Περίληψη

The Philosophy of Football: In Shadows of Marcelo Bielsa by Jed C. Davies is a product of three and a half years of research, interviews over coffee tables, bus journeys through foreign countries and the development of an idea. The idea has been a simple one: to theorise and understand the philosophy of one of the most influential football coaches in the history of the game: Marcelo Bielsa

From over 50 training sessions, theory on rotations and movement to the languages of the game and the #1-3-3-1-3 formation, Davies has explored many of the themes that merge into one to form the Argentine’s football thinking. The Philosophy of Football: In Shadows of Marcelo Bielsa delivers best in its attempt to celebrate football played between lines: between the opposition midfield and defensive lines. Between enemy lines

In the eighteen chapters of Davies’ book, no page is without the theme of placing value upon a pass and tackling the war in that exists football philosophy, among those who prioritise possession and those who prioritise positioning. The infamous seven lines of play are given context within a specific playing style of ‘vertical football’

This book has been written for football coaches and those wishing to develop a greater understanding of the game on a tactical level, providing a framework to analyse the game through, but most of all this book has been written to act as a reference of the game. For this reason, examples given in the book are diverse, from The Chile National Team and Athletic Bilbao to Juanma Lillo’s Millonarios and Gary Speed’s Wales coming together to form The Philosophy of Football