The Premier League’s Age of Statistics

Why There Are So Many Stats Gathered Today

The Premier League is worth billions. It is one of the biggest exports in the world in terms of sports leagues and is watched in the US as well as Asia and…well, all over the world.

All these millions of viewers want to experience the game in new and interesting ways and even delve into the statistics. People like to make predictions and may even choose to gamble on the league (it is thought to be one of the biggest leagues for gamblers). Statistics are there for the viewers as well as for teams and players to evolve the game. In recent years, we have also seen the introduction of some brand-new stats and metrics. So, what is driving this need for numbers?

Influence of Other Sports and Esports

Football has always been a sport people could watch with zero understanding of stats. Some sports are number-heavy. We’re talking things like cricket and American sports like baseball where there are constant statistics being generated and bowling figures to go along with the gameplay that can be watched.

Esports has taken this to another level entirely. The popularity of esports has continued to grow but in team games where everybody has a role (and everything is recorded digitally, stats are generated all the time). Gambling is another powerful industry, worth billions annually. It has become very different in recent times as bookmakers and sportsbooks incorporate more statistics and things like individual markets for players that can be based on their performance.

Some platforms even offer people the option to gamble on both esports and sportsbooks
and Thunderpick has markets for both including those based on some of the more in-depth statistics generated by the games. Football has taken the statistical approach and taken it further. Stats may allow people to gather information on things like whether or not a player will make a foul or have a shot on target. These individual markets are different from those in esports as the mechanics of the games are different, but are gathered and collated in a similar way and allow bettors to check out the form before they make any choices.

Esports is predicted to keep growing in the coming years and could be worth over 10 billion a year to the global economy so it is likely even more stats will be gathered. Games continue to get updates and new mechanics (something physical sports can’t do) as explored in the video below:
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/WCXySCFcp4E

Clubs Try to Gain an Advantage

One of the most significant shifts brought about by the rise of statistics is how clubs evaluate and scout players on their teams or that they might want to bring in. Gone are the days when
managers relied purely on gut instinct or video highlights to make big-money decisions. Nowadays a player’s statistical profile can be just as important as their physical ability. Scouts and coaches analyze everything from the number of key passes a player makes to their positioning when their team is out of possession.

Take the rise of the so-called ''Moneyball'' strategy, named after the statistical approach used by Billy Beane in baseball. Data allows clubs to sign players whose contributions might not immediately show up in conventional metrics but are vital to the team’s success and they may be recruited to fit a specific system that the team players. Porto gained a reputation for being one of the top Moneyball clubs in the world.

Modern footballers are now aware that they are being constantly monitored which means a lot less partying and a lot more clean living (George Best may not have liked the modern game). It's not enough to be a gifted dribbler or a deadly finisher anymore; players must excel in various aspects of the game such as tracking back and covering a lot of yards – many of these areas are analyzed through data.

Growing Technology and The Future

One of the reasons behind the abundance of statistics in modern football is the technological leap in data collection. Cameras and sensors around the stadium can track every player's 
movement. Wearables are huge now. GPS trackers worn by players help capture data on their fitness levels and much more.

Now, AI is threatening to make some changes. Artificial intelligence and machine learning have further enabled the development of predictive models. These models can help coaches anticipate how a game might unfold or identify patterns in an opponent’s strategy. Clubs can even use AI to simulate match scenarios, giving them insights that were previously out of
reach.

Technology has already altered the way people view the game. It is common now to see somebody watching on their phone. However, it is making huge strides in the way teams are managed and their tactical approaches, and many fans have an interest in this side of things too.