Ralf Rangnick


Book Description

© REVISED AND UPDATED THE JOURNEY OF THE SOCCER REVOLUTIONARY -- MORE THAN BIOGRAPHY Knowing Ralf and his career and how the football world works, comes in and does an unbelievable job and everybody is happy in many football clubs and German football. Over the last twenty years, it could be argued that no individual has had more of a significant influence in German football than Ralf Rangnick. Rangnick drew inspiration from the likes of Arrigo Sacchi who could be argued as the biggest influencer on today's pressing game. The German opting to implement a style of gengenpressing, in which the team through pressing triggers aim to win the ball back from the opponent, Rangnick is a byword for tactical influence and talent development in Germany, even taking some credit for the national team's 2014 World Cup success. This season's Bundesliga has been nicknamed the "Rangnickliga", Rangnick is a pioneer: he was one of the first coaches to use video analysis. Rangnick was also a pioneer, he was ahead of his time and whilst at Hoffenheim was one of the first coaches to use video analysis to make informed decisions. There is no doubt that he has influenced the likes of Thomas Tuchel, Julian Nagelsmann, and Marco Rose, who are without a doubt some of the best managers in the game. The exposure to Ralf's ways of working has certainly inspired many, Rangnick fell in love with English football while studying at Sussex University as a 21-year-old as part of his English and PE degree from Stuttgart University. The pressing style Ralf Rangnick once preached to a skeptical German audience is now soccer orthodoxy. As he seeks his next project, he is again peering into the sport's future. Since 2012, Rangnick has operated in several high-profile sporting director roles, most notably with the Red Bull stable of clubs and RB Leipzig especially, during which the club rose from the fourth tier of German football to challenging for the Bundesliga title. Rangnick's "fast, proactive, attacking, counter-attacking, counter-pressing, exciting and entertaining" approach is the leading strand in the European game and has colored the styles of Jurgen Klopp, Thomas Tuchel, and Nagelsmann. The greatest managerial minds of this generation are geared to his football ideas and the tentacles of his influence stretch well beyond those men. Rangnick's trophies are everywhere you look the aggressive high-press, the elite coaching minds, the decisive talents he introduced us to. CLICK BUY NOW




Net Gains


Book Description

An in-depth examination of the rise of analytics in soccer and the wild experiments unfolding around the world in the beautiful game Net Gains: Inside the Beautiful Game’s Analytics Revolution takes readers on a tour across the world and throughout soccer history, introducing the many people who have attempted to shine a light onto and innovate a sport that, in many ways, is still stuck in the Dark Ages. This deep dive into the rise of analytics in soccer—a sport where tradition reigns supreme—shows how revolutionary tactics and underexplored metrics are breaking the beautiful game wide open. By exploring how massive institutions built on billions of dollars can function for so long without any kind of introspection—and what happens when people from the outside attempt to question the status quo—author Ryan O'Hanlon, staff writer at ESPN, shows how time and again experts, managers, coaches, players, and fans feel they know the best approach for any given team or player, and yet get undermined by the complexity of the game—and human behavior. To tell this globe-trekking story, O'Hanlon takes readers inside the front offices and analytics departments of the top professional leagues’ most cutting-edge clubs and profiles a misfit cast of number-crunchers, behavioral economists, tech insiders, and managers all working to move beyond the philosophical side of soccer and uncover the hard truths behind possession, goals, and developing talent.




The European Game


Book Description

The British sportswriter goes inside some of Europe’s best soccer clubs—from Bilbao to Bavaria and beyond—to reveal their winning secrets. In The European Game, Daniel Fieldsend travels across Europe to discover the methods for success used at some of the continent’s biggest Football clubs—from Ajax, Juventus and Benfica to Bayern Munich, A.C Milan, Lyon, Athletic Bilbao and many more. At every stop, Fieldsend pulls back the curtain to reveal what makes each club tick, speaking to everyone from scouts and academy coaches to first team managers, analysts and board members. Insightful, ambitious and compelling, The European Game is about more than just a game. It’s about community, identity and attachment. It explores leadership, tactics, coaching and scouting as well as politics, finance, fandom and culture. Celebrating the uniqueness of football clubs around the continent, it also investigates whether their methods can be replicated in other domestic leagues.




Creating World Champions


Book Description

Soccer players and coaches alike admire the German national team for their combination of individual qualities and teamwork, leading to some of the most creative soccer being played during the 2014 World Championship. The roots for the German team’s success can be found in the youth training practiced in German soccer clubs. Most professional soccer clubs in Germany have their own youth academy where the next Bundesliga stars are formed. Of the 2014 World Cup squad, only Miroslav Klose was not trained in one of these academies. In this book, the system used for German soccer youth development is explained with particular emphasis on the different paths that young players can take on the road to success. World Champions and rising star players present their individual stories and some of the exercises that improve their strengths and remove their weaknesses. This book contains many interviews with former Bundesliga stars, soccer experts, and youth and professional coaches as well as an overview of the youth development program of an ambitious amateur club. Some of the star players interviewed include Marco Reus, Manuel Neuer, and Shkodran Mustafi as well as rising stars Sebastian Rode and Maximilian Arnold. This book is for everyone who’s interested in the German Soccer Association’s talent nurturing and different perspectives on the preparation of young players for a professional soccer career.




Mensch


Book Description

WHAT SETS MODERN GERMAN COACHING APART?Germany has a reputation for being one of the best places for young footballers of all nationalities to develop, but what about those in the dugout? Speaking to different coaches and members of staff across the country, Mensch outlines attributes that modern German coaching embraces to succeed.From the practical aspects on the training ground to the collective strength of the coaching community, some of the smartest minds in the game take you closer to understanding the human aspects required to nurture young professionals. Germany's model is not perfect and constantly evolving so there's also a look at what should bethe next step for Germany's coaching after a disastrous 2018 World Cup.As English players look to Germany to further their own careers, Mensch looks at what the wider football world canlearn from a country and a coaching culture so clearly in love with the beautiful game.




Cristiano Ronaldo


Book Description

The definitive award-winning biography of Cristiano Ronaldo - fully updated to include the 2022 World Cup, Ronaldo's explosive exit from Manchester United and his record-breaking transfer to Al-Nassr As the Qatar World Cup opened to worldwide jubilation, Cristiano Ronaldo's second spell at Manchester United reached an abrupt conclusion. It was not to be the fairy tale ending to a glittering career. Instead, over the two seasons, it had snowballed into a toxic standoff between himself, the board and newly appointed manager, Erik ten Hag. The Theatre's dream was over. On 22 November 2022, Ronaldo's contract was terminated. In this compelling account, Guillem Balagué draws on impeccable sources, first-hand interviews and unprecedented access, taking us on a journey from Madeira to Manchester, and onto Spain, Italy and Saudi Arabia. From Ronaldo's tutelage under Sir Alex Ferguson to becoming the biggest galáctico of them all at Real Madrid, and captaining Portugal to the first silverware in their history at the UEFA Euro 2016, Guillem chronicles Ronaldo's career in its entirety. This is nothing less than the definitive portrait of a true icon of modern football, who has reached the very heights of the beautiful game and cemented his place as one of the greatest players of all time.




Das Reboot


Book Description

"A beautiful story, expertly told." -- Per Mertesacker, Arsenal defender and member of the German national team, winners of the 2014 World Cup Estáo do Maracan", July 13, 2014, the last ten minutes of extra time in the World Cup Final: German forward Mario Gö jumps to meet a floated pass from Andr' Schü cushions the ball with his chest, and in one fluid motion volleys the ball past the onrushing Argentine goalkeeper into the far corner of the net. The goal wins Germany the World Cup for the first time in almost thirty years. As the crowd roars, Gö looks dazed, unable to comprehend what he has done. In Das Reboot, Raphael Honigstein charts the return of German soccer from the dreary functionality of the late 1990s to Gö's moment of sublime, balletic genius and asks: How did this come about? The answer takes him from California to Stuttgart, from Munich to the Maracan", via Dortmund and Amsterdam. Packed with exclusive interviews with key figures, including JüKlinsmann, Thomas Mü Oliver Bierhoff, and many more, Honigstein's book reveals the secrets of German soccer's success.




Adrenaline


Book Description

'He is skilful. He is outspoken. He is Zlatan' New York Times 'He is an amazing talent, one of the best around' Pep Guardiola Football's most prolific and controversial goalscorer has nothing left to prove on the pitch. There is only one Zlatan. In the decade since his megaselling memoir I am Zlatan Ibrahimovic, he has played at Paris Saint-Germain (2012-2016), Manchester United (2016-2018), LA Galaxy (2018-2019) and Milan (2020-). This outrageous and hilarious follow-up is bursting with personal confessions and revealing anecdotes about the world's best players and managers. Packed with revelations, in Adrenaline we hear for the first time what Zlatan really thinks about his time in the Premier League and what it was like to score that glorious bicycle kick against England. We hear about the club he very nearly signed for, and see his hilarious run-ins with the French media - and the French in general, really. Plus so much more. Zlatan transports you into the world of top-flight football like no one else. Filled with revelations - including Zlatan's life lessons on happiness, friendship and love - you'll be talking about this book a long time after finishing it.




Haaland


Book Description

The man who can't stop scoring goals for fun In his debut season with Manchester City, Norwegian sensation Erling Haaland has set the footballing world ablaze. The 23-year-old striker, known for his unique blend of speed and strength, has redefined the art of goal-scoring. Highly regarded football journalist Lars Sivertsen follows Haaland’s meteoric rise to stardom in this biography, a tale that begins in the small Norwegian town of Bryne where they both grew up. Born to former Manchester City player Alfie Haaland, Erling started his journey at hometown club Bryne FK in 2016 and later moved to Molde FK, Red Bull Salzburg and Borussia Dortmund before Manchester City announced his arrival in the Premier League. In his first Premier League season with Manchester City, Haaland has shattered records and achieved his ultimate dream: winning the treble in his first season with the club. This accomplishment solidifies his status as one of the most exceptional talents in football history, and demonstrates that a boy from Bryne can indeed conquer the world of football. In Haaland, Sivertsen delves into Haaland's roots, providing insights from those close to him, and gets to the heart of what makes him tick.




Match Analysis


Book Description

Match analysis is a performance-diagnostic procedure, which can be used to carry out systematic gaming analysis during competition and training. The analysis of team and racket sports, whether in competition, for opponent preparation (match plan), follow-up, or training is nowadays indispensable in many sports games at different levels. This analysis nevertheless presents many open questions and problem areas: Which data should be used? Who manages the data? Who provides whom with which information? How is this information presented, digested, and applied? The more complex and anonymous the data management is, the more commercial, expensive, and uncontrollable information management and provision becomes. Match Analysis: How to Use Data in Professional Sport is the first book to examine this topic through three types of data sets; video, event, and position data and show how to interpret this data and apply the findings for better team and individual sport performance. This innovative new volume is key reading for researchers, students, and practitioners alike in the fields of Coaching, Performance Analysis, Sport Management, and related specific sport disciplines.