Matthew Whitehouse - Universality | The Blueprint for Soccers New Era: How Germany and Pep Guardiola are showing us the Future Football Game

[Smashwords Edition]

Published in 2014 by Bennion Kearny Limited.

Copyright Bennion Kearny Ltd 2014

ISBN: 978-1-909125-98-8

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For Richard, the bravest man I know.

My friend always.

I have been discussing the idea of universality for some time with many coaches and thinkers of the game. It has been a great project to work on, seeking to analyse the games trends and deciphering these changes and developments. There is no doubt that great coaches of the game have been key to my understanding and development as a thinker and coach in the game of football. However, the key people are those closest to me who have allowed me to share and develop my ideas.

I wish to thank Devine Caddick for all the times we discuss the game. Without question this the one person who I share my thoughts with most on the game. Our time together is precious. I also wish to thank Paul Evans and Don Gethfield for all those hours after training when we have discussed ideas about coaching and the evolution of the game. These have been invaluable as well as enjoyable. Above all I wish to thank Jade for her patience and willingness to put up with the amount of time she has put into watching and discussing football with me.

Thanks go to this11.com for allowing me to use their diagrams for the team line-ups. And squawka.com for allowing me to use their own diagrams. Finally, I wish to thank my publisher Bennion Kearny for their support and insight into this second project - with their help we have developed a collection of thoughts and ideas on the game into a coherent and detailed book.

Matthew Whitehouse is a professional football coach who has worked across the globe. A UEFA A licenced coach with a Masters degree in Sports Coaching specialising in skill acquisition and motor skill learning. He has extensive experience both academically and practically on coaching and youth development.

Matthew is also a prominent and influential writer, author of The Way Forward: Solutions to Englands Football Failings , and is the editor of the award winning The Whitehouse Address blog. About the Contributors

The game has become faster, more technical, and will continue to do so. Arsne Wenger

Football is a fascinating game. It has the ability to excite, frustrate and captivate billions of people across the world. Its a game which generates a passion that is unrivalled by many other sports. And as the game grows richer, it has become not only a spectator sport but a business too. Therefore, success is more important than ever before. And those who seek to prepare for the future have a greater chance of success. Future success will come from philosophies, finances, players, and coaching.

The modern game is very different to what it was a decade ago and the future game will be markedly different. The game is always changing, it is always in flux. Players, coaches, teams and nations are constantly evolving in order to stay ahead of the others and be successful. Those who were dominant before, have been replaced by others, and those who lead - in the present - will find their position under threat in the future. As many countries and clubs have learnt - standing still means going backwards; it is important to always be adapting, evolving and anticipating the future.

Those who wish to be successful in the future need to anticipate what the game will be like and put in place methods and styles which will help produce players and teams who can succeed in the coming years. To look at what the future of football requires we must look at what is happening in the elite areas of the game.

The modern game has evolved, in the way it has, because of the money which now dominates its elite levels. Vast wages, agents, and extortionate transfer fees have made the game at the highest level an almost fantasy world. As the game has become richer, it has attracted the interest of rich businessmen, oligarchs, and sheikhs to invest in football clubs. This substantial financial investment has helped sides like Chelsea, Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain to challenge footballs elite of Real Madrid, Milan, Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Juventus and Manchester United.

Yet, in recent times, sides like Borussia Dortmund and Arsenal have shown that ingenuity in coaching and development can lead to sustainable growth and management that can still challenge the top sides. In fact, Germany as a nation has excelled through new ideas and an evolution of their coaching methods and philosophies.

This investment in youth development and coaching has seen Germany become World Cup champions and this was also seen with Spain, whose national side and domestic clubs have seemingly dominated football since 2008. Both counties invested in quality coaching and a philosophy, which followed the Dutch style of player development - allied with their own cultural backgrounds and modern tactical creativity.

Other nations have followed suit, most notably Belgium which, in recent years, has emerged as a developer of high quality talent, producing players equipped for the modern game. A nation such as Belgium has shown that an investment in youth development, alongside the implementation of a philosophy that suits the modern game, is a path to success.