The blog
Analysis and match commentary
Games I have watched properly, written up the way I would present them to a squad. Tactics, decisions, individual jobs within a shape, and the occasional argument with a pundit. New pieces go up as the fixtures come.
Set pieces, second phase, Spurs
Why October quietly rewrote the rule on set piece second pha
De Zerbi's Spurs have stopped treating the corner as the end of the move. Here is what October's tape showed on second phase
Tactics
Spurs pressing trap: what the October numbers finally proved
De Zerbi's Spurs stopped jumping in October. The data on pressing traps, counter-press success and bait passes explains why the run finally turned, and what it costs next.
Set piece second phase
Spurs set piece second phase: the October tape that changed
Roberto De Zerbi's Tottenham quietly rewrote their set piece second phase in October. What I saw, what the numbers say, and how coaches can copy it.
Tottenham's third-man run
De Zerbi's Spurs: the third-man run finally arrived
October 2026 tape shows Tottenham under De Zerbi finally producing consistent third-man runs. A coach's view of what changed, what it costs, and what Spurs still need.
November numbers, three moved, one didn't
Spurs pressing triggers: what November data actually showed
A coach's read on Tottenham's pressing triggers after November, with the three numbers that moved, the one that didn't, and what De Zerbi changed before the December run.
Tactics
Spurs rest defence: what the October data actually shows
Tottenham's rest defence numbers from October 2026, what De Zerbi changed after the Brighton loss, and why the second-sprint lane still worries me before Liverpool away.
October's quietest tactical shift
Set piece second phase: why October quietly rewrote the rule
Why the second phase of dead balls has overtaken the first delivery in October 2026, with Spurs, Denmark and the data to prove it.
From Anfield to the international break, the pattern is the same
De Zerbi's Spurs and the third man run
October 2026 read on how Roberto De Zerbi's Tottenham finally turn buildup into a third man run, with stats, examples and what it means for coaches.
Tactics
Spurs rest defence survived Anfield
De Zerbi's Spurs held Liverpool's counter-attack to almost nothing at Anfield. A coach's read of the rest-defence shape, the numbers, and what it means for October.
Opinion
Spurs in October: who owns the story
Spurs in October 2026 kept winning and kept being misread. A first-person tactical read on narrative control, De Zerbi's staff, and what actually moved.
Reading the game
Spurs second ball recovery: the stat October finally moved
Tottenham's second ball recovery numbers moved in October 2026. A coach's read on what De Zerbi changed, who is doing the dirty work
De Zerbi at Spurs
Tottenham's pressing triggers: what the October data shows
Roberto De Zerbi's Tottenham press in October 2026: where the triggers fired, which attackers pressed, and the numbers that explain the wins and the leak.
Pattern of the month
Third man runs and De Zerbi's Spurs blueprint
De Zerbi's third man patterns are starting to show at Spurs. A coach's read on the October clips, with drills you can run tomorrow on a half pitch.
Spurs analysis
Spurs transition: what the October run actually shows
A coach's read on Tottenham's transition play after the October 2026 fixtures, with Spurs, Brighton and a Europa League tie dissected through the numbers and the eye test.
Coaching method
Why Spurs finally hired a set piece coach
Tottenham's dedicated set piece coach in 2026 is not a gimmick. Here is what the appointment means, what the research says
Set pieces
Spurs and the set piece coach question
Tottenham's October fixtures reopened the set piece conversation. A coach's view on the goals shipped, the structure exposed
Set pieces
Spurs hire a set piece coach: what changes on the pitch
Tottenham have appointed a dedicated set piece coach. A coachsandy.site tactical read on what the job covers, how it changes week to week, and why other clubs should care.
Match analysis
Rest defence at Spurs: what De Zerbi changed at Anfield
A coach's read on how Tottenham's rest defence looked under De Zerbi at Anfield, with notes on the back four, the screeners
Tactics
Spurs pressing triggers: what October data showed
Roberto De Zerbi's Spurs press looked different in October 2026. Here are the three triggers that moved, the one that did not, and what the numbers mean for the November run.
Tactics
Spurs learned to pivot the press in October
De Zerbi's Spurs stopped running past the ball in October. A coach reads the pivot numbers, the Bergvall role, and what changes for November.
Coaching method
Spurs finally hire a set piece coach
Tottenham have appointed a dedicated set piece coach in late October 2026. Here is what it actually changes on the grass under Roberto De Zerbi, and what to watch in November.
Tactics notebook, 6 October 2026
Spurs October injury list: what rotation really costs
Spurs lost four starters in a week in October 2026. A coach's read on what the rotation actually cost, who stepped up, and what it tells us before November.
Scheduling and load
Spurs run of three in eight days
Three matches in eight days for Tottenham under De Zerbi in October 2026. How rotation, travel, and individual load change what a coach actually has to choose from.
Tactics notebook
Spurs still leak the first transition: what October told us
Three October matches, one repeatable pattern. Why Tottenham concede the first counter, and the cue a youth coach can steal for Saturday.
Set pieces
Spurs dead ball routines: what October actually showed
Roberto De Zerbi's Tottenham scored three times from dead balls in October. Here is what the film showed, why the second phase mattered, and what the data hides.
Coaching method
Set piece second phase: why October quietly rewrote the rule
Why second phase set pieces became October 2026's quiet story, with examples from Spurs, Brighton and Denmark, plus a drill for coaches.
Pressing triggers
Second ball recovery: the pressing trigger Spurs are still m
Sandeep Patel on why second ball recovery has become the defining pressing metric of autumn 2026
Tactical pattern, Spurs v Brighton, October 2026
De Zerbi at Spurs: the third man run finally arrives
Roberto De Zerbi's third man run pattern is now a fixture at Tottenham Hotspur. A coach's read on the goals, the triggers, and what it means for the run-in.
Spurs patterns
De Zerbi at Spurs: the third-man run finally arrives
Tottenham under De Zerbi are starting to use a clear third-man combination to break the first line. A coach's view of the pattern, the players, and what is still missing.
Squad depth
The bench as a tactical weapon: what 2026 confirmed
43 of the 215 goals at the 2026 World Cup group stage came from substitutes. The bench is no longer a stopgap. A coach's read of the FIFA TSG numbers.
Coaching method
Throw-in coaching: Arsenal just hired a specialist
Arsenal are adding Thomas Gronnemark as a throw-in specialist. What does the job actually involve, what did it change at Liverpool, and is it worth the cost?
Tactical brief
India vs Brazil in Kolkata: a coach's tactical setup
Brazil are fifth in the world, India 138th. Khalid Jamil said he will not commit to one shape. Here is the setup that gives India a chance, by an AIFF A Licence coach.
Pressing
Counter-pressing confirmed: a coach's 2026 read
Spain conceded one goal in seven matches and pressed from the front. Argentina did the same, with Messi as out-ball. A coach's read, with the TSG numbers.
Coaching method
Zonal, man-to-man or both: how to defend a set piece, what the research says, and what Denmark's two free kicks against Wales showed
Zonal, man-to-man or hybrid: how teams defend corners and free kicks, what studies of thousands of corners show, and what India need against Brazil.
International football
England 2-3 Spain: two goals given away in the build-up, a penalty off the bar, and two substitutes who decided it
England led Spain 2-1 at Wembley and lost 3-2, with two goals given away in their own build-up. A coach's read on the press, the penalty and the bench.
International football
Australia 1-1 Brazil: a high press, a deep block and a late corner, and what India can take into Kolkata
Australia drew 1-1 with Brazil in Townsville: Irankunda's free kick, then Rayan's header from a late Raphinha corner. A coach's read on what it means for India.
Indian football
India 1-1 Panama: one run behind the line, one shot from distance, and what the draw tells us before Brazil
India drew 1-1 with Panama in Bengaluru: Ryan Williams scored on 41 minutes, Omar Valencia equalised from range. A coach's breakdown of what it showed.
Coaching method
Rest defence explained: the players who defend while their team attacks, and what to watch for when India meet Panama
Rest defence is how a team arranges the players behind the ball while it attacks, so a lost pass does not become a counter. A coach's method, with numbers.
Coaching method
Defending the long goal kick: who wins the first contact, who forms the second line, and why most teams only train one of them
How to defend a long goal kick: one player attacks the ball, a second line collects the knockdown, and the back line stays connected. A coach's method.
Premier League analysis
Tottenham 2-3 Aston Villa: one minute with ten men, one long goal kick, and what "we lost balance" really means
A coach's breakdown of Tottenham 2-3 Aston Villa: a first half without reward, a goal conceded with ten men, then a long ball Spurs were warned about.
Premier League analysis
Brentford 3-0 Chelsea: one half-time instruction, one gap at the far post, and why 59 per cent of the ball meant nothing
A coach's breakdown of Brentford 3-0 Chelsea: goalless for an hour, then a far-post corner Brentford targeted at half-time, and Chelsea lost their shape.
Premier League preview
Tottenham against Aston Villa: two teams with the same problem and different ways of hiding it
A coach's preview of Saturday at Tottenham. Spurs have not scored in the league yet, Villa have one point from four games, and only one of those is a shape problem.
Indian football
India against Panama, Brazil and Uruguay: what a three week camp is for, and what it is not
A coach's read on India's window: Panama in Bengaluru on 25 September, then Brazil and Uruguay in Kolkata. The camp matters more than the scorelines.
Match analysis
Liverpool 3-1 Tottenham: a rotated side, a real performance, and one number that finally moved
A coach's breakdown of the Carabao Cup tie at Anfield: the goal that ended a drought, a returning ten, and a full back asked to do a job that was never his.
Indian football
ISL 2026-27 starts in October, and the calendar is the real story for Indian coaches
Thirteen teams, a seven month season and the ISL Cup playoffs back. What the new Indian Super League season changes for anyone coaching in it.
About this blog
What gets written up here, and what does not
I write about games I have actually watched, usually twice. The first viewing is for the story of the match, the second is for the thing I want to explain: a pressing trigger that worked, a full back who was left alone twice in the same ten minutes, a substitution that changed the shape rather than just the personnel.
Most pieces cover the Premier League, European competition and Indian football, because those are the games in front of me. Some are previews, written before a team sheet exists, which means they are about problems rather than predictions. Some are post-match, which is where the honest work happens, because a scoreline hides as much as it tells you.
What I do not write is transfer speculation or anything I cannot see on the pitch. If a piece here makes a claim about a match, it is because I watched that passage of play and could show it to a room of players.