Scouting for Success #16- Reflections on building a data analytics department in football
Welcome to this week's edition of the Scouting for Success newsletter!
In this issue, we will be discussing the importance of analysis in soccer and how it can aid in improving team performance, scouting opponents, and providing valuable insights for commentary and analysis.
We will also explore the journey of Mladen Sormaz, Director of Football Analytics at 777 Partners, and how he built Leicester City's data analytics department from the ground up.
Along the way, we will share some valuable insights and lessons that we hope will be useful to any aspiring football professional.
One-Minute Reading:
Three talking points:
Soccer analysis can provide valuable insights for improving team performance, scouting opponents, and informing commentary and analysis. Both statistical and tactical analysis are crucial for understanding patterns and trends on and off the field.
Effective implementation of data analytics requires a targeted strategy, prioritization of key performance indicators (KPIs), and clear action plans and processes. Automation, asking questions before building, and annotating and explaining new work can help build a scalable and efficient process.
Building a successful analytics department involves not only technical expertise but also effective communication with diverse stakeholders. Creating synergy between data analysts, coaches, scouts, and sports scientists is crucial for achieving the best results. Conferences and other opportunities for collaboration can help bridge the gap between analytics and traditional football practices.
Three questions to consider:
How can soccer clubs, regardless of their budget or resources, make the best use of data analytics to improve their team's performance and recruitment strategies?
What are the main challenges that soccer analysts face when working with diverse stakeholders, and how can these challenges be addressed?
What are the potential benefits and drawbacks of integrating new technology, such as AI and machine learning, into soccer analysis?
Five-Minute Reading:
As an analyst with years of experience in building analytic departments, I have seen the industry evolve, and one area that has gained significant importance in recent years is data analytics.
In this newsletter, I will reflect on the fascinating journey of Mladen Sormaz, Director of Football Analytics at 777 Partners, who built Leicester City's data analytics department from the ground up. He shared some amazing insights from his path a few weeks ago on Training Ground Guru, you can read the article here.
Before diving into the details of Sormaz's process, let's take a moment to understand the four key components of an analytics framework:
Measurement
I remember relying on my instincts and the limited data available to make decisions in my early years. Fast forward to today, and we have a wealth of information at our fingertips. However, deciding what is important to measure and how much weight to give to different pieces of information is crucial.
We can measure almost everything, but it's important to prioritize the right metrics.
We had to identify key performance indicators (KPIs) that were crucial to our playing style and philosophy. This allowed us to focus our efforts on gathering and analyzing data that was most relevant to our objectives. For instance, we concentrated on player movement, ball possession, and successful passes, which helped us refine our tactics and improve our performance on the field.
Strategy
Developing an effective strategy for implementing football analytics is a challenge all practitioners face. Limited resources, time constraints, and competing priorities are common issues we have to deal with.
We adopted a targeted approach by focusing on specific areas where we believed analytics could make the most significant impact. Our strategy included identifying patterns in opponent weaknesses, optimizing player performance, and assisting in recruitment decisions.
By narrowing our focus and concentrating our efforts, we were able to make the best use of our limited resources and achieve tangible results in a relatively short period of time.
Action
Data analytics is only as useful as the actions it informs. We must make a conscious effort to ensure that our analytics work contributes to clear action plans and processes. We need to regularly review our data insights, discuss them with coaching and scouting staff and make adjustments to our tactics and training accordingly.
For example, our analytics work identified a pattern of conceding goals from set-pieces. By addressing this issue in training and tweaking our defensive positioning, we managed to significantly reduce the number of goals conceded from these situations.
Synergy
Creating synergy between data analytics and expert knowledge from the game is essential for achieving the best results. We can foster a collaborative environment where data analysts, coaches, scouts, and sports scientists work together to answer key questions and develop strategies.
One memorable experience was when we discovered that the opponent had a vulnerability when defending against counter-attacks through data analysis. By combining this insight with the expert knowledge of our coaching staff, we devised a game plan that exploited this weakness, ultimately leading to a crucial victory.
When Mladen joined Leicester City, he realized that the technical side of setting up a data analytics department was relatively straightforward compared to the challenges of interacting with diverse stakeholders with varying levels of buy-in, comfort, and experience with data.
To address this challenge, Leicester City organized a conference called Tactical Insights 2020. The goal was to bring together coaches, performance analysts, medical staff, and data scientists to foster discussions and bridge the gap between analytics and traditional football practices.
As the department expanded, Mladen understood the importance of having a scalable and efficient process that could accommodate new team members. He also learned several key lessons that he applied in his role at 777 Partners:
Automation is key.
Ask questions before building.
Take extra time to annotate and explain, especially new work.
Consider different modes of information delivery.
Always participate in staff games to build relationships and become more approachable.
As a professional in the soccer industry, I can personally relate to Mladen's experiences. I recall a time when I had to help set up an analytics department at a club I was working with. It was a challenging yet rewarding experience that involved balancing diverse priorities and effectively communicating with different stakeholders.
What made the experience worthwhile was seeing the tangible benefits of data analytics in improving team performance and recruitment strategies. It also opened up new opportunities for collaboration between coaching staff, analysts, and other departments.
I hope you found Mladen's story as inspiring and educational as I did.
Data analytics has become an integral part of soccer, and understanding the process of building a successful analytics department is essential for any club striving for success on and off-the-pitch.
Thanks for reading this week's newsletter. We hope you found it informative and insightful. As always, please feel free to reach out with any questions or comments.
“Inspiration does exist, but it must find you working.” — Pablo Picasso