The importance attached to in-depth performance analysis in professional football has developed significantly over the past decade. Leading clubs appreciate that detailed objective information regarding the performance of their players – not to mention those of the opposition – is an essential ingredient that aids coaches as they seek to prepare and develop their squads.

Existing technology used to evaluate performance in elite football now includes match video editing software, movement tracking systems, 3D technique analysis and heart rate monitors. Such systems have been developed to assist multiple needs including post-match team appraisal, individual player assessment, opponent analysis, physical preparation, and in-depth research projects. Sport Universal Process, the European leader in match analysis, invented and brought player tracking technology to the marketplace.

Its revolutionary Amisco ® system is currently installed and used by forty clubs across four of Europe’s leading domestic leagues (England, France, Germany, and Spain) including Bayer Leverkusen, Chelsea, Liverpool, Lyon, Man Utd, Marseille, Real Madrid, and Valencia.

Its tracking solution uses eight fixed sensors and complex image processing algorithms, to track each individual player at a rate of 25 times per second. This technological advancement has allowed the user to conduct a far deeper analysis than ever before, not to mention in far less time.

Due to the tracking of all players it is possible to construct and watch a 2D animation of the game in its entirety, evaluate each player’s movement, and build a complete and comprehensive breakdown of each individual’s fitness profile, not to mention their actions, distance from opponent, plus, the team’s shape, all of which cannot be seen on normal video that concentrates almost solely on the individual in possession.

Sport Universal Process’ extensive European client base means that it codes and analyses in excess of 3,500 games per season. Hence, it has accumulated the world’s largest database of match statistics on elite physical, technical and tactical performance, meaning that it is now possible for the first time to directly compare the English, French, German and Spanish premier domestic leagues. *average calculation based on total number of games used in the study = 794

This initial comparative analysis demonstrates some important factors that coaches need to consider. For example, in UEFA competitions German and Spanish clubs may want to contemplate how they will effectively cope with the intensity that English and French sides play at, and viceversa. Mean data of this type also allows clubs to consider how the statistics of their players compare to their league averages.

Although consideration of league averages is a worthwhile exercise this is only the tip of the iceberg. Football coaching staff require a battery of tools that allow them to continuously appraise the performance of their own team and that of each opponent. When doing so they need to consider a whole host of parameters. For instance, fitness KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) such as total distance run and distance in high intensity help measure the impact of a training regime, monitor the later phase of a player’s rehabilitation from injury, and identify players experiencing a decline in performance, amongst many other factors.

Technical KPIs identify players’ trends in form and allows for the comparison between squad members, while technical stats not only help the club develop their own players, but can assist their preparation for each opponent. For example, an above average number of ball touches could distinguish players who are more likely to take players on.

Through the Amisco solution, Sport Universal Process provides its clients with the tools to access a wealth of information concerning tactical, technical, behavioural and physical performance parameters in a host of formats including match video sequences, 2D match reconstruction, tables, graphs and spatial data. With this data coaches are well placed to identify the individual and collective strengths of their players, as well as highlighting areas that require improvement. They also have the tools to identify tactics for countering the opposition’s strengths and exploiting their weaknesses.

As Michael Edwards, Portsmouth’s performance analyst, explains: “We have found Amisco an invaluable tool for pre and postmatch analysis. It does not just give you a statistic, but one that can have a real impact to an individual or team. Last season it gave us the ability to pinpoint trends in our physical capabilities that helped the team strive towards new and improved targets.”

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez offers support to the benefits associated with using the system: “You have absolutely everything, you know at which speed each player runs, or at what distance the defence line is situated, or anything you want.”

It seems that in the modern day of world football, when the smallest details can earn points which might translate to millions of pounds, the leading forces in the game are passionately driven to take on board the new tecnnologies that are making our understanding and appreciation of the game and its tactical offerings even greater than ever. n