Can we determine what leagues are most similar to each other? Clubs similar to a specific club? Possible leagues and clubs for a specific team to scout in? I’ve developed a method for this and introduce it here.… Read More League and Club Similarity: Proof-of-Concept and Applications for Recruitment
“How many points should a football team have been expected to earn?” That’s the question this article develops a method for. The Pythagorean Expectation method developed in Baseball is brought into Football, with all aspects of the method and sample analyses detailed.… Read More Creating an Expected Points Model Inspired by Pythagorean Expectation
The data-vs-eyes debate in football is not a dichotomy but a spectrum. Without any videos, you miss out on precious information. Without any data, you miss out on precious information. If you really want to answer (or begin to answer) a specific question, you’ll need to ensure you place yourself as close to the optimal location on the spectrum as possible… Read More The Data-“Eye-Test” Spectrum in Football Analysis
Italy’s 3rd division is rife with young talent across the 60 teams in the league. Which stand out the most based on specific data criteria? I build a U24 “dream team” with 36 players across all 11 positions to find out.… Read More Data Scouting Serie C for U24 Players: All Positions
This article uses data to find several young, interesting LaLiga2 CMs. Many data visuals follow so we get a sense of each player’s profile and performance.… Read More Using Data to Find Interesting Young Midfielders: 22-23 La Liga SmartBank
If you were to look at almost any event from an attacking/in possession lens, you will likely come to a different answer to the question “why did that happen?” than if you viewed that event through a defensive lens. I’ve been trying to change my perspective recently, and this article documents some of my thoughts.… Read More Defensive Transition: Shifting My Lens From Attack to Defense
What if the US, with a closed top division, formed a state/regional league system, including all clubs from the MLS, USL, NPSL, and NISA? This article dives into a fantasy league structure for each region.… Read More What Might a Brazil-Style Regional League System Look Like in the USA?
This is a first step towards trying to get a better view of defenders and defensive skills using event data. I examine ball receipts under pressure and subsequent actions to see if attackinng-player-focused event data can be used as a proxy for defensive actions… Read More Moving Towards Better Data Analysis of Defensive Play: One Proof of Concept – Pressures
… and why they’re all misleading and/or faulty.
We’re currently in a situation where widely-available data and metrics used to analyze defenders can often be antithetical to defending itself. There’s a disconnect between on-ball events and quality defensive skills in current data accessible to the public.… Read More We Need to Talk About Defensive Metrics…
Raimonds Krollis is the best striker in Latvia. This articles analyzes him and illustrates his main strengths & tendencies including movement, dropping deep, and finishing, while discussing his areas to improve and his potential ability.… Read More Raimonds Krollis, Valmiera’s Talisman Captain: Player Profile & Analytic Scouting
Article by Ben Griffis We widely use chess as a metaphor for soccer tactics, and the mere idea of a person playing chess invokes a romantic air of strategy and wisdom. Recently, Louis Vuitton ran an ad featuring Messi and Ronaldo playing chess—likening their careers to that of a chess match, where each player is… Read More Shogi And Football: The Japanese Version of Chess And Its Copious Parallels to The Beautiful Game
England and the USA played to an energetic and exciting 0-0 draw in the 2nd Group Stage match of the 2022 World Cup. This article examines the USA’s effective defensive block tactics that stifled England’s buildup, diving deeper into Christian Pulisic’s asymmetrical positioning.… Read More Dissecting the USA’s Defensive Block & Pulisic’s Free Defensive Position: How the US Defended England’s Buildup
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