Professional Soccer Analytics brings modern data science techniques to the world's most popular sport. This textbook covers the analytical methods used by professional clubs, media companies, and data providers to evaluate players, predict match outcomes, and understand tactical patterns.
Core topics include expected goals (xG) models, pass networks, pitch coordinate analysis, player similarity metrics, and match prediction systems. You'll learn to work with event data from providers like StatsBomb and build your own analytical models.
The book bridges the gap between football analytics theory and practice, with detailed implementations and real data examples. It's designed for aspiring football analysts, data scientists exploring sports applications, and anyone interested in understanding football through data.