Joseph Martin

I tweet about Jesus, sports, weather, current events •
@Arsenal @RealMadrid @BVB @SJEarthquakes @ussoccer @warriors @49ers @sanjosesharks fan

[David Garcia @IJaSport]

The more I hear coaches say “we play our way,” the less I like it.

Fàbregas said after Como’s win over Napoli: “We can’t always play our way.” And this keeps coming up over and over again.

A few years ago, before he started coaching properly and while he was doing his badges, I interviewed Cesc and asked how he was preparing himself. He told me he was basically building a massive library of different game situations, different formations, different structures, trying to understand what problems different opponents might create and what solutions might be available.

So even before he had a team, he was thinking this way. Not “this is my formation and this is how my team will play,” but: what does this situation require?

I wrote about this recently with Arteta too. I think we mix up coaching philosophy, game idea, game model and playing style all the time.

Your coaching philosophy is probably the most stable part, your beliefs about football, learning, leadership, player autonomy, development, what you value. Your game idea gives you a broad direction. Your game model gives players shared principles for solving recurring problems. Your playing style is simply what actually shows up in the game.

The mistake is taking something from the bottom of that chain and pretending it belongs at the top.

“We always build short.”
“We never go long.”
“We always press high.”
“We always play through midfield.”

Those are not beliefs. They’re solutions.

And sometimes the solution is wrong.

Even last night in training we were playing 8v8 and one team was pressing ridiculously high. The team building out kept trying to play through the press. Over and over again.

But they didn’t need to.

The opposition had committed so many players forward that there was loads of space behind them. They were perfectly capable of skipping the press and finding somebody higher up the field, but they were so focused on “playing out” that they stopped seeing what the game was actually giving them.

This is exactly the problem.

We teach players a way of solving something, then eventually the solution becomes the objective.

Playing through the press becomes more important than progressing.

Keeping the ball becomes more important than attacking the space.

Pressing high becomes more important than recognizing whether pressing high is actually useful in that moment.

Then the opponent changes the problem and we keep using the same answer.

Fàbregas dropping into a low block late against Napoli doesn’t mean he suddenly believes in low-block football. It means the situation changed and Como adapted to it.

Your philosophy can stay fairly stable while almost everything underneath it changes.

If the opponent sends six players to press you, maybe skip them. If they sit deep, maybe you have to circulate and move them. If you’re protecting a lead late in the game, maybe you defend deeper than you normally would. If there’s 50 yards of space in front of you, maybe going backwards to “keep possession” makes absolutely no sense.

I think this is what a game model should actually help players with. Give them enough shared references to understand what we’re trying to achieve, but not so many fixed answers that they stop looking at the game.

Because at some point “staying true to our philosophy” can become a very convenient way of saying:

we’re going to keep doing the same thing even though the game is telling us not to.

Fàbregas interview:
https://t.co/cxVysOQThi

Article:
https://t.co/MYXvt1kIzH

[Ben Noll @BenNollWeather]

Southern California currently has the highest humidity in the U.S., even surpassing Florida.

The dew point over the Salton Sea reached a stifling 81°F, while Los Angeles hit 73°F, comparable to the Amazon rainforest and quite possibly its highest value on record.

[Joseph Martin @jjmart7]

@Braylon_Breeze New caste 😅

[Olivia Buzaglo @OliviaBuzaglo]

That Jose Mourinho doc is genuinely incredible. I know he said ‘a special one’ but he is the special one, isn’t he? There is no one like him. No one.

The way he had JT & Lampard & every single other player willing to die for him. Not sure we’ll ever have that feeling like that with players & a manager again. For those 3 years, we were unstoppable. Really should’ve won a Champions League with that’s side.

When he came back to the Bridge with Inter and said he was playing against Roman that day 😭 and then when he said no to Sir Alex because he gave his word to Chelsea & said he came back because he wanted to feel loved 🥺🥺🥺 he wanted to create a dynasty that 2nd time but ‘Roman is Roman’.

Ah I just bloody love him. Could’ve watched another 5 hours of that. Just so fascinating.

[Michael J. Pagán @mikejpagan]

@IanDarke Tuchel has been the same manager his entire career. Same approach. To expect anything other than what you saw against Argentina is a mistake that he'll continue doing again & again.

[Argentina Fans Club Bangladesh @ArgentinaFCBD]

We are Ready 🇧🇩✊

[Julien Laurens @LaurensJulien]

10 goals
5.85 expected goals
38 shots (28 from inside the boxes)
20 shots on target
14 big chances
86 touches in the opposition boxes
The most insane World Cup game ever!

[Arsenal @Arsenal]

Bukayo Saka. Our hat-trick hero.

[Sports Spectrum @Sports_Spectrum]

“It’s work that needs to be done. It’s God’s work.”

Fox Sports reporter @JennyTaft shares how Christ has been glorified at the World Cup, her heart for @IJM, and the #FreedomToPlay Campaign.

Visit https://t.co/4KMgkb2Oca to learn more!

[Ballers In God @BallersinGod]

England and France gave everything in the World Cup third place play-off, but after the final whistle, players from both teams came together in prayer.

The players praying together were: Dayot Upamecano, Bukayo Saka, Maxence Lacroix, Eberechi Eze, Marc Guéhi, Jean-Philippe Mateta, and Trevoh Chalobah. ❤️

[Joseph Martin @jjmart7]

.@DFletcherSport has grown on me as a play-by-play commentator. I think doing international games (vs UCL) and being paired with Owen has helped.

#Fıfaworldcup2026 #FRAvsENG @FOXSoccer @FOXSports

[John @ComaUnitedRoad]

@tombogert @TheAthletic VAR for diving is exactly what it should be used for.

Get it out the game.

[Joe Ceraulo @TheJoeCeraulo]

The World Cup is really like March Madness. Yes, the quality of teams standing right now is phenomenal… but having games from when you wake up until you go to sleep during the early stages is the best part

[⚡ @UTDCJ_]

today is the last time we have multiple world cup games in a day till 2030

[Stu Holden @stuholden]

American sports broadcasting legend JP Dellacamera announced that after 18 World Cup’s (11 men’s and 7 women’s) he is stepping back from future World Cups.

Not only has he been a legendary voice of the sport in our country, he is one of the most selfless, giving, and prepared people I have ever had the privilege of being around. Incredibly thankful for getting an opportunity at the beginning of my career to work with him — what I learned from him cannot be summarized in 280 characters.

Thank you JP, hope to see you soon in a suit on a Saturday.

[herculez gomez @herculezg]

Mexican superstar Gil Mora was in attendance for the England vs. Norway game with his super agent Rafaela Pimenta. #Norway #England

[Ian Darke @IanDarke]

Ready to go with Argentina v Switzerland - winners play England in the semis.

[The Athletic | Football @TheAthleticFC]

“On the one hand you could lace it with a lot of words, I don't think it really needed a lot of words. I think what I actually said was, ‘Can you believe this?’ And I was about to say something else, and I thought no, leave it, leave it.”

That’s Fox’s Derek Rae, reflecting to The Athletic on what was going through his mind as Enzo Fernandez delivered Argentina’s stunning 3rd goal at 90+3.

“Leave it, leave it.” There is actually an American sports TV industry term for a subtle yet iconic technique by the best play-by-play announcers to pause talking for a beat after a huge play and let the crowd reaction say everything:

Laying out.

If you’ve tuned in to Fox, you might have noticed it after goals. With a little help from Rae, the legendary U.S. play-by-play announcer Joe Buck and even a callback to a classic NFL moment from 40 years ago, @retauber, @AndrewMarchand and I (with inspiration from @benburrows_) provide an explainer for fans who are curious about the brief but powerful pause after goals during this World Cup, hopefully with a new appreciation for that detail as they tune in for the quarterfinals and beyond.

🔗 https://t.co/vaxenpv9v1

[Lauren Elizabeth🌹 @xLauren_Mx]

Haaland is gonna do more for growing men’s football here in the US than the USMNT ever has

[FIFA World Cup @FIFAWorldCup]

Kylian Mbappé.

#FIFAWorldCup