Chapter 14: Further Reading

Curated Resources for Set Piece Analytics

This collection provides pathways for deeper exploration of set piece analysis, from foundational concepts to specialized applications.

Academic Papers

Foundational Research

1. "The Science of Set Piece Goals" - Focus: Quantifying set piece contribution to goal scoring - Key Contribution: Comprehensive breakdown of set piece types and values

2. "Corner Kick Analysis in Elite Football" - Focus: Delivery patterns and outcome modeling - Key Contribution: Framework for corner classification

3. "Game Theory and Penalty Kicks" - Authors: Various economics researchers - Focus: Mixed strategy equilibrium in penalty situations - Key Contribution: Mathematical framework for penalty analysis

4. "Pressure and Performance in Penalty Shootouts" - Focus: Psychological factors affecting conversion - Key Contribution: Quantification of pressure effects

5. "Free Kick Trajectory Modeling" - Focus: Physics of free kick ball flight - Key Contribution: Technical analysis of shooting technique

Advanced Topics

6. "Tracking Data Applications for Set Piece Analysis" - Focus: Using positional data to analyze movement patterns - Key Contribution: Beyond event data for set pieces

7. "Machine Learning for Set Piece Outcome Prediction" - Focus: Predicting set piece results before delivery - Key Contribution: Feature engineering for set piece models

8. "The Long Throw-In: A Statistical Examination" - Focus: Quantifying long throw effectiveness - Key Contribution: Economic value of throw-in specialists

9. "Defensive Set Piece Organization" - Focus: Zonal vs. man-marking effectiveness - Key Contribution: Comparative analysis of defensive systems

10. "Set Piece xG: Building Specialized Models"

    • Focus: Why separate xG models improve set piece evaluation
    • Key Contribution: Model comparison and feature importance

Books

Essential Reading

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

    • Authors: Chris Anderson & David Sally
    • Chapter Focus: Set piece value analysis
    • Relevance: Foundational understanding of set piece importance

12. "Soccermatics"

    • Author: David Sumpter
    • Relevance: Mathematical modeling of penalty kicks

13. "Football Hackers"

    • Author: Christoph Biermann
    • Chapter Focus: Set piece innovation in modern football
    • Relevance: Industry perspective on analytical approaches

14. "Inverting the Pyramid"

    • Author: Jonathan Wilson
    • Relevance: Historical evolution of set piece tactics

15. "Zonal Marking"

    • Author: Michael Cox
    • Relevance: Tactical context for set piece strategies

Technical References

16. "Game Theory and Strategic Behavior"

    • Relevance: Understanding mixed strategies in penalties

17. "Applied Predictive Modeling"

    • Authors: Kuhn & Johnson
    • Relevance: Building outcome prediction models

Industry Publications

Technical Blogs and Articles

18. StatsBomb - Set Piece Analysis Series

    • URL: statsbomb.com/articles
    • Key Articles: "The Art of the Set Piece", "Corner Kick Efficiency"

19. The Athletic - Set Piece Features

    • Notable Authors: Various tactical analysts
    • Focus: Applied set piece analysis for major clubs

20. Between the Posts - Set Piece Breakdowns

    • URL: betweentheposts.net
    • Focus: Detailed set piece pattern analysis

21. Tifo Football

    • Focus: Video explanations of set piece tactics
    • Format: Accessible visual content

22. Spielverlagerung

    • Focus: Deep tactical analysis including set pieces
    • Language: English/German

Data Provider Resources

23. StatsBomb IQ - Set Piece Module

    • Type: Commercial platform
    • Features: Comprehensive set piece tracking and visualization

24. Opta Set Piece Analysis

    • Type: Commercial data
    • Features: Detailed set piece event data

25. Second Spectrum Set Piece Tracking

    • Type: Tracking data provider
    • Features: Player movement during set pieces

Online Courses and Tutorials

Programming and Analysis

26. Friends of Tracking - Set Piece Analysis Tutorial

    • Platform: YouTube
    • Focus: Python implementation of set piece analysis
    • Level: Intermediate

27. StatsBomb Open Data - Corner Analysis

    • Platform: GitHub/Documentation
    • Focus: Working with corner kick data
    • Level: Beginner to Intermediate

28. Game Theory for Sports Analytics

    • Platform: Various
    • Focus: Applying game theory to penalty analysis
    • Level: Intermediate

Video Analysis

29. The Coaches' Voice - Set Piece Masterclasses

    • Focus: Expert coaching perspectives
    • Format: Video with tactical analysis

30. Set Piece Coaching Tutorials

    • Platform: Various coaching platforms
    • Focus: Practical training implementation

Conference Proceedings

Major Conferences

31. MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference

    • Set piece-focused presentations
    • Key Papers: Annual research on corner and penalty analysis

32. OptaPro Analytics Forum

    • Focus: Industry-leading soccer analytics
    • Key Content: Set piece innovations

33. StatsBomb Conference

    • Focus: Cutting-edge soccer analytics
    • Key Content: Advanced set piece research

34. World Congress of Science and Football

    • Focus: Scientific approaches to football
    • Relevance: Biomechanics of set pieces

Podcasts

Analytics-Focused

35. Double Pivot Podcast

    • Focus: Soccer analytics discussions
    • Set Piece Episodes: Pattern recognition, penalty psychology

36. Tifo Podcast

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

37. Analytics FC Podcast

    • Focus: Deep analytical discussions
    • Relevance: Set piece methodology episodes

Coaching Perspective

38. The Coaches' Voice Podcast

    • Focus: Coaching insights
    • Relevance: Set piece training approaches

39. Modern Soccer Coach Podcast

    • Focus: Tactical and technical coaching
    • Set Piece Content: Training session design

Software and Tools

Analysis Platforms

40. StatsBomb IQ

    • Type: Commercial platform
    • Set Piece Features: Delivery tracking, outcome modeling

41. Hudl/Wyscout

    • Type: Video analysis platform
    • Set Piece Features: Clip tagging and analysis

42. Metrica Sports

    • Type: Tracking data platform
    • Set Piece Features: Movement pattern analysis

Open Source Tools

43. mplsoccer (Python)

    • GitHub: andrewRowlinson/mplsoccer
    • Use: Pitch visualization for set pieces

44. statsbombpy (Python)

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

45. socceraction (Python)

    • GitHub: ML-KULeuven/socceraction
    • Use: VAEP and action value modeling

Data Sources

Open Data

46. StatsBomb Open Data

    • Access: GitHub
    • Coverage: Multiple competitions
    • Set Piece Data: Full event data for corners, free kicks

47. FBref

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

Tracking Data

48. Metrica Sports Sample Data

    • Access: GitHub
    • Type: Full tracking data
    • Use: Movement analysis during set pieces

49. SkillCorner Open Data

    • Access: Research partnerships
    • Type: Broadcast tracking
    • Use: Positional analysis

Historical and Contextual Reading

Tactical Evolution

50. "The Set Piece Revolution"

    • Focus: How data changed set piece preparation
    • Relevance: Industry context

51. "Famous Set Piece Goals in History"

    • Focus: Historical analysis of memorable set pieces
    • Relevance: Understanding tactical evolution

Psychology

52. "Choking Under Pressure"

    • Focus: Psychological factors in high-stakes moments
    • Relevance: Penalty psychology

53. "Peak Performance in High-Pressure Situations"

    • Focus: Mental preparation for set pieces
    • Relevance: Player preparation

Recommended Reading Path

Beginner Path

1. Read StatsBomb blog articles on set piece basics
2. Study "The Numbers Game" for statistical context
3. Practice calculating corner conversion rates with open data
4. Complete basic tutorials on corner classification

Intermediate Path

1. Study game theory applications to penalties
2. Build custom set piece xG models
3. Implement clustering for pattern recognition
4. Analyze real teams with learned frameworks

Advanced Path

1. Explore tracking data for movement analysis
2. Develop predictive models for set piece outcomes
3. Attend/watch conference presentations
4. Contribute to set piece analytics research

Key Researchers and Practitioners

Academic

• Economics researchers studying game theory in penalties
• Sports science researchers on set piece biomechanics
• Data scientists working on sports prediction

Industry

• StatsBomb research team
• Club-based set piece analysts (Liverpool, Brentford, etc.)
• Independent tactical analysts

Emerging Research Areas

1. Real-time set piece adjustment during matches
2. VR training applications for penalty practice
3. Automated routine generation using ML
4. Defensive optimization using tracking data
5. Cross-sport learning from basketball set plays

These areas represent the frontier of set piece analytics and offer opportunities for original contribution.

Special Topics

Penalty Shootout Strategy

• Optimal order selection
• Pressure management techniques
• Goalkeeper psychology

Long Throw Development

• Biomechanical optimization
• Tactical integration
• Player identification

Set Piece Defending

• Structure optimization
• Communication protocols
• Recovery patterns

Video Resources

Recommended Viewing

• Tifo Football set piece breakdowns
• The Coaches' Voice masterclasses
• Conference presentations on YouTube
• Match footage analysis compilations

Training Resources

• Coaching tutorials for set piece practice
• Professional training session footage
• Case study video analyses