Chapter 12: Further Reading

Curated Resources for Defensive Metrics and Analysis

This collection provides pathways for deeper exploration of defensive analytics, from foundational concepts to cutting-edge research.

Academic Papers

Foundational Research

1. "Quantifying the Value of Defensive Contributions in Football" - Authors: Fernandez & Bornn - Focus: Spatial value of defensive actions - Key Contribution: Framework for valuing off-ball defensive positioning

2. "Expected Threat (xT): Measuring the Value of Field Position" - Authors: Singh (Karun) - Focus: Spatial value framework applicable to defensive analysis - Key Contribution: Foundation for defensive xT prevented calculations

3. "Decomposing the Immeasurable Sport: A Deep Learning Expected Possession Value Framework" - Authors: Fernandez, Bornn, & Cervone - Focus: Possession value including defensive contribution - Key Contribution: VAEP framework for defensive action valuation

4. "Wide Open Spaces: A Statistical Technique for Measuring Space Creation in Professional Soccer" - Authors: Fernandez & Bornn (Sloan Sports Analytics Conference) - Focus: Spatial control metrics - Key Contribution: Pitch control models applicable to defensive analysis

5. "Actions Speak Louder than Goals: Valuing Player Actions in Soccer" - Authors: Decroos et al. - Focus: VAEP methodology - Key Contribution: Action-level value including defensive actions

Advanced Topics

6. "Pressing in the Spanish LaLiga: Defining Defensive Pressing Behaviors" - Focus: Pressing classification and measurement - Key Contribution: Taxonomies for pressing styles

7. "Evaluating the Performance of Pressing in Football" - Focus: Pressing effectiveness metrics - Key Contribution: Counter-pressing success measurement

8. "Network Science in Soccer: Implications for Defending" - Focus: Defensive network analysis - Key Contribution: Applying network metrics to defensive structures

9. "Tracking Data Analysis: Defensive Positioning and Shape" - Focus: High-frequency tracking data applications - Key Contribution: Compactness and shape metrics

10. "Machine Learning for Defensive Player Evaluation"

    • Focus: ML approaches to defender assessment
    • Key Contribution: Feature engineering for defensive metrics

Books

Essential Reading

11. "The Numbers Game: Why Everything You Know About Football is Wrong"

    • Authors: Chris Anderson & David Sally
    • Chapter Focus: Defensive importance in soccer outcomes
    • Relevance: Statistical perspective on defense's value

12. "Soccermatics: Mathematical Adventures in the Beautiful Game"

    • Author: David Sumpter
    • Chapter Focus: Mathematical modeling of defensive strategies
    • Relevance: Probabilistic frameworks for defense

13. "Football Hackers: The Science and Art of a Data Revolution"

    • Author: Christoph Biermann
    • Chapter Focus: Defensive analytics case studies
    • Relevance: Real-world applications of defensive analysis

14. "Zonal Marking: The Making of Modern European Football"

    • Author: Michael Cox
    • Relevance: Tactical evolution of defensive systems

15. "Inverting the Pyramid: The History of Football Tactics"

    • Author: Jonathan Wilson
    • Relevance: Historical context for defensive tactical development

Technical References

16. "Sports Analytics: A Guide for Coaches, Managers, and Other Decision Makers"

    • Authors: Benjamin Alamar
    • Relevance: Statistical methods applicable to defensive analysis

17. "Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game"

    • Author: Michael Lewis
    • Relevance: Framework for valuing underrated contributions (parallel to defense)

Industry Publications

Technical Blogs and Articles

18. StatsBomb IQ Articles on Defensive Metrics

    • URL: statsbomb.com/articles
    • Focus: PPDA, pressing metrics, defensive analysis
    • Key Articles: "What is PPDA and is it useful?", "Evaluating Defenders"

19. Between the Posts - Defensive Analysis Series

    • URL: betweentheposts.net
    • Focus: Tactical defensive analysis
    • Key Articles: Pressing analysis, defensive structure breakdowns

20. The Athletic - Tactical Analysis

    • Focus: In-depth defensive tactical analysis
    • Notable Authors: Michael Caley, Tom Worville

21. Tifo Football IQ

    • URL: theathletic.com/tifo
    • Focus: Video explanations of defensive concepts
    • Format: Visual learning resources

22. American Soccer Analysis

    • URL: americansocceranalysis.com
    • Focus: MLS defensive metrics analysis
    • Key Content: g+ defensive contribution

Data Provider Resources

23. Opta Pro Forum Presentations

    • Focus: Industry research on defensive metrics
    • Key Presentations: Annual analytics forum content

24. Second Spectrum Research

    • Focus: Tracking data defensive applications
    • Key Content: Off-ball defensive value models

25. SkillCorner Open Research

    • Focus: Publicly available tracking research
    • Key Content: Defensive intensity and pressing data

Online Courses and Tutorials

Programming and Analysis

26. Friends of Tracking - Defensive Metrics Tutorial

    • Platform: YouTube
    • Focus: Python implementation of defensive metrics
    • Level: Intermediate

27. Soccermatics Course - Defensive Analysis Module

    • Platform: Various
    • Focus: Mathematical modeling of defense
    • Level: Advanced

28. StatsBomb Open Data Tutorials

    • Platform: GitHub/YouTube
    • Focus: Working with event data for defensive analysis
    • Level: Beginner to Intermediate

29. DataCamp - Sports Analytics Track

    • Focus: General sports analytics with soccer applications
    • Level: Beginner to Intermediate

30. Coursera - Statistics for Sports Analysis

    • Focus: Statistical methods for sports data
    • Relevance: Foundational statistics for defensive metrics

Video Analysis

31. Tactical Analysis YouTube Channels

    • Channels: Tifo, The Coaches' Voice, Pep Confident
    • Focus: Visual tactical defensive analysis
    • Level: All levels

32. Coach Positioning Analysis Courses

    • Platform: Various coaching education
    • Focus: Defensive positioning principles
    • Level: Intermediate

Conference Proceedings

Major Conferences

33. MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference

    • Soccer sessions increasingly feature defensive analysis
    • Key Papers: Annual research presentations

34. MathSport International

    • Focus: Mathematical approaches to sports including soccer defense
    • Key Content: Statistical modeling papers

35. OptaPro Analytics Forum

    • Focus: Industry-leading soccer analytics research
    • Key Presentations: Defensive metrics innovations

36. StatsBomb Conference

    • Focus: Cutting-edge soccer analytics
    • Key Content: Defensive analysis research

37. KDD Sports Analytics Workshop

    • Focus: Machine learning in sports
    • Relevance: Advanced defensive evaluation methods

Podcasts

Analytics-Focused

38. Double Pivot Podcast

    • Focus: Soccer analytics discussions
    • Defensive Episodes: Defender evaluation, pressing analysis

39. Tifo Podcast

    • Focus: Tactical analysis with analytics integration
    • Format: Accessible explanations

40. Analytics FC Podcast

    • Focus: Technical analytics discussions
    • Defensive Content: Metric development, evaluation frameworks

41. Expected Value Podcast

    • Focus: Deep analytical discussions
    • Relevance: Methodological approaches to defensive analysis

Tactical Analysis

42. The Coaches' Voice Podcast

    • Focus: Coaching perspectives on tactics
    • Defensive Content: System explanations from practitioners

43. Total Football Analysis Podcast

    • Focus: In-depth tactical breakdowns
    • Defensive Content: Team defensive system analysis

Software and Tools

Analysis Platforms

44. StatsBomb IQ

    • Type: Commercial platform
    • Defensive Features: PPDA, pressure maps, defensive action analysis

45. Wyscout

    • Type: Commercial platform
    • Defensive Features: Defensive statistics, video tagging

46. InStat

    • Type: Commercial platform
    • Defensive Features: Defensive action tracking

Open Source Tools

47. mplsoccer (Python)

    • GitHub: andrewRowlinson/mplsoccer
    • Use: Pitch visualization for defensive action maps

48. statsbombpy (Python)

    • GitHub: statsbomb/statsbombpy
    • Use: Accessing StatsBomb open data

49. ggsoccer (R)

    • GitHub: Torvaney/ggsoccer
    • Use: Soccer pitch visualization in R

50. socceraction (Python)

    • GitHub: ML-KULeuven/socceraction
    • Use: VAEP calculations including defensive value

Data Sources

Open Data

51. StatsBomb Open Data

    • Access: GitHub
    • Coverage: Multiple competitions including World Cups
    • Defensive Data: Full event-level defensive actions

52. Wyscout Open Data

    • Access: figshare
    • Coverage: European leagues sample
    • Defensive Data: Tagged events

53. FBref

    • Access: fbref.com
    • Coverage: Aggregated statistics
    • Defensive Data: Standard defensive statistics

Tracking Data

54. Metrica Sports Sample Data

    • Access: GitHub
    • Type: Tracking data samples
    • Defensive Use: Positioning and shape analysis

55. Last Row View (Tracking Data Analytics)

    • Access: Research samples
    • Type: Open tracking data
    • Defensive Use: Movement and spacing analysis

Historical and Contextual Reading

Tactical Evolution

56. "The Mixer: The Story of Premier League Tactics"

    • Author: Michael Cox
    • Focus: Evolution of English defensive tactics

57. "Brilliant Orange: The Neurotic Genius of Dutch Football"

    • Author: David Winner
    • Focus: Total Football's defensive revolution

58. "La Roja: How Soccer Conquered Spain"

    • Author: Jimmy Burns
    • Focus: Spanish passing-based defensive approach

Coaching Philosophy

59. "Pep Confidential"

    • Author: Marti Perarnau
    • Focus: Guardiola's defensive pressing philosophy

60. "Cruyff's Football Total Football"

    • Focus: Foundational pressing concepts
    • Relevance: Theoretical basis for modern pressing

Recommended Reading Path

Beginner Path

1. Start with StatsBomb blog articles on basic defensive metrics
2. Read "The Numbers Game" for statistical context
3. Complete Friends of Tracking tutorials
4. Practice with StatsBomb open data

Intermediate Path

1. Study VAEP and xT papers for value frameworks
2. Explore pressing research papers
3. Implement defensive metrics in Python
4. Analyze real matches using learned frameworks

Advanced Path

1. Engage with tracking data research
2. Study machine learning approaches
3. Attend/watch conference presentations
4. Develop novel metrics and frameworks

Key Researchers to Follow

Academic

• Javier Fernandez (Barcelona FC)
• Luke Bornn (Sacramento Kings, formerly)
• Lotte Bransen (SciSports)
• Jan Van Haaren (KU Leuven)

Industry

• Ted Knutson (StatsBomb)
• Marek Kwiatkowski (formerly Opta)
• Will Spearman (formerly Liverpool FC)
• Sarah Rudd (Arsenal FC)

Independent

• Michael Caley (@MC_of_A)
• Tom Worville (@Worville)
• Mark Thompson (@EveryTeam_Mark)

Emerging Research Areas

1. Off-ball defensive contribution using tracking data
2. Defensive communication metrics from audio/video
3. Real-time pressing optimization for coaching
4. Deep learning for defensive action prediction
5. Multi-agent defensive modeling for team analysis

These areas represent the frontier of defensive analytics research and offer opportunities for original contribution.