How to Watch Football: Fifty-Two Rules for Understanding the Beautiful Game, on and Off the Pitch

RULE #1: DON'T WATCH THE BALL

Yes, football is about stars, goals and glory. But it's also about the intense calculations and movements being made by the twenty-one other players on the pitch. It's about the ticking clock, and the bellowing fans, and their impact on player psychology. It's about the coach, the club owner, and the director of football, who are watching, scouting and scheming from the side-lines. It's about money and data, about geopolitics and architecture, and even about climate change.

Football is the most popular sport in the world, and Tifo Football is one of the world's most popular football channels. In this short, illustrated guide, its creators share fifty-two simple 'rules' for understanding and enjoying the beautiful game-both on and off the pitch.

Covering the key concepts, tactics and philosophies that are shaping the sport today, How to Watch Football reveals surprising new perspectives on familiar elements of gameplay, while highlighting lesser-known aspects of the industry and its history.

With well over 1 million subscribers and 100 million annual views, Tifo Football is one of the world's best-loved football media outlets. Launched in 2016 to provide intelligent, illustrated analysis of the sport, it is widely regarded as a trusted source of information and insight, with videos and podcast episodes regularly explaining basics, busting myths, and sharing surprising new findings with fans. It is part of The Athletic, who provide unrivalled football insight and coverage across a range of formats from written to video and audio.
Having assembled the best team of football writers, reporters and analysts in the world, The Athletic helps fans catch up, get in-depth analysis, and join the conversation on the most important happenings in the world of football.