Masters of Modern Soccer, Grant Wahl
Masters of Modern Soccer, Grant Wahl
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Masters of Modern Soccer
How the World's Best Play the Twenty-First-Century Game

Author: Grant Wahl

Narrator: Grant Wahl

Unabridged: 6 hr 59 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 05/01/2018


Synopsis

How do some of soccer’s smartest and most accomplished figures master the craft of the game? This in-depth analysis of modern soccer reveals how elite players and coaches strategize on and off the field to execute in high-pressure situations.
 
“A worthy addition to any soccer fan’s shelf.”—The Wall Street Journal

In Masters of Modern Soccer, America’s premier soccer journalist, Grant Wahl, reveals what players and managers are thinking before, during, and after games and delivers a true behind-the-scenes perspective on the inner workings of the sport’s brightest minds. 
 
Wahl follows world-class players from across the globe, examining how they do their jobs and gaining deep insight from the players on how goalkeepers, defenders, midfielders, and forwards function individually and as a unit to excel and win. He also shadows a manager and director of soccer as they juggle the challenges of coaching, preparation, and the short- and long-term strategies of how to identify and acquire talent and deploy it on the field. 
 
These central figures share the little details that matter, position by position:
 
• Attacking midfielder Christian Pulisic explains why he wears his soccer cleats a size too small to make his first touch even better. 
• Forward Javier “Chicharito” Hernández reveals the Mexican national team’s secret synchronized patterns that create space for him in front of the goal. 
• Defender Vincent Kompany tells you why his teammates’ pressure on the ball means he can defend his man more tightly in the penalty box. 
• Defensive midfielder Xabi Alonso describes his disdain for slide tackles and the tendency among even the best professional midfielders to play too closely to one another. 
• Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer tells the origin story of his sweeper-keeper role, which has allowed him to redefine the position for the modern game. 
• Head coach Roberto Martínez explains the differences between coaching clubs and national teams and why one of the first things he looks for in any game situation is numerical advantage. 
• Director of football Michael Zorc discusses what he looks for when it comes to identifying players he can buy low and sell high, Moneyball-style, while still competing to win trophies. 

The definitive analysis of the craft of soccer, Masters of Modern Soccer will change the way any fan, player, coach, or sideline enthusiast experiences the game.

About The Author

Grant Wahl was one of the world’s leading soccer journalists. He was the owner and creator of the Fútbol with Grant Wahl website and podcast, did television work for CBS Sports, and produced documentary films. His book The Beckham Experiment was the first soccer book to make the New York Times bestseller list. Wahl spent twenty-five years at Sports Illustrated, where he wrote more than three dozen cover stories. He covered thirteen World Cups (eight men’s, five women’s). Grant Wahl died in 2022.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Mahlon on July 20, 2018

I was previously familiar with Grant Wahl, although I must admit his writing had never really stood out to me before. My main exposure to him came through Fox's nightly World Cup highlight show World Cup tonight. In addition to offering interesting insights, I found he had an engaging personality an......more

Goodreads review by Jack on December 20, 2022

RIP Grant Wahl. He was a good reporter — maybe TOO good for this book. It’s extremely detailed on the technical nuances of soccer, and it’s clear he asked good questions, knew the game well and was able to develop great sources because of these two things. But IMO it suffers a little bit from being......more

Goodreads review by Julia on February 05, 2023

Nothing groundbreaking, but still extremely interesting to go into the minds of players, managers, and a sporting director. Certainly learned the most from Roberto Martinez. He really knew how to explain the adaptations required in each job and with different groups of players.......more

Goodreads review by Basel19ch on October 15, 2023

Schweizer Fußballstadien Es gibt viele Witze über die Schweizer Fußballnationalmannschaft, die in ihrer Neutralitätshaltung der gesamten Nation folgt. Die Realität ist, dass die Schweizer nie eine besonders starke Persönlichkeit hatten, wenn es um den Fußball ihrer Mannschaften ging. Wo die Deutschen......more

Goodreads review by Jill on May 05, 2018

It's 2018, the year of the World Cup, and soccer has changed from the game it was originally. It's faster and more physical, more technical and more commercialized. But its fans are just as passionate as ever, and increasingly savvy thanks to the internet, the amount of data now available on every g......more


Quotes

“Marrying first-rate reportage with stylish writing, Grant Wahl demonstrates why he’s considered the dean of U.S. soccer writing—a master of modern soccer, so to speak. This book has the weight and depth to appeal to hardcores, and the smart analysis to captivate the casual fan. Soccer’s answer to Men at Work.”
—JON WERTHEIM, SPORTS ILLUSTRATED EXECUTIVE EDITOR
 
“Grant Wahl is a master of modern soccer writing and this book is a Rosetta stone for anyone who wants to fully understand the contemporary game. It’s a user’s manual to how the game is (or ought to be) played, coached, managed, and watched. Everyone interested in soccer—fans, youth coaches, even top professionals—will gain fascinating insights from some of the game’s finest craftsmen, one of whom is Wahl himself.” 
—STEVE RUSHIN, AUTHOR OF STING-RAY AFTERNOONS AND COLUMNIST FOR SPORTS ILLUSTRATED
 
“I started it taking off at LAX and finished it landing at JFK. It’s an incredible peek behind the curtain into the way players, coaches, and technical directors see themselves and their jobs. These entertaining and candid profiles help explain some of the complexities and mysteries of the beautiful game and the people who inhabit it.” 
—ALEXI LALAS
 
“Reading Grant Wahl on soccer is always a pleasure. Hardly anyone else gets so much ac­cess to players, thinks so hard about what he hears, and tells it so well. No hype here—just insights into top-class professionals, by a top-class professional.”
—SIMON KUPER, COAUTHOR OF SOCCERNOMICS