performance analysis Archives - Football Innovation Hub

17 Nov Do Black Players Really Run More? A Scientific Examination of a Long-Standing Football Myth

Posted at 14:02h in Research

Last Thursday, during a guest lecture I gave at Stanford University’s “Science of MythBusters” course, we explored how scientific reasoning helps test long-standing beliefs by confronting them with rigorous data rather than intuition.A newly published study provides a clear example of this approach applied to...

11 Nov Do Real Madrid and FC Barcelona dominate because they keep the ball—or because they control the space?

Posted at 13:52h in Research

https://youtu.be/EFYyQPsNVkQ Football has long equated dominance with possession.But what if the real indicator of control isn’t how long you keep the ball, but how fast you can reach it? In collaboration between LaLiga’s Football Intelligence & Performance Department, the University of Zaragoza and the Universidad Rey Juan...

29 Oct “The Game Is Won in the Middle Third.”

Posted at 13:50h in Research

In football, control is often confused with possession. But data from LALIGA EA Sports 2024/25 suggest something more precise:it’s not about having the ball, but about where you have it. What the data tell us Using match-by-match data from every team in LALIGA EA Sports 2024/25, we...

10 Oct Stop saving your substitutions

Posted at 13:03h in Research

Earlier, deeper substitutions sustain high-speed intensity Evidence from LALIGA EA Sports 2024/25 (full season). A real sideline question Minute 68. Your GPS board shows high-speed efforts fading. You’ve used two substitutions (subs); staff are split: hold the rest for the last push, or invest now with a double...

12 Sep “The Ball Has a Life of Its Own: Rethinking Possession in Football”

Posted at 13:49h in Research

https://youtu.be/BgA8MOrG5x0 A coach’s dilemma Every week, coaches and analysts ask themselves the same question: How does my team really build its attacks? We often measure possession in percentages or completed passes, but these numbers don’t explain how a team progresses. Did they circulate endlessly in their own half?...

06 Ago “Your Game or Theirs?”

Posted at 13:14h in Research

Does your team consistently impose its playing style? This post explores how to measure tactical identity through passing networks and data science, based on innovative research by LALIGA’s Football Intelligence & Performance Department. Learn which teams are most consistent, how to assess your own style, and...

performance analysis Tag