More Than 90 Minutes

Book excerpt: More than Ninety Minutes is an analysis of tactics, signings, managers, players, and club directors' decisions. Based on real examples taken from recent soccer history, the author dissects these people's mistakes, their successes, and how their actions on and off the pitch impacted their play and their trophy cabinets. It is a critical account arising from a weekly study made over the course of ten years of the top European leagues and clubs such as Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atlético de Madrid, Inter Milan, Bayern Munich, and Borussia Dortmund. The author presents and compares the processes followed by these teams–the ones that were successful as well as those that failed–while analytically assessing the most important aspects that make up the game of soccer. The book selects specific situations in relevant clubs where tactics, psychology, and the ability to manage a group of players are combined. Without claiming to find a nonexistent magic formula, it helps the reader–whether they are simply a fan, manager, player, or director–to understand the intricacies of this complex sport and to put themselves on the road that is certain to lead to success. This book is one of a kind in the history of soccer literature, and it is written in a readable, emphatic, and reflexive style.