Analytics Department in a box

Yesterday we posted about what the purpose of analytics was. In short, it helps you make better decisions.

We talked about the main requirements of an analytics-informed club.

• To know how you want to play and how that would look in data.
• To know what you want from players in your system and how that would look in data.
• Systems that record how you are playing and where you need to improve.
• Systems that help you easily identify players who could improve your team.
• Systems that gather this information centrally and transparently so good decisions can be made.

After working with 30+ club clients, ranging from those new to analytics to those with large internal departments we have developed an excellent understanding of what works in football. 

There are lots of things that are nice to have but we feel we have distilled down the tools that clubs need to be able to benefit from analytical thinking. 

Implementing analytics solutions can be expensive, the cost of data is very high, and most subscriptions don’t provide enough on their own to gain a competitive advantage. Clubs end up with multiple subscriptions to packages they don’t get value for money from, simply using the front end and not building out advanced insights. 

We hope to change this. 

We provide all the necessary data, systems, and tools required to run a successful football club. 

We are providing systems that cover three main areas:

• Club Management
• Analytical Thinking and Performance
• Recruitment (Players and Coaches)

You just need to add a few members of staff to use the system and get the most out of it. These are the same analytics tools that have helped clubs win titles, promotions, and gain millions in player trading revenue.

No additional data subscriptions are required. 

Club Management

One of the biggest areas clubs lack in our experience is a system that pulls together the key areas of the club where analytics is important.

Owners and senior leadership are often frustrated at the lack of transparency over how decisions are made.

We built a system with owners and sporting directors in mind.

The club management tool is an online platform that enables teams to display their work in performance, scouting, recruitment, and squad management. The tool is built around a Monday.com platform with built in security, communication tools, and a phone app.

The default system covers the following key areas:

Worldwide player search with a record for every player in football, along with links to their MRKT dataprofile, Wyscout profile (seperate agreement with Wyscout required), and key data points. Workflow to allow players to be shortlisted with a single click.

Shortlists for each position along with a scouting checklist to bring players through from identification to signing.

Squad Management tool allowing better squad planning, and contract management.

There are a lot more features that we retain for client eyes only but we are confident that the system provides a breakthrough for running clubs analytically. 

The system is used by Champions League level clubs but is now affordable for clubs at any level.

Analytical Thinking

How do you want to play football?

How do you want to attack?

How do you want to defend?

If you already have a clear game model and club philosophy then the next stage is to turn that into data outcomes. What should the data look like if we are playing how we want to?

We work with you to build measurable outcomes from data, we provide over 70 metrics on a match-by-match basis. Our software analyses data files, picking out the patterns of play and sequences that relate closest to the game model and displays the outcomes in a dashboard.

The club sets targets for each element of gameplay, allowing the internal staff to see where improvement is needed.

Insights into the teams’ performance can be found by accessing dashboards with key information.

Reports for senior leadership and ownership are simple with the ability to show progress against targets over time.

Coaching Staff, Analysts, and Recruitment Staff can use the data to plan their work together, identifying where coaching and recruitment can improve performance.

Teams cannot be analysed in isolation so we also include the ability to compare the team’s performance against league rivals. Data is available within the management tool for all league rivals and within the manager search tool for every league. 

Recruitment

A club with a clear playing identity knows how the team should play.

They also know what each player within the team needs to contribute for the team to succeed.

Data helps you quickly filter players to prioritise watching those most likely to do well in your system.

Our systems have more granular player data than any other supplier.

These are the systems we have used to identify undervalued players who have gone from League Two to the Premier League.

Player Search

Player Search contains every player in the world.

They are easily filtered by age, league, xG and xA along with player scores derived from data.

You can simply answer queries like “which players under 21 have played the most minutes in France 2 or England 5?”

Or “Who are the best strikers in Denmark?”

Once your list appears you can view very detailed player profiles.

Profiles compare players to others in the same league, in the same position.

We do not make blanket quality adjustments depending on level. The idea is to identify the best players within leagues for further scouting.

Data is broken down into attacking, defending, passing and playing style.

We like these profiles, they cover every league in Wyscout, we have profiles going back several years. Use them well and you can cover much wider markets than you would normally be able to search.

Detailed Profiles

In addition to the standard profile we also started to build more detailed metrics ourselves, and over the last 5 years have developed data points we know correlates to future success.

For example box defending is vital for centre backs.

Our advanced profiles now allow you to answer questions such as “Which Premier League defenders have an own box aerial win % in the 75th centile and also have xT from carries, and xT from passes above the 70th centile”

This selects this list, perhaps a few surprises but generally the list you would expect.

The beauty of the system is you can run this same query for any league.

So if you want to know who is showing a similarly dominant playing style within France 2 or Germany 4 you simply select to view those players.

Clicking into the profile provides you with even greater depth of information.

You can quickly identify strengths, weaknesses, and stylistic elements (volumes of actions, or playing instructions) of play with descriptions in language familiar to coaches and players.

Detailed specific searches are available for all playing positions.

You can also use this tool to analyse your own players. Which defender is the best box defender, who is your most creative attacker?

Coach Search

Every club should have a contingency plan. The average coach lasts just over a year in most leagues.

Subsribers to our service will receive access to our unique manager profile platform.

Every manager has a profile for each spell of more than 10 games in charge of a club.

Their team’s playing data is compared against other teams within their league, and at a global level. This let’s you identify coaches able to implement a style of play that aligns with the club’s requirements.

A team wanting to play a high possession style can simply filter all coaches who have played that style.

For example if we wanted to show every manager who had played a high possession style in England 3, with xPoints greater than 1.4 per game we would filter the lists using those attributes.

Clicking on the profiles gives a detailed overview of that Coach in that season.

You can also see the Coaches whole career on the left hand side, in Russell Martin’s case he stood out for his ability to play possession football. We have our own metrics, for example “possessions through the thirds” measures possession sequences that go from the defensive – middle – final third.

You can then sort teams within leagues using the filters to measure performance. This is the 2023/24 PL arranged by possessions through the thirds.

This is a good check for player recruitment, is the player joining your team coached to play in a similar style that you are implementing?

Deploying the system

We work with the club staff to create the club score.

We train internal staff on how to use the system.

We provide remote support.

Additional support (trained consultants and scouts) are available to work with you at an additional cost. Our scouts have helped clients build title-winning squads.

We also produce a reporting service, taking the information and writing reports for ownership. Our reports are used by some of the world’s best clubs to make strategic decisions.

Get in touch for pricing, but the system is used by clubs as low as League Two in England so should be easily within budget for your club.