Author: Ben Griffis

Shogi And Football: The Japanese Version of Chess And Its Copious Parallels to The Beautiful Game

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

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Dissecting the USA’s Defensive Block & Pulisic’s Free Defensive Position: How the US Defended England’s Buildup

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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Paul Bismarck Tabinas: Iwate Grulla Morioka’s Raw, Attack-Minded Wing Back – Data and Video Scouting

Paul Bismarck Tabinas is a young Japanese wing back who loves running with the ball and is very dangerous in the air. In this scouting report we’ll look at lots of data and videos to see who he is as a player, his strengths and weaknesses, and if the wing back position is his best fit.… Read More Paul Bismarck Tabinas: Iwate Grulla Morioka’s Raw, Attack-Minded Wing Back – Data and Video Scouting

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Introducing “Passing Danger Index”: Measuring The Immediate Danger A Player’s Passes Pose to Opposing Back Lines

Article by Ben Griffis What players tend to pose the most immediate danger to the opponent’s defenders and goalkeeper with their passes? This is the question I’m looking to (begin to) address with a new metric I rather non-creatively term, Passing Danger Index, or PDI for short. The idea behind this is to see which… Read More Introducing “Passing Danger Index”: Measuring The Immediate Danger A Player’s Passes Pose to Opposing Back Lines

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Latvia’s 2022 Virsliga Comes Down to the Wire: Previewing The Title-Seeking Teams’ Matches

The 2022 edition of Latvia’s top flight, the Virsliga, will be decided on the final match day. This article previews the match, offering several key data visualizations and analysis on what we could expect from both matches and what it means to the title race.… Read More Latvia’s 2022 Virsliga Comes Down to the Wire: Previewing The Title-Seeking Teams’ Matches

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AFC Cup Final 2022 Data Preview: Kuala Lumpur City vs. Al-Seeb

This article will take a look back at and visualize each Kuala Lumpur City FC and Al-Seeb Club’s data in their matches leading up to the final. It dives deep into each team and their opponents to see what we could expect from these clubs, the danger each team brings, and possible areas of weakness their opponent could exploit.… Read More AFC Cup Final 2022 Data Preview: Kuala Lumpur City vs. Al-Seeb

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Introducing “Added Receiving Rate”: Measuring Player Ability to Give Teammates Better Chances at Receiving a Pass

This article introduces and develops, with examples, a new metric for football/soccer analysis. Added Receiving Rate (ARR) attempts to determine the overall receiving rate added (or subtracted) from their teammates.… Read More Introducing “Added Receiving Rate”: Measuring Player Ability to Give Teammates Better Chances at Receiving a Pass

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Art on a Football Pitch – Vincent Kompany’s Unique 4-4-2 Tactics

The 4-4-2 Kompany employs leads to energetic, attacking football with strong buildup play, swift and fluid connections between players in the final third, and a sturdy defense. This article breaks down his unique take on such a tried-and-tested formation that has seemed to lose favor among the top teams recently.… Read More Art on a Football Pitch – Vincent Kompany’s Unique 4-4-2 Tactics

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Silkeborg IF 0-1 Brøndby IF: Analysis & Recommendations for Brøndby Ahead of Identical Fixture on April 10th

This article first analyzes Brøndby and Silkeborg’s tactics­ before detailing some recommendations for how Brøndby can ensure they beat Silkeborg again, but this time with a more complete performance and dominate the game.… Read More Silkeborg IF 0-1 Brøndby IF: Analysis & Recommendations for Brøndby Ahead of Identical Fixture on April 10th

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