This is really interesting. Tony Cascarino mentioned the document in his Times column on Saturday, and I’ve dug it out on the internets. Nice to see the sort of thing the pros look for and talk about in an advanced scouting report.
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Wow, reading that really puts the job of scouts into perspective. There’s so much there that I’d never pick up on.
Interestingly though, Villas Boas seems to give Newcastle a bit too much credit. He anticipated a strong attacking line-up of 442, but they faced a 451 with Ameobi up front (450 really). Tells a lot about both sides. Chelsea clearly saw Newcastle as a side that could cause trouble. Newcastle saw Chelsea as a side they might get a lucky draw against.
Anyway, it didn’t matter much in the end, 3-0 to Chelsea.