A Football Season in Statistics – 2012/13Summary of findings

% of Academy player appearances in the first team during2012/13 season

Context

“Doing the samethings over and overagain and expectingdifferent results”

The definition of InsanityAlbert Einstein

The power of possession

The power of possession

Charles Reep• The first analysis of

football - 1950s• 90% of all

possessions end inless than 4 passes

The study becamethe basis of the longball game - get toother penalty area inless than 4 passes

Comparing Charles Reep’sAnalysis to the modern game

The power of possessionHow do we compare?

The power of possessionA game of 2 halves?

Teams that have more possession•Have more shots•Score more goals•Concede less goals•Win more games

Possession - The role of the individual

3 of the top 5 originate from Barca’s academy- Toureplayed for Barca - is this talent ID or a consequence of a

coaching model

The power of possession

• Jaeson Rosenfeld study -StatDna

• Studied 100,000 passes inBrazilian Serie A

• Calibrated passes by Difficultyrating including• Pass Distance

• Pressure on receiver

• Forward Pass

• Air Pass

• Head Pass

• One Touch pass

Is pass accuracy a consequence of Skill?

The power of possession

• No discernable difference on thepass quality

• Most accurate passers will:

Get in right place to receive

Find pockets with limitedpressure

Engineer easier passes byvirtue of their position on thepitch

Accuracy dominated bysimplification

Is pass accuracy a consequence of Skill?

The power of possession

• No discernable difference on thepass quality

• Least accurate passers will:

Be position poor

Dwell on the ball

Poor body shape on receipt

Over complicate

Is pass accuracy a consequence of Skill?

Turnovers

1.52goals per game

1.18goals per game

Goals conceded

1.15goals per game

1.42goals per game

Goals scored

Teams withmost

turnovers

Teams withfewest

turnovers

Data based on all premier League game’s 2008-11

Turnovers

Possession- ObservationsCore capability of the

modern game

Movement and positioningas important as pass

accuracy

Low touch fast penetrativemovement key in final third

Capacity to exploitturnovers is key

Capacity to change pacebased on strategic triggers

Some Suggestions!Possession!

Training

Needs to be directional

Should include strategictriggers - quick/slow etc

Movement and positionalwork as important as pass

accuracy

Final third low touch coupledwith penetrative movement

Finishing

Finishing

% of Goals scoredinside the area

La Liga 87.1%Bundesliga 86.7%

Premier 84.6%Serie A 84.1%Ligue 1 83.9%

Finishing -ObservationsThe 80%+ scoring zoneappears to be universalacross all elite leagues

Goal to chance conversionrates at the top end 25%+

One of our poorest gameattributes

How do we replicate scoringin training?

Suggestions!Scoring!!

Frequency of use of keepersin sessions

Frequency of the use of goalsin training

Emphasis on development ofsubconscious capability in the

80% zone

Dribbling

The most successfuldribbler in Europe was

Frank Ribery he averaged4.5 successful dribbles per

game

Dribbling is not overlydominant in the modern

game

Dribbling is obviously anessential and effective skill

provided it is part of a biggerpackage e.g. Messi, Ribery

and Diego - high ondribbles, goals and assists

Dribbling - Observations

Defending

Tackling - aperspective

Xabi Alonso’s response to a questionposed by “The Guardian” re:How hewas surprised to see so many youngplayers at Liverpool herald tackling as1 of their strengths

“I can’t get into my head that footballdevelopment would educate tacklingas a quality, something to learn,toteach, a characteristic of your play.How can that be a way of seeing thegame? I just don’t understand footballin these terms. Tackling is a last resortand you will need it, but it isn’t aquality to aspire to”

To Alonso tackling happens whensomething goes wrong not right

Averaged 1tackle every 2

games

Attack v DefenceThe Italian way

5 v 10ArrigoSacchi’sgreat Milanteam of the80’s / 90swould runthis drill toprove howstrong theyweredefensively

Defending - ObservationsThe modern day defender

appears to be more adept atForcing errors

Anticipating dangerDefending as part of a unit

Tackling appears a necessaryattribute rather than an

aspirational one

Tackling and winning aerialduels are not overly dominant

within the modern game

Position specific profiles!

The data highlightsa number ofposition specificattributes e.g.Attackingmidfielders mastersof assists from andthrough Zone 14.We need to createprioritised positionspecific profiles -probably agespecific!!!

Measurement!Measurement and

KPI’s areincreasingly

prominent in themodern game weneed to develop asuite of measures

that we universallyuse to interpret

performanceindividually and

collectively