent before the end of 2016 and the start of 2017.  As I draw my conclusions over the past twelve months I have to say that it has not been a vintage year for Blueprint for Football.  There were a number of interviews and articles of which I’m very proud but not as much as I would like.

I find that such a critical analysis at least once a year is essential in order to determine what needs to be done to get to where I want to be.  I do it for Blueprint for Football but not only; I do it for every major area of my life as well.  I think that you should too.  (If you do, let me know)

On the plus side there is now a good rhythm to the weekly digest (subscribe here to receive it in your in-box each week), which is a major plus as I know that there are a number of coaches who check them out each week.

I’ve also got planned a number of new features and articles that will be kicked off in the New Year plus a great interview with a coach who I respect immensely, Todd Beane. 

Although I don’t listen to the World Football Show on the BBC as much as I used to in the past, I still have a huge admiration for Tim Vickery who, in my mind, is the star of that show.  My respect grows when I read articles like this one about the birth of the flat back four in, of all countries, Brazil.

http://uk.businessinsider.com/general-james-mattis-email-viral-2016-11?r=US&IR=T
I’m not a big fan of the military and I’m not sure I agree with all of this but this by General James Mattis on the importance of reading is excellent: “the problem with being too busy to read is that you learn by experience (or by your men’s experience), i.e. the hard way. By reading, you learn through others’ experiences, generally a better way to do business”

For whatever reason, Bayern Munich’s 3-0 trashing of previous league leaders RB Leipzig went by practically unnoticed.  It shouldn’t be the case because it was a tactical masterclass by Carlo Ancelotti and his men, as this piece highlights.

This extract from a new book about Andres Iniesta speaks of Pep Guardiola and the debt that the coach owes the player for helping shape his tactics.  Beautiful

AND FINALLY…
“There are no shortcuts to excellence” – Angela Duckworth

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