Title/Author:
“Masters of Modern Soccer: How the World’s Best
Play the Twenty-First Century Game” by Grant Wahl
Tags:
Soccer, Football (European),
coaching, strategy
Publish date:
May 1, 2018
Length:
304 pages
Rating:
5 of 5 stars
(outstanding)
Review:
Long-time players and
fans of soccer will notice how different the contemporary game is compared to the
matches played in the 1970’s and 1980’s. There are several reasons for this, most
notably the changes in responsibilities of the positions and the use of analytics.
America’s premier soccer writer, Grant Wahl, interviewed seven men who are the
premier people in their position or job in international soccer and the result
is this excellent book.
This book has been
compared to the best-selling baseball book “Men At Work” by George Will. In
that one, Will broke down baseball by writing about various jobs done by people
in the game and wrote about how the best performers handle that job. Wahl does the same thing for soccer as he
interviews the best players and management personnel. The players are American midfielder Christian
Pulisic, Mexican forward Javier “Chicarito” Hernandez, Belgian centerback
Vincent Kompany, Spain’s Xabi Alonso and German goalkeeper Mauel Neuer.
Their insight into the
game makes for compelling reading as they each share what they do to be the
best at their position. Whether it is
how Kompany positions himself in relation to the opponent’s best goal scorer,
the “Wow moments” Pulisic provides to fans or the drills on which Neuer works
to improve his reflexes, each section is a lesson in how today’s game is played
and why the sport has changed so much over the last few decades.
These changes are
noted often by Wahl as he talks about positions that are no longer in vogue,
such as the sweeper, or how drastically the skills have changed in order to be
an elite player. This is clearly evident
for a goalkeeper, where Wahl writes that shot blocking, once considered the
primary job of the keeper, is now only one of several skills at which a goalkeeper
must excel. Neuer’s insight backs up this assertion.
Coaching and management
get the same treatment as players do in this book as Belgium coach Roberto
Martinez and Borussia Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc are also
interviewed and share their secrets for success as well. The biggest takeaway
from these chapters was also mentioned in some of the players’ chapters. The used of advanced statistical analysis is
just as prevalent in professional soccer as it is in other sports, again most
notably baseball. There is even a reference to “Moneyball” in the book as much
like the Oakland A’s, Borussia Dortmund does not have the same financial
resources like some other clubs like Manchester United, Real Madrid or
Barcelona. As a result, they do some
creative thinking in the front office and Zorc’s insight will provide readers with
some new information about this part of the sport.
Written with American
readers in mind, this work is truly a masterpiece of the modern game. Wahl was
the first author to write a soccer book that became a New York Times bestseller
with his 2009 biography of David Beckham. This book could very well become his
second. If a reader has any interest in
the sport, no matter how much or how little, this is a book that must not be
missed.
I wish to thank Crown Publishing for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Book Format Read:
E-book (Kindle)
Buying Links:
