At Cypher 2024, former Indian football captain Bhaichung Bhutia advocated merging football and technology. “In Indian football, we are yet to use the technology [AI and analytics] that is used in a much bigger way in world football,” he said.
Bhutia Lauds Liverpool
“I was just reading, not sure if it’s true, that Liverpool signed Mohamed Salah because of data,” recalled Bhutia, pondering over the existence of technology in football and how it’s now a necessity in Indian football.
Ian Graham, former Liverpool head of research, noticed Salah’s performance at Roma, particularly his ability to create goal-scoring opportunities and his exceptional off-the-ball movement. He dived deep into his numbers, highlighting qualities that were overlooked by traditional scouting.
Liverpool has been using data and ML models to increase the team’s efficiency. These models predict player performance, emphasising on recruiting young, undervalued talents like Mohamed Salah. The methods focused on future potential, using metrics such as ‘expected goals’ and ‘possession value models’ to evaluate players’ contributions.
These data insights influenced Liverpool’s recruitment and match strategies, helping the club become dominant.
In the English Premier League (EPL), where millions of dollars are spent on signing an individual player, there’s a lot of pressure on getting the selection process right. Hence, clubs like Liverpool, Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal rely heavily on data analytics for recruitment, tactical planning and injury prevention by using models and tools like expected goals (xG), player tracking, and heat maps to evaluate talent and optimise match tactics.
By analysing data on ball possession, player movement and shot quality, clubs make smarter recruitment decisions and fine-tune in-game strategies, creating a significant competitive edge.
Be Like Pep ‘Data-Driven’ Guardiola
Bhutia further highlighted the importance of technology in football, noting that when Pep Guardiola joined Manchester City, “the first thing he wanted to check was the kind of technology support he’s going to get”.
Manchester signed Kevin De Bruyne after data highlighted his playmaking ability. Chelsea’s acquisition of N’Golo Kante was similarly data informed, revealing his exceptional ability to break up play. Arsenal also implemented data analytics in its recruitment process, with one notable example being the signing of Nicolas Pepe.
The club used data analytics to identify his high xG contributions and his ability to break defensive lines during his time at Lille. The football scouting teams relied heavily on statistical models and tracking data to assess players’ suitability for their system, making the signing a significant example of data-informed recruitment.
Bhutia said that major football nations are now increasingly relying on technology and data for player signings and performance management, making it a vital part of the sport’s evolution.
He said that “major football-playing countries in the world are relying heavily on technology and data to sign and get the performance of players right” and urged Indian football clubs and managers to adopt the same to take the game to the next level.
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