Aug 30, 2022

Football Analytics Round-up for November 15-28

A lot happens in football analytics that doesn’t fit into our normal articles but is worth knowing about anyway. The many incredible analysts who put their work up online should be noticed, and we’d like to point out a few pieces you may have missed on a bi-weekly (the one that happens once every two weeks, not twice a week) basis.

Domagoj Kostanjšak examines Xavi’s tenure as coach

Xavi Hernández’s new turn as head of Barcelona does have some questions about it. Jamie Carragher wrote about those questions before their recent game in an excellent (paywalled) article here. Kostanjšak analytically digs into the new Barcelona team and adds his knowledge of Xavi in addition, and shows how Xavi’s words express themselves in play.

James West analyzes Monaco vs Lille

This piece is an in-depth and thorough analysis of the Ligue1 match between Monaco and Lille. It’s a great show of analysis, finding the MVPs, and discussing the different strengths each team has. For anyone into analytics, it’s well worth just seeing it done well, rather than more pieces about how it’s done (though, of course, those are always welcome).

Kevin Baxter talks about a coach, Bruce Arena

Kevin Baxter’s piece about the coach of New England Revolution is not much of an analytics story, but still a wonderful read. The story is about a coach who chooses fundamental decency a lot of the time, and creates winning teams out of that. Numbers matter for a good game, but sometimes, with people like Bruce Arena, personality can matter just as much.

Grace Robertson examines Leicester’s slow start

The team most likely to be mispronounced by an American has been having a bad go of things this season. Grace Robertson examined their play and compared their end results with their xG and other stats. She shows how they are far from hopeless, and can still turn it around, especially with the strengths of their coach Brendan Rodgers, but also shows how difficult turning it around will be.

Tifo Football discusses Utd’s new management

In this video, JJ Bull and Iain Macintosh discuss Flight (Yes, we’ve seen it too, Denzel is terrific) and then look at Man Utd and their new manager Ralf Ragnick, and how his style will mesh with Man Utd’s. Like all of Tifo’s videos, this one uses both visual aids and explainers by the analysts to show its work and is an excellent way to sharpen up your analytical skills and knowledge.

Did we miss something? Do you see something for a later round-up? Let us know!

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