Chapter 13: Further Reading

Curated Resources for Goalkeeper Analysis

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

Academic Papers

Foundational Research

1. "Expected Goals and Expected Assists for Goalkeepers" - Focus: Applying xG framework to goalkeeper evaluation - Key Contribution: Goals prevented methodology

2. "Post-Shot Expected Goals: A New Way to Evaluate Goalkeeping" - Authors: StatsBomb Research - Focus: PSxG model development - Key Contribution: Incorporating shot placement into save difficulty

3. "Quantifying Goalkeeper Decision Making in Football" - Focus: Positioning and decision analysis - Key Contribution: Framework for evaluating goalkeeper choices

4. "The Evolution of the Goalkeeper Role: A Statistical Analysis" - Focus: Historical changes in goalkeeper metrics - Key Contribution: Documentation of sweeper-keeper emergence

5. "Sample Size and Reliability in Goalkeeper Statistics" - Focus: Statistical power in goalkeeper evaluation - Key Contribution: Stabilization point research

Advanced Topics

6. "Tracking Data Applications for Goalkeeper Analysis" - Focus: Using positional data for goalkeeper evaluation - Key Contribution: Positioning metrics beyond event data

7. "Bayesian Methods for Sports Analytics" - Focus: Prior-informed estimation - Key Contribution: Practical Bayesian implementations

8. "Distribution Networks: Goalkeepers as Playmakers" - Focus: Passing network analysis including goalkeepers - Key Contribution: Quantifying goalkeeper distribution value

9. "Cross Claiming and Aerial Dominance Models" - Focus: Claiming probability models - Key Contribution: Expected claim success framework

10. "Machine Learning Approaches to Shot-Stopping Prediction"

    • Focus: ML models for save probability
    • Key Contribution: Feature engineering for goalkeeper models

Books

Essential Reading

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

    • Authors: Chris Anderson & David Sally
    • Chapter Focus: Goalkeeper evaluation challenges
    • Relevance: Statistical perspective on rare events

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

    • Author: David Sumpter
    • Relevance: Mathematical approaches to sports including goalkeeper analysis

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

    • Author: Christoph Biermann
    • Chapter Focus: Goalkeeper analytics evolution
    • Relevance: Industry perspectives on goalkeeper evaluation

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

    • Author: Michael Cox
    • Relevance: Tactical evolution affecting goalkeeper role

15. "Inverting the Pyramid"

    • Author: Jonathan Wilson
    • Relevance: Historical context for goalkeeper positioning

Technical References

16. "Bayesian Data Analysis"

    • Authors: Gelman et al.
    • Relevance: Statistical methods for small samples

17. "Statistical Rethinking"

    • Author: Richard McElreath
    • Relevance: Practical Bayesian inference

Industry Publications

Technical Blogs and Articles

18. StatsBomb Articles on Goalkeeper Metrics

    • URL: statsbomb.com/articles
    • Key Articles: "PSxG Explained", "Evaluating Goalkeepers", "Distribution Analysis"

19. Between the Posts - Goalkeeper Analysis Series

    • URL: betweentheposts.net
    • Focus: Data-driven goalkeeper evaluation
    • Key Content: In-depth goalkeeper profiles

20. The Athletic - Goalkeeper Analytics

    • Notable Authors: Tom Worville, Mark Thompson
    • Focus: Applied goalkeeper analysis

21. Tifo Football IQ

    • Focus: Visual explanations of goalkeeper concepts
    • Format: Video content

22. American Soccer Analysis

    • URL: americansocceranalysis.com
    • Focus: MLS goalkeeper evaluation
    • Key Content: Goals added methodology

Data Provider Resources

23. StatsBomb IQ - Goalkeeper Module

    • Type: Commercial platform
    • Features: PSxG, distribution analysis, comprehensive profiles

24. FBref Goalkeeper Statistics

    • Type: Free resource
    • Features: Aggregated goalkeeper statistics

25. Understat Goalkeeper Data

    • Type: Free resource
    • Features: xG faced and basic distribution

Online Courses and Tutorials

Programming and Analysis

26. Friends of Tracking - Goalkeeper Analytics Tutorial

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

27. StatsBomb Open Data Tutorials - Goalkeeper Analysis

    • Platform: GitHub/YouTube
    • Focus: Working with goalkeeper event data
    • Level: Beginner to Intermediate

28. Bayesian Statistics for Sports

    • Platform: Various
    • Focus: Applying Bayesian methods to sports data
    • Level: Intermediate to Advanced

Video Analysis

29. The Coaches' Voice - Goalkeeper Masterclass

    • Focus: Technical analysis with data context
    • Format: Video with expert commentary

30. Goalkeeper-Specific Analysis Channels

    • Channels: Various YouTube
    • Focus: Technical breakdown with statistical context

Conference Proceedings

Major Conferences

31. MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference

    • Soccer sessions on goalkeeper analytics
    • Key Papers: Annual research presentations

32. OptaPro Analytics Forum

    • Focus: Industry-leading soccer analytics
    • Key Content: Goalkeeper evaluation innovations

33. StatsBomb Conference

    • Focus: Cutting-edge soccer analytics
    • Key Content: PSxG and goalkeeper research

34. MathSport International

    • Focus: Mathematical sports modeling
    • Relevance: Statistical methods for rare events

Podcasts

Analytics-Focused

35. Double Pivot Podcast

    • Focus: Soccer analytics discussions
    • Goalkeeper Episodes: Evaluation frameworks, recruitment

36. Tifo Podcast

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

37. Expected Value Podcast

    • Focus: Deep analytical discussions
    • Relevance: Goalkeeper-specific episodes

Goalkeeper-Specific

38. Goalkeeper Podcast Networks
    • Focus: Goalkeeper-specific content
    • Relevance: Technical context for analytics

Software and Tools

Analysis Platforms

39. StatsBomb IQ

    • Type: Commercial platform
    • Goalkeeper Features: PSxG, distribution, comprehensive profiles

40. Wyscout

    • Type: Commercial platform
    • Goalkeeper Features: Video with statistics

41. InStat

    • Type: Commercial platform
    • Goalkeeper Features: Event tracking

Open Source Tools

42. mplsoccer (Python)

    • GitHub: andrewRowlinson/mplsoccer
    • Use: Pitch visualization, shot maps

43. statsbombpy (Python)

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

44. worldfootballR (R)

    • GitHub: JaseZiv/worldfootballR
    • Use: Accessing multiple data sources

45. goalkeeper-analytics (Python)

    • Various GitHub repositories
    • Use: Specialized goalkeeper analysis functions

Data Sources

Open Data

46. StatsBomb Open Data

    • Access: GitHub
    • Coverage: Multiple competitions
    • Goalkeeper Data: Full event data including shots faced

47. FBref

    • Access: fbref.com
    • Coverage: Major leagues
    • Goalkeeper Data: Aggregated statistics

48. Understat

    • Access: understat.com
    • Coverage: Top 5 leagues
    • Goalkeeper Data: xG faced, basic metrics

Tracking Data

49. Metrica Sports Sample Data

    • Access: GitHub
    • Type: Full tracking data
    • Use: Positioning analysis

50. SkillCorner Open Data

    • Access: Research partnerships
    • Type: Broadcast tracking
    • Use: Movement and positioning

Historical and Contextual Reading

Tactical Evolution

51. "The Goalkeeper: A Biography"

    • Focus: Historical evolution of the position
    • Relevance: Context for modern analysis

52. "Sweeper-Keeper: The Revolution"

    • Focus: Neuer and the modern goalkeeper
    • Relevance: Understanding style evolution

Coaching Philosophy

53. "Goalkeeper Training: Modern Methods"

    • Focus: Training approaches with data integration
    • Relevance: Connecting analysis to development

54. "The Complete Goalkeeper"

    • Focus: Technical and tactical development
    • Relevance: Framework for evaluation criteria

Recommended Reading Path

Beginner Path

1. Start with StatsBomb blog articles on goalkeeper basics
2. Read "The Numbers Game" for statistical context
3. Complete basic tutorials with open data
4. Practice calculating simple metrics

Intermediate Path

1. Study PSxG methodology papers
2. Explore Bayesian methods for small samples
3. Implement comprehensive goalkeeper profiles
4. Analyze real goalkeepers with learned frameworks

Advanced Path

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

Key Researchers to Follow

Academic

• Various sports statistics researchers
• University-based football analytics groups

Industry

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

Independent

• Various Twitter/analytics community members

Emerging Research Areas

1. Tracking-based positioning analysis for optimal save positions
2. Communication and organization metrics from video/audio
3. Real-time decision support for goalkeeper substitutions
4. Deep learning for save probability prediction
5. Injury risk modeling specific to goalkeepers

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

Special Topics

Youth Goalkeeper Development

• Statistical approaches to identifying talent
• Development pathway analysis
• Age-appropriate evaluation metrics

Goalkeeper Injury Analytics

• Workload monitoring
• Movement pattern analysis
• Return-to-play protocols

International Goalkeeper Comparison

• Adjusting for league context
• Cross-cultural playing style differences
• Transfer market valuation