*Part 5 now unavailable PLEASE FIND LINKS FOR PART I, PART II AND PART III AT END OF POST Introduction: the foundations (part 4/4*) – Midfield and Concluding Statement  This is a four*-part series of articles that aims to introduce football coaches and fanatics to basic concepts in a systems football approach (such as tiki-taka). [...]

Introduction: the foundations (part 3/5) – Defence This is a five-part series of articles that aims to introduce football coaches and fanatics to basic concepts in a systems football approach (such as tiki-taka). The systems approach to football is founded upon a system of complexity and unity. Part three of this series promised an illustrative [...]

Introduction: the foundations (part 2/5) – Positioning This is a five-part series of articles that aims to introduce football coaches and fanatics to basic concepts in a systems football approach (such as tiki-taka). The systems approach to football is founded upon a system of complexity and unity Please read both the Andre Villas-Boas approach and Brendan [...]

INTRODUCTION: the foundations (part 1/5) This is a five-part series of articles that aims to introduce football coaches and fanatics to basic concepts in a systems football approach (such as tiki-taka). The systems approach to football is founded upon a system of complexity and unity On a daily basis I get emails asking questions about [...]

With the high probability of Andre Villas Boas becoming the new Tottenham Hotspur manager in the near future, TPiMBW has taken an objective step back from his recent Chelsea venture to analyse just how Andre Villas Boas proposes that his teams play their football. English Premier League fans may be aware that he possesses facial hair styled [...]

Brendan Rodgers is a man who has an appreciation of footballing perception and culture, regardless of its roots, a man who strives for perfection in the evolution of the game. The strategies of ‘Tiki-Taka’ and ‘totaal-voetbal’  form the basis of Brendan Rodgers’ modus operandi. For Rodgers the season of 2011/12 will be regarded as the [...]