When Michael Edwards went to Liverpool as an analyst, he built a data department that included an astrophysicist, a chess champion and a former researcher on the Higgs boson at CERN
Save time by listening to our audio articles as you multitaskMr Edwards was not the first to study English football through data. In the 1950s an accountant called Charles Reep began tallying passes, crosses and shots, annotating over 2,000 games and writing up his findings in the. His main conclusion was that a team’s chances of keeping the ball fell with each pass. The implication was that they should shoot on goal as quickly as possible.
Already, the adoption of analytics by most elite teams means the advantage conferred has shrunk. The launch of giant player databases has aided due diligence on potential signings. Tactics have changed too: long-range shots and crosses have declined in the Premier League as data has shown they might lead to fewer goals than many coaches realised.
Still, there is more to come. One club official tells Mr Smith that “there are no more than a handful of teams in English football doing anything even vaguely useful with analytics.” In its secrecy, at least, football remains a closed shop. Nevertheless, “Expected Goals” is an upbeat tale of openness. Mr Edwards and others have proved there is more than one way to achieve success—and persuaded an often insular game to become more broad-minded.
Belgique Dernières Nouvelles, Belgique Actualités
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