In my recent post suggesting a new approach to squad usage, I referred to the benefits of squad stability – essentially, giving players a chance to build stronger connections during matches to improve performance. Because I’ve received some questions about it, I thought I’d offer a taste of some of the research that went into that recommendation. Measuring the effects of squad stability is not easy, because there are so many countervailing factors. To understand what I mean, consider what would happen if a club used the same players again and again in the first half of the season. Would…
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Month: October 2015
NYA thanks Liverpool for helping our business
Lately there’s been a lot written about the importance of analytics at Liverpool Football Club. The negative articles claim the analytics department there was responsible for flops like Aspas and Suso. The positive ones give the analysts credit for Coutinho, Sturridge, and Can. And pretty much all of them say there was tension between the club’s former manager, Brendan Rodgers, and the numbers folks. Believe it or not, this isn’t how analytics works at every club around the world, or even in the Premier League. Usually I recommend analytics as a first cut for recruiting, to narrow down the pool…
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A data-driven approach to squad usage
Sports aren’t static. Big changes happen, sometimes suddenly and other times gradually – but either way, they happen. Baseball’s starting pitchers used to go nine innings routinely. Basketball players didn’t dunk. Ice hockey teams had never heard of line changes. And soccer has a long history of tactical innovations, to which this post might just contribute. First, let me say that I’m not a coach. I’ve played thousands of hours of soccer, but I’ve never coached a single match. I also have a background that’s very different from most coaches in the world’s top leagues. So what I recommend here may…
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