The language of football is packed with military terminology. A season is often described as a “campaign”, and the individual match as a “battle”. In this spirit, a football team that follows certain formations (i.e. 4-4-2, etc.) can be compared to an army. If the players are the troops, operating under a captain, the coach is the drill sergeant and the manager the general.
Strategy is about choices. For example, there are three main choices when it comes to attacking play. How many strikers do you employ? Do you try to get into the scoring position via the sides of the pitch (“the flanks”) or through the middle? And do you seek to get there through intricate or direct passing? The answers depend on the strength of the team, the weakness of the opposition, and the way the game is unfolding.
Otto Rehhagel, the manager of the Greek national team which won the Eurocup in 2004, implemented a great strategy characterized by tight marking, an exemplary work rate, and drilled set pieces.
As football and business have a lot in common, we have used a lot of sports analogies to design entertaining and educating workshops in team building, leadership and business strategy. If you are interested in learning more about our workshops, go to www.save2grow.eu/business-training or get in touch at [email protected] We’ d love to hear from you!