In the last few days at Alliance FC, we have been deep in thought, developing the Game Models for each of the Coaches, and their respective teams.

This process is very challenging, takes more than just an opinion to be based on.

Definitely not an administrative task, but a personal one.

On one side, from the Coach’s perspective, it’s the blueprint for everything a Team does on the field. That has a personal touch from each of them, how they see Football, Sports or even life, at some extent. 

What they want to present? What is more likable for their eyes? What’s more aligned with their personality? And so on…

On the other hand, from the Club’s perspective, there’s an element of merging different backgrounds, experiences and ideas around the table and get something really unique.

A Game Model begins with a Coach’s Philosophy. 

It’s their Vision of how Football should be played, regardless of who the team is at a starting point – just the ideal scenario of what one beliefs to be the best example of what a Team should look like. 

It should be reflecting Values, Style, and expectations for all Moments of the Game—from Build-Up, through the Final Third, to Transitions and Defensive Organization. Having a clear, detailed, and specific idea of what one wants to see in every phase ensures that, at this stage, the Coach knows exactly what would be the ideal scenario for each frame of the Game. Once that is established, the truth is that it will be very clear for Players to understand their roles, know what is expected, and can execute consistently.

But it starts with the Coach being clear in the idea, before anythings else!

Once the idea is formulated, supported and understood, the WHY is granted, and the explanation, the challenged in explaining that WHY becomes easier (even if not perfect!).

I will develop this Concept in more details, especially on whether it should be open to adaptations or not below, and the role for Players’ Profile to be considered. 

However, at this stage, I just want to reinforce the importance of having the WHY cristal clear!

On another note, Terminology matters. 

Coaches need to define how they Communicate their ideas, using Theoretical Approaches that are Practical and Actionable for Training. 

How often do we see Coaches that seem eager to share their knowledge through fancy words, but that have zero impact on Players’ perception of the Game?
It can be an Ego Challenge.
On one side, we have Coaches that want to show their Knowledge, their pride on the attributes acquired at Universities or Courses.

But, on the other hand, most likely the most important, we have the Players – the real important elements in the picture – that just want someone to ease their way to have more successful actions and, eventually, results.

Concepts such as Mesocycles, Annual Planning, General & Specific Objectives, among others, may look amazing at any Technical Director Room Discussion, but most likely not to share with Players (even those at better levels and older). Others, as Positional Play, Defensive Organization, Pressing Areas, Pressure Triggers, or Counter-attacking Principles may have more potential to be understood, becoming the language through which your team interprets one’s Vision.

And even in those, simplicity the message is key.

This is where Tactical Periodization comes into play, and where I believe its worldwide recognition and implementation got success. 

By structuring the Season, Monthly or Weekly Cycles, and ending at daily Training Sessions around a coherent Tactical Framework, the Club gets an advantage that is very hard to dismantled once settled. 

Here, again, small Clubs, or Private Clubs or Academies (especially those opting for a Pay-to-Play Model) guarantee a great level of Governance, Structure & Processes that create a safety-net that protects from many less enjoyable situations (ie. A Coach that decides to leave in the middle of the Season; A Coach that is joining the Club mid-Season with no prior reference of the Team; An angry parent that believes the Club doesn’t look out for Improvement and Education and the Club has a powerful tool of Planning to support any Theory or Methodology behind its Implementation Phase, etc).

Additionally, in practical terms, Coaches can ensure that every Training, every drill, every Small-Sided Game (SSG), or every Match simulation has a direction, serves a purpose: aligning the Team with the Game Model. 

Tactical Periodization bridges Theory and Practice, making Training an extension of one’s Philosophy.

Now, the challenge can be here, Merging all the above.

Why?

Because we all have different backgrounds and experiences.

Some even different Terminologies, Concepts and Theories around Football.

This creates a layer of complexity to the Club, one that must be solved fast and clearly.

Creating Unity starts behind the scenes, always.

Merging Philosophy, Tactical Principles, and Practical Terminology into one living document is what we call the Game Model. 

But a Game Model is not just a closed instruction manual—it is also an open canvas. 

Because it must encompass some degrees of adaptability with it.

It must allow for adaptation according to Player Ability, Age Category, Main Principles to deliver at certain Age Groups, Team Dynamics, and Competitive Formats and Context. 

Always, Context.

For Younger or Less Experienced Squads, it serves as a Guiding Framework to build Understanding and Behaviors. 

It’s supposed to have higher levels of adaptability, because Youth Development has no consistent rhythm, one good performance doesn’t mean more than a good performance on that exact day, under those specific conditions. It doesn’t necessarily mean that a week later the performance will be replicated or even improved. That’s why it’s Development and not Performance, because each of the youngsters are getting their own rhythm in order, their Knowledge of the Game installed step-by-step.

For Elite Teams, as it becomes more detailed and perhaps closed in the variations on the degrees of adaptations – highly connected with ability and competitive levels – the Game Model has the power to be a precise tool to refine Decision-Making, providing a Roadmap for the Team to understand expected Behaviors, Triggers and Positions from each other and that will, eventually, improve their ability to surpass different Opponents, at the same time as it maximizes Tactical Intelligence throughout.

In short, a Game Model ensures Clarity, Consistency, and Alignment in the message and, hopefully, improves Confidence levels, Game Understanding and Performances consistently.

It has the potential to be the bridge between one’s Coaching Philosophy and what happens on the pitch, or should we say, it has the power to clarify all Stages of Training Process, from it’s Planning to Implementation and Execution, to Evaluation and Adjustments, when needed. 

What does the Best coaches do? 

They know it’s both a crucial Document and, at the same time, a living System—one that grows with their Experiences, their available Players at a given Club, and that evolves with the Game itself.

Here is where we can take the discussion forwards and think about Player profile. 

To start, when is it applicable? Or when is important to stick to a more rigid Model or be more flexible towards one’s Model?

As always, it starts with you, Coaches.

But it doesn’t end with you – but with the Players.

It should fit them, not you. 

It should allow them to have more successful actions, to be more confident, to work as an unit, to be more stable, to grow and develop, to win more, etc.

Make sure you’re ready for the challenges ahead, because regardless of what you implement, one thing is for sure – we all win, draw and lose at some point.

But some lose more than others.