How Football Clubs Use Data Analytics To Gain A Competitive Edge

Besides talent and tactics, football has always been a game of numbers. These have evolved gradually over the years with technology, and we are in an age where football clubs rely on data analytics for pretty much everything. While most of us are familiar with expected goals (xG) as it’s always talked about and is a useful tool for online betting with 1xbet.ie, there’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes.

Today, we’ll look at the different ways football clubs use data analytics for daily operations and to gain a competitive edge.

Recruitment: Finding the Perfect Fit

Scouting and recruitment has been one of the most revolutionary aspects of data analysis in football. It started in the early 2000s and took off after the success of Michael Lewis’s book Moneyball – it described how the Oakland Athletics club in the US used advanced analytics to create a competitive baseball team on a small budget.

In modern-day football, no club exemplifies this better than Liverpool. Under Jurgen Klopp and the Fenway Sports Group (FSG), the club used advanced analytics to identify players who suited Klopp’s high-pressing style of play. This led to the recruitment of the likes of Mohammed Salah and Sadio Mane, with Liverpool becoming the best club in the world and winning the Champions League trophy in 2019.

Data analytics changes recruitment in that a club doesn’t need to rely on the judgement and instincts of a scout. It also doesn’t just use goals and assists for analysis, but deeper performance metrics that help provide a more comprehensive picture.

Some of these are:

Expected Goals (xG) – This measures the quality of chances a player creates or takes. It’s a more comprehensive look at output than just assists or goals scored.

Progressive Passes and Carries – This tracks how well a player moves the ball forward under pressure.

Pressing Efficiency – It evaluates how good a player is at winning back possession in key areas.

This use of data is quite important in ensuring the efficiency of transfers. Clubs like Brentford and Brighton have proven the use of data analytics in recruitment to be a crucial weapon as they always identify hidden talents before they blossom – then sell them at a high price. When a club can’t compete financially with the likes of Manchester City and Chelsea, this type of investment is crucial in gaining a competitive edge.

Tactical Adjustments and Match Preparation

There’s only so much you can watch an opponent’s matches and identify potential areas to exploit. Managers still rely on their experience and instincts when preparing games, but clubs now use data analytics to fine-tune match strategies.

Before any game, the club analyzes vast amounts of data to come up with key metrics to use in match preparation.

These include:

Heatmaps – These show where a player spends most of their time on the pitch. It can be used to know their attacking and defensive tendencies or weaknesses.

Passing Networks – They show how opponents move the ball when trying to create chances, exploit other teams, or find key players.

Set-Piece Efficiency – It shows how teams defend or attack corners and free kicks when trying to score.

Even when a game is ongoing, the technical team uses data analytics to identify weaknesses in their teams and the opponent. This helps change tactics in-game and make decisions on substitutions.

Injury Prevention and Player Fitness

Some players can’t run as much as others, and some are more prone to injuries. If you overplay these players, they’ll easily come down with injuries.

Instead of relying on guesswork or estimates, data analytics helps clubs track every sprint, tackle, and training session. The technical team can then spot potential injury risks before they happen to prevent them.

Through trackers and AI-driven workload analysis, a club can know fatigue levels, movement patterns, and player workloads. The models will even predict players at risk of injuries without any analysis necessary from the technical or medical team.

Such data helps ensure optimal running of the club, from recruitment and training to match-day decisions.

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