How Top-Level Football Tactics Can Guide Your Startup
Why do top-level football games sometimes look slow? It can look like millionaire footballers casually strolling around the pitch, passing the ball like they're in no hurry.
Well okay, there are some fantastic fast matches but an average top-level league game is on the slower side for the most part. Now flip on over to an amateur game, where it looks like everyone's had seventeen espressos. We know football can be a lot faster. You’ve seen amateur football, you've witnessed the frenetic energy, the chaotic sprints, the desperate lunges. It's a whirlwind of action that makes Premier League matches look like a leisurely game in comparison.
This is the ‘speed of play paradox’ as professional football player Matt Sheldon calls it. In amateur games, defenders often charge at the ball carrier like bulls seeing red. It works because the player with the ball usually panics, takes a heavy touch, and loses control. But the pros? They're playing a whole different game.
In the Premier League for example, if a defender charges in like that, they're not just wasting energy - they're basically gift-wrapping space for the opposition. Pro players have the skill to sidestep that pressure or pass around it. The defender who went all-in is now out of position, and suddenly, the attacking team has more space.
It's not that top-level players can't go faster - it's that they're operating on a higher plane of strategic thinking. They're not just reacting; they're anticipating, creating, and manipulating space.
How many times have you seen a startup founder running around like their hair's on fire, making snap decisions, and generally looking like they're barely keeping their head above water? It's the business equivalent of that amateur defender charging wildly at the ball.
Sure, it might work for a while. You might even score some early wins. But long-term? You're setting yourself up for unpredictable outcomes, inconsistent results, and perhaps even a spectacular burnout.
Here's my hot take: If your business looks frantic, you're doing it wrong.
The most successful entrepreneurs I know operate more like those Premier League players. They're calm, calculated, and always three steps ahead. They're not reacting to the market; they're anticipating it. They're not chasing every opportunity; they're creating space for the right ones.
Does this mean you should kick back and take it easy? Absolutely not. It means you need to level up your game.
It's about developing the business equivalent of a Premier League player's skill set:
The vision to see opportunities before they fully materialise;
The confidence to hold your position when others are flailing;
The skill to navigate complex situations with apparent ease.
Here's the kicker (pun absolutely intended): this kind of mastery often looks deceptively simple from the outside. Just like how a casual observer might think Premier League football looks "easier" than amateur games.
But make no mistake, this apparent simplicity is the result of countless months (if not years) of practice, strategic thinking, and experience. It's the culmination of failures, learnings, and relentless improvement.
If you’re ever tempted to run your business like a frantic amateur defender, stop. Take a breath. Channel your inner Premier League pro. Because in business, as in top-level football, the real magic happens when you slow down the game to speed up your success.