Inside The Mind of a Master Goal Scorer

A deep dive into legendary EPL goal scorer Alan Shearer

Alan Shearer is the all-time leading scorer in the English Premier League history, having tallied 260 goals.

“The tap-ins meant as much to me as the 20 or 30-yarders did.”

When asking ourselves “how can I score more goals?”, a great starting point would be to learn from the best. NBC Sports did a special with Shearer and asked terrific questions to dig into his approach and strategies.

Let’s dive into the key items:

Building a Mental Map

Alan scanned frequently and was pulling information from his environment.

“It’s about getting the picture in your head, early.”

As the play unfolds, he’s evaluating the options available and deciding in real time what is going to be his best chance to score.

He understands what the defender wants him to do and how the goalie is playing the situation and thinking. From there, Shearer decided what he wanted to execute.

This mental map allowed him to know, or have an idea of, what he was going to do before he ever received possession.

Gambling on Space

As an attacker, Shearer valued quality available space. He was constantly asking himself:

• Where is the space?

• Where is the ball likely to go?

He’d be looking to find space and spending more time where goals are scored. Not only was he finding space, but he was also looking to find the area in which the ball is to go into so he can increase his odds of being in a great spot

Related: Puck Acquisition: Strategies for more & better puck touches