For example, few Liverpool fans would accept that, on form, there are better midfielders around than Steven Gerrard. However, (and this is just a hypothetical) using this statistical method created by SABR, we could look at say, Xabi Alonso and say, in season A he scored 10 less goals than Gerrard and less assists. So on the face of if, Gerrard is more important to the club. But using his method, we would say well, Alonso has a far greater pass completion, has laid on more shots at goal for teammates; that the whole teams’ pass completion is significantly higher when he plays, than when he doesn’t and the team controls games more, enjoys at least 15% more possession and thus wins a greater percentage of games when he is playing than when he isn’t. Throw in another stat that Gerrard performs better when he is in the side (statistically), and by applying saber metrics, we would be able to show that Alonso is a better and more valuable player to the side as a whole. And that, in essence, is at the core of the stats analysis: find the best players that will contribute more to the team and improve the team, rather than finding the most talented individuals that contribute more to themselves. Subconsciously, Liverpool fans show a latent understanding of this method when dreaming of a team of Carraghers: it is not necessarily his individual abilities that set him out as valuable but his contributions to the team as a whole over a 38 game season.
The principle at the heart of this idea is not exactly alien to us though. We can look to our previous manager, Rafael Benitez, who was obsessed with statistics and analysis of his players’ game. He, himself implemented a kind of diluted version at Liverpool. You only have to look at some of his signings – Kuyt, Riera (for one season), Aurelio, Crouch, and more. They all contributed to creating a better, more effective team, whilst not necessarily being outstanding individually, but the statistics show that they often excelled in one area and that helped the whole. In fact, going further back, he used this method at Valencia; maximising the talents of a fairly average set of players, by putting them in a system that brought out their strengths to the benefit of the team. Valencia won two league titles, and have floundered since, with better players.
The stats in football are potentially endless, and it is perhaps there where this statistical analysis of football could stumble. With the right coach though, given the right tools and funding, with an open-minded approach, it could well be implemented to good effect in the coming years.
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yeh,good news.now lets get rid of hodgson and get kenny or klinsman as coach.lets get new players like afelay,lopez, lass diara,arda turan,taye taiwo,steve taylor.lets sell kuyt(11m),lucas(7m),maxi(2m),kygiakos(2m)babel,(9m),ngog(3m)insua(5m),agger(7m),poulsen(3m)konchesky(2m)plessis(1m),elzhar(1m) giving us 53m plus the 20 from the new owners and we have 70m to spent on the players i said.
I would not think those type of statistics stack up in football.
Baseball is very much like cricket in that it is a sport though a team sport is very much controlled by individual performances.
The one thing needed in building a successful side is having players that suit the league and style of play.
Gelling as a side and flair/creativity are often things statistics do not account for.
With the central contracts in place, English player can now play with the freedom their talent warrants.