Technology and data have become commonplace at the highest levels of professional football. As teams begin to work with multiple datasets and a range of different technologies, OptaPro has aimed to ensure it can cater to this demand, and meet the needs of its clients. OptaPro combines Opta data with that of some key partners: ChryonHego’s analytics on player tracking and movement and Scout 7’s huge bank of video resources on players across the world.
“Football is a low-scoring sport, compared to basketball, for example, which means the score-line lies a lot more. The league table also lies, even a long way into the season. So there’s a need to try and identify some under-lying performance indicators that give you a more solid indication as to where you are going against where you currently are in the table. It’s more a model that takes into account other factors is a fairer reflection of the game to provide a table of justice.”
But now, the 42-year-old managing director of Gabbett Performance Solutions estimates that it takes about two to 10 minutes to analyse the data of an entire team, as the developments in sports science technology have allowed athletes to wear performance-tracking devices from which data can be retrieved within minutes.
The Performance Data Management System has been used by competitors in a range of Olympic sports from cycling and gymnastics to womens rugby, canoeing and hockey
The arrival of the former University of Maryland striker signaled a stylistic change for D.C. manager Ben Olsen, who began the season playing a 4-1-2-1-2 before switching to a 4-4-2 for 12 games. Within a game of Mullins arriving, the team changed to a 4-1-4-1 with Mullins as the lone striker, and they haven’t looked back since.