Being a video analyst requires constant adaptability. Ibrahim Diop, assistant coach and analyst for AS Vita in the Democratic Republic of Congo, has experienced this throughout his career in the stands across Africa. A few months ago, the Senegalese player even decided to equip himself with a video transmitter (usually used in cinemas) to follow the Kinshasa club's matches on his tablet, directly from the sidelines. Inspired by El-Hadji Abdoulaye Seck, who made his name playing in Tanzania, Diop finds many benefits in following matches this way: “It allows me to be next to the coach, while having an overall tactical vision. I can show him key sequences, analyze in depth the relationships between players, the spaces, the movements of the block and illustrate my points with striking images.” While there is a consensus that pushes the video analysts to position themselves in the stands to enjoy a global view of the field, Ibrahim Diop now prefers to join the rest of the staff on the bench in order to have a direct impact on the match: “We did it for two or three matches and we felt that it allowed us to be able to find solutions and react more quickly to situations.”
Brief
Senegalese Ibrahim Diop is assistant coach and video analyst at AS Vita in the Democratic Republic of Congo / ©DR