The Growing Importance of Football Analytics
31 May 2020
From the origins of data analytics in football to FC Liverpool’s dominance, we explore how stats and algorithms are changing the Beautiful Game.
FOOTBALL ANALYTICS
BLOG
A must-read before diving into football analytics:
Latest articles:
The Very Exclusive xOVA Club
25 May 2022
We introduced Expected Offensive Value Added, or ‘xOVA’, to facilitate scouting for creative and skilled players, who are able to have a great impact in the final third of the
Measuring pressing success: Buildup Disruption Percentage (BDP)
27 January 2022
Pressing is a fundamental part of many teams’ game plan in modern football. At the same time, it is difficult to measure it accurately using event data. While PPDA is
Data-driven scouting for Newcastle
18 January 2022
After the takeover from PIF, Newcastle United was set to become one of the main players in January’s transfer market. This has indeed been the case, with the Magpies already
Focus on THEMATIC RESEARCH
The Very Exclusive xOVA Club
25 May 2022
We introduced Expected Offensive Value Added, or ‘xOVA’, to facilitate scouting for creative and skilled players, who are able to have a great impact in the final third of the
Measuring pressing success: Buildup Disruption Percentage (BDP)
27 January 2022
Pressing is a fundamental part of many teams’ game plan in modern football. At the same time, it is difficult to measure it accurately using event data. While PPDA is
Soccerment’s Expected Points model
12 January 2022
Expected Goals (xG) models allow us to quantify the chance quality of individual shots. This gives us the chance to quantify the probability of a team winning, losing or drawing
Expected Threat
6 December 2021
One of the cornerstones of measuring offensive contributions in football is based on a very simple fact: the likelihood of scoring a goal in the next few actions depends heavily
Focus on TEAMS
Data-driven scouting for Newcastle
18 January 2022
After the takeover from PIF, Newcastle United was set to become one of the main players in January’s transfer market. This has indeed been the case, with the Magpies already
The rejuvenation of Crystal Palace
17 November 2021
Last summer came with many changes for Crystal Palace, with the end of Roy Hodgon’s tenure, the appointment of Patrick Vieira as manager and a very busy transfer window, which
Juventus under coach Pirlo
20 September 2020
Juventus will be one of the most interesting teams to watch in Europe this season. The main reason for our excitement is the leap of faith taken by the top
AZ Alkmaar’s Talent Factory
28 November 2019
The quantity and quality of players that the AZ Academy is able to promote to the first team every year is outstanding. This is no coincidence, but is the result
Focus on LEAGUES
Midseason reviews 2021/22: Serie A
30 December 2021
According to our advanced metrics, Inter Milan are performing better under Inzaghi than they did under Conte last year, when the Nerazzurri won their 19th Scudetto. Whilst AC Milan have
Top 5 leagues through the « xLenses »
13 October 2021
League football is back after an intense international break. Time for recapping what has happened so far in the European top 5 competitions. We have analysed them using our advanced
2021/22 Bundesliga preview
27 August 2021
In 2020/21, Bayern Munich managed an unprecedented 9th Bundesliga title in a row and are the clear favourites for this season too. Their continuous reinforcement at the detriment of the
2021/22 La Liga Preview
25 August 2021
For the first time in eighteen years, La Liga started without Lionel Messi, who left FCB and joined PSG, owing to the Blaugrana‘s financial issues. Meanwhile, Real Madrid have so
Focus on PLAYERS
The evolution of Bruno Fernandes
4 August 2019
Today’s Supertaça against Benfica could represent a farewell match for Sporting CP’s Bruno Fernandes. In the 2018/19 Primeira Liga, Bruno Fernandes captained the Leões to the third place, displaying outstanding performances: playing as
Russian matryoshkas: Historical vs World Cup performances
28 July 2018
We look at ten ‘top players’ and compare their World Cup performances to their historical ones, determining whether – in Russia – they outperformed or underperformed vs their own standards. By
World Cup’s Top-11 and launch of SPR
19 July 2018
We introduce Soccerment Performance Ratings (‘SPR’), an algorithm-driven system aimed at offering a rigorous and unbiased view regarding the performance of football players. What better way to launch SPRs, than
Understanding Dele Alli’s uniqueness
23 April 2018
Dele Alli is quite a unique player. Difficult to define him or find similar players. We try to understand him better by looking at his performance stats, comparing them to
Focus on WONDERKIDS
Wonderkids: 2021 Outlook
14 January 2021
Nothing captures the imagination of a football fan quite like the emergence of wonderkids, players surrounded by both high hopes and expectations, and significant uncertainty. Predicting the career trajectory of
Wonderkids: Ansu Fati
14 January 2021
Of the wonderkids born in 2001 or later, Ansu Fati is the most likely to reach « world-class player » status, according to our analysis. In the final third he participates effectively
Wonderkids: Ryan Gravenberch
14 January 2021
Technically gifted and physically strong, Ryan Gravenberch is reaping the benefits of developing in the perfect environment, AFC Ajax, and being the client of one of the most powerful agents
Wonderkids: Lassina Traoré
14 January 2021
Lassina Traoré is a 19-year-old striker from Burkina Faso who plays for AFC Ajax. While his imposing physique might lead some to consider him a target men, and his finishing
Free EBOOK
The Football Analytics
Handbook
A few years ago, some football clubs (Liverpool, AZ Alkmaar, Brentford), have embraced data analytics and are now starting to greatly benefit from it. Many, now sceptical about the importance of data in football – or soccer if you prefer – will soon follow.
If you’d like to know more about how data analytics is transforming football, download our Football Analytics Handbook: it’s free!
Read it, forward it to your friends and help us with our mission: accelerating the adoption of data analytics in football.
OUR MISSION IS TO ACCELERATE THE ADOPTION OF DATA ANALYTICS IN FOOTBALL
