I was listening to BBC Radio Scotland’s football magazine show, Off The Ball, the other day and the show host Stuart Cosgrove and guests were talking about what they love the most about football these days.
To my surprise, they all agreed that Big Data analytics was getting them excited more than anything else the beautiful game has to offer. So, why is the analysis of data so exciting and what does it have to do with football anyway?
Well, the answers to these questions are intrinsically connected. The top clubs in the English Premier League are embracing analytics because, quite simply, it can help them improve. And it’s exciting because it can mean the difference between winning and losing.
As an example, former Chelsea and Scotland striker, who was one of the guests on the show, pointed to how English Premier League clubs are defending corners this season.
Over the past few seasons it had become somewhat fashionable for clubs to instruct players to stand at the goalposts when defending corners to prevent any shots out of the goalkeeper’s reach from sneaking in.
"Watch any game in the English Premier League this season, though," Nevin said. "None of them defend corners with players on the posts now, and why is that? It’s because they’ve analysed the data and that data has told them they are more likely to concede a goal if they do. Instead, the data suggests that they are better having as many players as possible attack that first ball as soon as it comes into the box. Win the first ball and they won’t concede from the corner."
So, I watched the games this weekend and, true enough, none of the teams seemed to have players on the posts. It seems Nevin really knows his stuff. And you can be sure that any clubs making use of Big Data analytics do too. Next time you’re watching a top-flight football match, have a look at how they defend corners.
