The systematic observation of the game in youth football is an aspect that is either not applied or is used in a totally unfocused direction in the teaching-learning processes of the sport. The analysis of the game is a primary aspect for the training of players. The ability to decode and observe the game will be of great benefit to any coach.  

Youth football can be analyzed from different perspectives. Some do it from statistics while others do it from the results they achieve in matches. From the MBP approach, however, this analysis should be based on the player’s tactical intentions, which will vary depending on the player’s stage of development.  

Consequently, the game of youth players and that of professionals will not be analyzed in the same way as the understanding of the game and the tactical intentions of both are not equal. However, what we will try to analyze in both cases are tactical behaviors. This means the individual or collective intentions, since if one focuses on the actions that occur during a match, one can understand that any behavior by a player is linked to a tactical intention. 

What do we understand by a ‘tactical intention’? Tactical intentions relate to ‘what’ the player wants to perform behaviorally in a given game situation. This is an objective set by the player and is classified according to the strategic role to which they have, and is also according to the phase of the game that being developed at that moment (MBP, 2014).  

Therefore, the tactical intention contains the action objective (what to do in a game situation) coupled with the action program (how to do it) and the time/space implementation (where and when to execute it within the game, i.e. in the situation of teammates, opponents and ball), as well as the Time/Space (where and when to execute it based on the current score and result in the match).  

Therefore, analyzing the game through the player’s tactical intentions will help coaches to understand ‘how’ the player understands the game depending on ‘what’ he performs in the different actions of the play.