Touchline Theory Martin Grosman & Will Ahlgren

Hiya folks, episode 18 is finally on the cards. In it, in light of his recent appointment to the gilded ~Premier League~, Martín and Will share an insightful discussion with De Zerbi aficionado Jack from the archives. The lads talk all things Sassuolo, Shakhtar, and more.
What makes this fella so interesting? What better than to let one of his disciples get you up to speed.
Do tune in :)
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Find Martin @MG_theory2, and Will @WA_theory!
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Oh Baby! Episode 17! Touchline Theory returns after another lengthy hiatus, fueled by the emotional impetus delivered by our newest number one fan. Hailing from Brisbane, Australia--Jonathan, we welcome you to the family! Today, our dynamic duo waste little time recapping the months they've been out of commission, and instead leap headfirst into a classic question: what is tempo? .. and maybe why should we care?
As they soon find out, the term is hard to define. It carries musical analogues that can help us begin to grasp the concept, but a range of discussions surrounding units of measure leaves Martin and Will with a full appreciation for the difficulty at hand. Do touches slow the play down? What about passes? What about time on the ball? What happens when everyone sprints but the ball stays still? Vice versa? Does territory matter? Should this be split into x and y terms? If CBs ping the ball back and forth, can that clog our devised metrics? Is this a collective or individual thing? What do other smart folks in the field think? Are any of them right? Are any of them wrong?
The gang proceeds to investigate how tempo might impact scouting and the transfer of skills from one environment to the next. They chat about about the distinctions between attacking and defending tempos--who sets them, who responds, and the importance of changes or stable game pace. Is dT/dT the *real* term of value in all of this? Perhaps.
Are there some players that have the special ability to manipulate tempo on the fly? How does this compare to other sports like basketball? Doing some players accelerate or decelerate the play? How do individuals impact resistance to fluidity, or add some verve to the ongoing play? Is there anything empirically better about high tempo? Can we do less without knowing what more is?
Join us to hear our thoughts on all these items, and more--including a consistent misuse of Dan Burn as a quintessential Peter-Crouch-esque tall striker when he's actually a centerback (we'll apologize for this next week), Marcus' podcast debut, 120 bpm (unitless), Florian Wirtz the conductor, moral relativism, a dose of dashpot molasses, and a redacted skebop! for good measure.
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Find Martin @MG_theory2, and Will @WA_theory!
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Episode 16! Another guest! Today, Austin Reynolds of The Philadelphia Union II, Soccer Detail, and the widely-referenced Spielverlagerung joins the TT Pod to talk all things substitutions. It's jam packed, as the kid--only 24--is a fountain of knowledge (currently taking his USSF A license course) and brings more than his fair share of insights to the table. Let's hop in.
The show begins with a discussion on fatigue. One of the main reasons players get subbed, at all, is because their tired--but how exactly does exhaustion impact performance? Switching gears, Martin & Austin chat about some of the cognitive challenges that can come with replacing anyone at all--perhaps suggesting that the original conviction was erroneous. Many coaches feel reluctant to make changes since it inherently proposes that they may have made a mistake in the starting xi. Things continue to wind towards the art of timing subs optimally. How late is too late? When should you bring players on? Are time-wasting extra-time subs actually wasteful? Does that strategy even work?
From here, the convo goes psychological, as the duo aim to pick apart the mental side of things. Coming on in the 92nd minute--even if your interruption of the game's intensity does, in fact, help earn the team a win--sucks. It's plain and simple. So when you have a full bench of players who might get thrown on in the 60th, or the 92nd, how do you keep them motivated? The two run through a few examples of social dilemmas that may be encountered in situations of this ilk.
There's more to all of this, too. are there better ways to engage the bench in problem solving during the match? What kids of questions should we ask the bench to keep their minds active? Are there subtle ways to reframe the role of a sub so as to make it clear how important they are to potentially disinterested people? Does the route of altering nomenclature to solutions or finishers make an effectvie sugar coat, or is it all nonsense?
Before ducking into the lockerroom, Martin peppers Austin with a few final curiosities. Should you ever sub first? Should you ever sub more than one player at once? How long do you wait until it's safe to make your final sub? What happens when you, or they, go down to 10 men?
Emerging from the dugout, the conversation springs right back into things after the whistle. It all starts with youth players, and how there's an emerging idea that prodigious talents must learn, at the pinnacle of their young successes, how to play a role (substitute) that they'll likely never played before. When you ascend through the academy, it's likely because you're dominating every minute--yet, when you take the field for the first time, you probably won't be a starter. How does that work> How can you teach players to earn their full, first team chances from the bench? Does the need to prove oneself cause some to deviate from their optical actions?
Next up is the idea of a subs coach, pioneered by Wimbledon in recent times, and as reported by The Athletic and Tifo's YouTube Channel. Sammy Lander, the man of the hour, is fully in charge of those player who'll eventually come in. He warms them up for 15 minutes, on the field, while the rest go in for a halftime talk. This seems really compelling--but the question may be asked: does this further fracture the social divide between starters and subs? If not, then it sounds like a solid idea.
Measuring the impact of subs can be difficult, too, if they have a certain runway necessary to get fully engaged with a game. Stats collection might be swayed by this and need correcting.
Lastly, the discourse leads to 5 subs. If the world does this, permanently, what changes? Tactically, what might unfold? How does this disproportionately benefit larger teams--or perhaps even smaller ones? Will talent hoarding become more egregious? Where might this all end up?
Join us to hear our thoughts on all these...

Episode 15! Ronald Koeman Edition. The boys take the second leg of this podcast double header and discuss how the Barca managerial situation bears resemblance to United's recent perils. These challenges have been painfully ongoing--is there any way out?
The show starts with some discussion regarding the Riqui Puig saga--and whether picking fights with anyone in the dressing room is an advisable thing to do. It goes without saying that Koeman's prickly feud with the wide-eyed, handsome, young Ricard hasn't improved his approval ratings. We ask: once you've singled a player out like that, is there ever really a way back?
That being said, Koeman also did some fantastic things. He was the atomic bomb, the necessary punching bag when Barca needed a more villainous character to distract from the real evil elsewhere. He shook up the lockerroom. He spoke his mind. And most importantly--he fielded a ton of teenage talents.
The convo continues to chat about modern fanbases' inability to accept short term pain, under any circumstances. Why might the manager job description be the most nebulous the world has to offer? What is the role of the coach anymore? To win? To play "well"? To promote youth? To promote nostalgia? To beat rivals? To appease the board? To operate sustainably? What's *actually* the requirement for staying in charge?
Furthermore: Will Klopp's legacy be tainted if he wins more trophies? Did people unfairly condemn Lampard? Is Graham Potter the next big thing? There's plenty of konundra to discuss.
This discourse leads to a few additional questions. Are top managers at a shortage right now? Are worse clubs feeling more emboldened than ever? Can mentality coaches survive anymore? IS the tactical baseline steadily rising? Is there any incentive to a coach who paves the way for their successor?
The knot is eventually tied with some optimism regarding Xavi's impending appointment. Will & Martin cover their respective ideas as to how a club can actually escape this vicious spin cycle of being "good enough", but not "good enough". It's nice to finally have an ounce of closure on the issue.
Join us to hear our thoughts on all these items, and more--including a phantom thumb injury, some meaningless tale about changing oil and the New England Revs, a dose of Sakho-Klopp YouTube friction, the debut of the "Ole Say" Gameshow, the tall poppy syndrome, some high-level Conte-nt, Will's well-illuminated bone structure, and another word from our newest sponsors: Hooligang.
Find us on Twitter @touchlinetheory.
Find Martin on Twitter @MG_theory2, and Will @WA_theory! Don't forget to subscribe and earn three free Hooligang tokens! Whatever that means!
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Episode 14! Ole in! The world is on fire, but never fear--the sirens are ringing and we're riding in, in our special suits. Today, on a spicy edition of The TTSP, Will drives a discussion on a Manchester United team that is hopelessly trying to break free of an eternity of water treading. Or are they? It's jam packed with surprises and our most moronic, albeit still somewhat substantive show yet. Woo!
We start with a new segment, whose name we'll leave as a present for those who tune in, where we discuss all sorts of ranging topics. From Koeman's dismissal and Gladbach's 5-0 victory over Bayern, to David Alaba and Manuel Locatelli, it's a news reporting bonanza up in here.
Following the bit, the fellas reveal their second momentous occasion of the evening--and boy is it momentous.
As Will proceeds to take the reigns, he begins the chat by commending Liverpool. It's short and sweet, and without much need for elaboration, as he soon sidesteps quickly to the elephant in the room. We must analyze United's baffling performances, on the field.
There's a reminder of the match's main events, including Ronaldo's awesome gut-punt (very nice Cris!), and some general commentary regarding the symbolism of each key event. This segues into some details revolving United's structural problems, an ineptitude when it comes to the fundamentals, an utterly illogical recruitment strategy, and more. Martin hammers home the notion that United are amidst an identity crisis, full of tactical and directional uncertainty. They rip blankets, don't curve their pressing runs, and leave only 2 miserable soldiers in their largest, most vulnerable spaces.
In the second half (or third third, I suppose), Will leads as the lads take on the bigger questions. Why is Ole still here? What do the Glazers want? Is there anything shared between the desires of the fans and the owners? What are Ole's tactics? Why did he get here in the first place? Is he an impostor or actually completely ideal?
There's some talk on his good qualities, though it only lasts momentarily, before Martin exposes a curated list of total incongruencies within the United squad. Sancho works when he has overlapping wingbacks. Wan Bissaka works when you don't want them. Time and time again, this team reminds us of what it means to be a walking contradiction. Do they want to possess? Do they want to counter? Do they want to press? Do they want to hunker down? Do they want a team for the future? Do they want a team for now?
As the soul searching comes to a temporary pause, Will closes with the argument that perhaps this is exactly what United wants. And while it sounds like almost an insult .. here us out, because maybe it is.
PART TWO coming soon.
Join us to hear our thoughts on all these items, and more--including a suspiciously robbed PSG player, Burtis Clones getting his ass kicked for no reason, a Liverpool fan that just can't stop watching United, a Pogbaian tragedy, some expected van Gaal and Mourinho juxtapositions, a montage of Touchline Theory best obscure references, Martin's abysmal Fabian Delph impression, Will's formidable Dust-Up prospects, and (speaking of) our brand new, esteemed sponsor: Hooligang!
Find us on Twitter @touchlinetheory.
Find Martin on Twitter @MG_theory2, and Will @WA_theory! Don't forget to subscribe and earn three free Hooligang tokens! Whatever that means!
Subscribe and send us your feedback!

Episode (lucky number) 13! Welcome to TT's first ever interview episode, with Aidan Reagh. Today, rather than spouting the usual nonsense, Martin & Will sit back, relax, and enjoy a true expert soccer talker's insights. Thank God for that!
As two blokes somewhat unfamiliar with the often-separated world of goalkeeping, our co-hosts have long pondered how to genuinely understand what differentiates the good from the bad players in net. Height, vocal projection, confidence, and other intuitive psuedo-metrics like perceived diving technique have given them clues in the past, but left them with more questions than answers. Today, Aidan--a member of the Soccer Detail blogging group and former FC Gronigen, Bristol Rovers, and Ohio University analyst--joins the show to teach the lads a thing or two about the art of understanding this niche position.
To start, the conversation delves into how we can first separate these players into buckets--3 or 4 that can refine our high-level understanding of any given GK candidate. We can pretty easily categorize wingers, lets say, into inverted or traditional ones, or centerbacks into the newly-popular cats and dogs, but how does this work for the gloved fellas in goal? With that in mind, Aidan digs deeper and touches upon the cognitive side of protecting the goal, in conjunction with the technical requirements needed for success. It's hard to do nothing the whole game and come up big when it counts--yet that's exactly what these players are tasked with. The trio then discuss a few common misconceptions about height thresholds and the ostensible craziness requirement to face a firing squad, before jumping into the nitty gritty.
Here, Aidan leads the way as he explains a variety of sources from which we can find data on the world's elite goalkeepers. Within these hubs, he elaborates on what various metrics mean, like PSxG, save %, launching, exits, and more. He makes sure to tie these back into the buckets from earlier, enhancing our comprehension of which stats matter most to each type of player. With these quantifiable tools in hand, we can then embark on a journey to understand exactly what each GK brings to the table, rather than solely relying on our amateur eye tests. Some are better off their line, others more involved in buildup, and others still are keeping more goals out than they probably should. This is much more sophisticated than a superficial tag, and lets us appreciate many of the finer details imbedded in the GK role.
As we march into the second half, Martin & Will put Aidan to the test, by challenging him to use Wyscout to find viable replacements for several squad-building challenges. These fabricated problems start with a potential Spanish-speaking, under €1M, shot-stopper for an expansion MLS team looking to avoid the bottom spot in their first year. Taking the "GM's desires" and converting them into actionable criteria, M & W follow Mr. Reagh as he whittles down a list of hundreds of goalies to a select handful, eventually proposing 2 that just might fit the listed requirements. These scenarios continue, as a search is outlined and executed for new Roma, Ajax, and Hertha Berlin GKs, too.
The episode finishes off with a rapid-fire round of "prospect brass tacks", in which our co-hosts shoot a few popular, young keeper names at Aidan, as he responds with the angles of their game he finds most or least impressive--from just a quick look at their numbers. Guys like Unai Simon, Illan Meslier, and Alban Lafont are placed under the microscope to see if they're really worth the hype, and what we might expect from them, moving forward.
Join us to hear our thoughts on all these items, and more--including a traumatizing groin shot, Will's infatuation with a certain cross-pond T-Rex, Martin's water-soaked-keyboard-he-caused-right-before-recording-but-never-actually-speaks-about, Keylor Navas' tragically average optics, Martin's...