Assessing Football Team Form Part 1

One helpful betting strategy which an assist you in placing smart bets is learning how to assess team form.  Assessing form from one sport to another is a similar process, though each sport has a few unique considerations.  Let’s talk for a moment about assessing form for a football team.  Some teams are in better form while they are home than when they are away.  Being able to assess a team’s form can help you figure out which side to bet on, and sometimes can result in some great deals.

What are some of the factors which affect team form?  Here are three in-depth:

Players

Every team is made up of players, and the weakest link in the chain can easily make the entire chain weak.  Likewise, a strong link can improve the performance of the entire team.  If a player is injured, for example, the entire team form may suffer, especially if it is a player in a key position.  If an important player is going to be missing a match, it can weaken the entire team’s performance.  If a key player is doing particularly well, however, it may mean the entire team is in good form.  Consider interactions between players as well.  Are the players getting along and working well together?  Are they fractured by internal issues?  Do they have a hard time playing off of each others’ strengths? 

Managers

A great team can still be a poor team if it is poorly managed.  And a great manager can turn an otherwise weak team into a strong team.  Is the team well or poorly managed this season?  What strategies is the manager using?  Certain strategies may be more effective against some teams than others.  Have the managers involved in the match faced each other before?  Were they using similar strategies then?  If so, who came out on top?  What mistakes might they make again (and which have they made again facing other teams)?  Which are they likely to avoid based on their past experiences? 

Play Style

Are the teams meeting in this match both offensive, or both defensive?  Is one more offensive while the other is more defensive?  Information like this can not only potentially help you predict the winner, but the final score as well.  Two teams which are very defensive will have a tough time scoring on each other, resulting in a potentially low-scoring game (a prime opportunity to place a scorecast bet.  This may also be highly relevant when you are trying to figure out which player is likely to score first.

These three factors are all critical when it comes to assessing team form for a football match.  They are not the only factors to consider, however.  In my next instalment (Assessing Football Team Form Part 2), I will talk about a few other key considerations.  I will then go over a checklist with you that you can use to bet on football matches with a particular focus on team form.