The machine ball

I’m thrilled you’re here! This is the space where you’ll discover who I am, my skill set, and a showcase of my work that highlights the unique perspective I bring to data and football analysis. Whether you’re just curious or here for collaboration, feel free to explore!

As a data and analytics expert with a passion for football, I specialize in transforming numbers into compelling stories. My work spans player performance, Injury analysis, team dynamics, and tactical insights, all delivered through intuitive visuals and in-depth analysis. Every piece I create is grounded in the action on the pitch, ensuring it’s not only accurate but also relatable to players, coaches, and fans alike.

From analyzing the intricate relationships between training load and injuries at AFC Bournemouth during my P.hD to crafting visually compelling stories about the English Premier League on my analytics page on Twitter, I strive to turn complex data into actionable narratives.

Armed with a strong background in statistical analysis, machine learning, and data visualisation, I specialise in creating intuitive insights about teams, players, and matches.

HIRE ME 😃; Let’s turn data into winning strategies together!

Connect with me on TWITTER: @themachineball, or DROP me an EMAIL at arit.pom95@gmail.com

Roles I qualify for: Data Scientist, Data Analyst, Machine Leaning Engineer, AI Engineer

Blog

Post-Match Analysis Dashboard: Tactical and Statistical Insights

  1. Goals, Shots, and Passes into the Box: Highlights offensive effectiveness and threat creation in the attacking third.
  2. Style of Play Radar Chart: Highlights team tactics, possession phases, and defensive structure.
  3. Pressing Zones with Intensity: Displays Pressure across the pitch; Red zones with the most Intense zones.
  4. Pass Network and Expected Threat (xT) Starting Zone: Shows team connections and areas generating the most Threat.
  5. Possession Index and xT Momentum Graphs: Tracks game flow, dominance periods, and attacking impact. 
  6. Ball Progression in Opponent’s Half (%): Quantifies penetration and effectiveness in advanced areas.
  7. Event Touch Maps (Territorial Dominance): Identifies zones of influence and spatial control.
  8. Key Match Statistics: Summarises critical metrics like passes, recoveries, and success rates.
  9. Progressive and Attacking Third Passes: Analyzes passing patterns for ball advancement and attacking setups.
  10. Match Momentum: Visualises shifts in game control over time.

What the Visualisations Offer:

  1. Detailed analysis of possession dynamics, pressing intensity, and ball progression for tactical evaluation.
  2. Clear visual representation of spatial control and territorial dominance through heatmaps and touch maps.
  3. Quantifies key performance metrics like expected threat (xT), field tilt, and passing efficiency.
  4. Highlights momentum shifts and critical match phases, aiding in understanding game flow.
  5. Integrates multiple data visualization styles to provide a holistic overview of match strategies and execution.
  6. Provides coaches, analysts, and fans with actionable data for understanding key strengths and weaknesses.

In-Game Dynamics and Playing Style Insights

Defensive Organization: Tracks adjustments in defensive line height, reflecting changes in compactness and risk-taking during transitions.

Pressing Efficiency: Analyzes PPDA and pressing intensity to assess the effectiveness and timing of defensive pressure applied.

Game Tempo: Monitors speed and direct speed to evaluate the pace of play, counter-attacks, and progression strategies.

Possession Dynamics: Highlights shifts in ball control to identify phases of dominance or passive play by either team.

Pre-match player report

Positional and Tactical Role: Highlights the player’s involvement in both attacking and defensive phases, emphasizing versatility.

Creativity and Playmaking: Identifies the player’s ability to progress play through passes, carries, and assist creation.

Defensive Impact: Analyzes contribution to team defensive efforts through interceptions, tackles, and ball recoveries.

Decision-Making Zones: Provides a spatial understanding of where key decisions—such as assists and progressive actions—are made.

Pre-Match Player Shots, xG and goals analysis

Scoring Efficiency: Combines xG and shot data to evaluate the player’s ability to outperform expected metrics.

Zone Impact: Identifies critical pitch zones with the highest xG contributions for tactical positioning.

Conversion Analysis: Compares total shots and on-target attempts to actual goals, providing insight into shooting accuracy.

Playmaking and Goal Contributions: Includes assists alongside goals, underlining the player’s dual role in scoring and creating chances.

Pre-match Team shots, xg and goals analysis

Zone Efficiency: Pinpoints high xG zones for regular play and set pieces, aiding in refining attacking strategies.

Player Contributions: Highlights key performers based on shots, goals, and xG, supporting player evaluation and utilization.

Set Piece Effectiveness: Analyzes goal conversion and shot quality from set pieces, helping optimize dead-ball routines.

Counter-Attacking Insights: Evaluates efficiency in fast-break situations, revealing team strengths and weaknesses in transitions.

Penalty Reliability: Tracks success rate and contribution of penalties to overall scoring, providing insights into composure under pressure.

Pre-match player xT and TV from Passing Dashboard: Contribution to Threat Creation

Threat Creation: Identifies key zones where the player consistently generates attacking threat through passes.

Set-Play vs. Open-Play Impact: Differentiates the contribution of set-play and open-play passes to overall threat creation.

Spatial Influence: Provides a clear spatial breakdown of where the player is most effective in starting and ending plays with high xT and TV.

Creative Efficiency: Highlights the player’s role in unlocking defensive setups by delivering passes into high-value areas.

Tactical Deployment: Offers insights into how the player’s passing patterns and zones align with team strategies.

Pre-match Pass Success Rates by Zone: Evaluating Passing Efficiency

Passing Consistency: Identifies high-reliability zones for safe ball movement and risky zones needing tactical adjustments.

Directional Tendencies: Evaluates passing direction trends, showing whether a team prioritizes forward progression or lateral play.

Pressure-Handling: Low success rates in specific zones may indicate vulnerabilities under pressing conditions.

Tactical Adjustments: Helps coaches identify and improve underperforming zones to enhance overall team performance.

Player: Post Match Performance Dashboard: Tactical and Positional Analysis

Positional Awareness: Average presence and ball receive maps show the player’s role in linking play and maintaining shape.

Attacking Efficiency: Insights into shot locations and goal conversion highlight the player’s effectiveness in the final third.

Creative Contributions: Progressive passes, key passes, and assists emphasize the player’s role in creating scoring opportunities.

Defensive Impact: Defensive action maps provide a clear picture of the player’s contributions off the ball.

Transitional Role: Progressive carries and take-ons illustrate the player’s involvement in driving the team forward during transitions.

Pass Network: Team Connectivity and Passing Dynamics

Key Passing Links: Identifies the most active passing connections, highlighting crucial player partnerships.

Team Shape and Balance: Evaluates whether the team maintains structural discipline or if gaps are present in certain areas.

Player Influence: Shows which players are central to passing sequences and play progression.

Strategic Insights: Reveals areas of passing congestion and zones of underutilization, offering opportunities for tactical adjustments.

Pressing Intensity Zones: Disrupting Opponent Possession

High-Pressure Zones: Identifies areas where the team effectively applied intense pressure to disrupt the opponent’s possession.

Strategic Defensive Priorities: Highlights targeted zones of pressing based on the opponent’s attacking strategy, such as final third or midfield areas.

Defensive Gaps: Low-intensity zones can indicate areas where the team allows the opponent more time on the ball, potentially as part of a tactical setup.

Efficiency in Transitions: Shows how well the team transitions from defense to attack by identifying zones of quick ball recovery.

Corner Kick: Left and Right Side Analysis

Zone-Based Success Rates: Displays percentage of corner kicks ending in specific zones based on their origin (left or right side).Highlights the effectiveness of corner deliveries in targeted areas.

Directional Breakdown: Separates data for corners taken from the left and right sides of the pitch.Offers comparative insights into success patterns based on delivery angles.

Quantified Outputs: Includes metrics like percentages of successful deliveries and key zones where corners are consistently effective.

Team Shot Analysis by Zone: Performance Evaluation

Shot Conversion by Zone: Highlights zones with high xG and conversion rates, indicating areas of attacking strength.

Under/Overperformance: Identifies zones where actual goals exceed or fall short of xG, reflecting finishing efficiency.

Volume and Variety: Displays shooting frequency from different areas, showcasing shot diversity and tactical approaches.

Tactical Adjustments: Provides actionable insights into underutilized zones or areas with poor conversion rates, helping refine attacking strategies.

TEAM Shot Conceded Analysis: Defensive Performance

Defensive Solidity: Comparing xG conceded (11.3) to actual goals conceded (8) suggests strong defensive interventions or goalkeeping overperformance.

High-Risk Zones: Identifies specific areas where high-xG shots were allowed, indicating zones of potential weakness.

Shooting Efficiency by Opponents: Low xG per shot (0.097) reflects the team’s ability to limit opponents to low-quality chances.

Defensive Focus: Offers actionable insights into areas requiring better marking or positional adjustments to reduce shooting opportunities.

Goalkeeper Successful Ball Distribution from Goal Kicks: Premier League Overview

Distribution Strategies: Identifies teams focusing on short, controlled distributions versus those opting for longer clearances.

Tactical Preferences: Teams with higher success in central zones might prefer buildup play, while wider zones indicate wing-oriented tactics.

Comparative Precision: Provides a comparative view of goalkeeper accuracy and how it aligns with team tactics in ball progression.

Opportunities for Improvement: Identifies zones with lower success rates, offering actionable insights for refining distribution practices.

Goalkeeper Comparison: Shot-Stopping and Distribution Efficiency

Shot-Stopping Performance and Save Distribution: Displays the distribution of saves across the goal, with circle size representing the xGOT value of each saved shot.

Ball Distribution Efficiency and Role in Build-Up Play: Maps successful ball distribution zones for each goalkeeper, including total and successful passes. Includes overall success percentages, reflecting passing accuracy and build-up play contribution.

Player Performance Radar

Percentile-Based Metrics: Each bar represents the player’s performance percentile compared to other left-backs in the league.

Performance Metrics:

Defensive Metrics: Includes defensive duels won (%), sliding tackles, interceptions, and successful defensive actions.Passing Metrics: Covers progressive passes, smart passes, passes to the final third, and passes to the penalty area.Attacking Metrics: Key passes, successful dribbles (%), and accelerations.Miscellaneous Metrics: Yellow cards, fouls, short/medium passes, and shots blocked.

Ridge Plot: Detailed Performance Breakdown

Metric-by-Metric Percentile Evaluation: Each ridge plot shows J. Earl’s performance percentile (red dashed line) relative to the distribution of all left-backs in the league.

Color-Coded Percentile Ranges: Red (Top 90%): Elite performance.Blue (61-89%): Above-average.Green (30-60%): Average.Yellow (Below 30%): Below-average performance.

Sample Size and Context: Benchmarked against 50 left-backs in the league, considering players with a minimum of 400 minutes played.