but you could run your stats for a decent period before you implement any change and then again after and compare them
just had a quick look and it was Llyon not PSG, the stats are more based around things outside of the actual 90 mins of game time but certain things will definatly have a big baring and others wont, I seem to remember a chapter in it about penalties and after all the anaysis the consensus was to not bother researching them and just smash them whichever way you fancy.
This guy on liverpool forum summed up the Llyon thing:
"Here's the 12 main secrets of Lyon:
-- A new manager wastes money; don't let him
The first order of business usually when a new manager arrives is to clear out the deadwood from the club and sells off what are perceived to be undesirable players at a fraction of what they were originally bought.
At Lyon, the brand of football stays the same, the board stays the same, just the players and managers change over time. In fact, Lyon put little to no emphasis on the manager position. Which brings us to ...
-- Use the power of crowds
Not the crowds in the stands, but the crowd of wise football men who can come up with a consensus of what to do to move the club forward. While most English clubs are still stuck with the one-man only type of football management, most clubs around the world have a technical director in charge of player personnel. In fact, I can't think of any other league or sport besides the English Premier League where the manager has so much power in player decisions.
-- Stars of World Cups and European Champions are more often than not overvalued.
See El-Haji Diouf.
-- Certain nationalities are overvalued.
Let's face it, if you had the chance to sign one of two similarly skilled players and found out they were a Brazilian and an American, most of us would sign the Brazilian. Look at some of the best bargains in the Premier League recently: Wilson Palacios joined Wigan for a nominal fee and then went to Spurs for 12 million pounds. From Honduras.
Antonio Valencia signed for Wigan also for a nominal fee and impressed well enough to join the Mancs for 16 million pounds. Ecuador.
The point being the world is bigger than Brazil, Argentina and Western Europe. If you want to be successful, you must scour all of the world, not just a small corner of it.
-- Older players are overvalued ... as well as younger players
Soccernomics cites Paisiely as an example. As players reached the age of the 30, their value to the club significantly decreases. However, just because a player is young doesn't mean he'll be a success. Lyon tend to buy players in their early 20s, mature enough to adapt to the environment but still nearing their peak of their playing prowess. Investing large sums of cash in an Academy is useless if the player doesn't develop. Of course, there are exceptions to the rule -- one Lionel Messi in terms of younger and unfortunately Giggs and Scholes for the older -- but if you're looking to buy, buy a player in his early 20s.
-- Center forwards are overvalued; goalkeepers are undervalued
I wanted to slap myself upside the head for not realizing this sooner. Of course goalkeepers are more valuable than we think! Think of the longevity of the goalkeeper position. Dino Zoff won the World Cup at the age of 40, still very much at the top of his game. It makes Pepe Reina's transfer ludicrously cheap. Rafa bought one of the top 5 goalkeepers in the world at the age of 23 for 6 million pounds, a player who hasn't even peaked yet and given the club five wonderful years of service. Funny enough, Soccernomics has listed Arsene Wenger as one of the patrons of statistical analysis and yet he hasn't realized this yet.
The book doesn't go much into detail about why Center Forwards are overpriced, but theoretically, it makes sense. What position is seen as the glamour position? Striker. I'm less convinced about this argument, although you might have something there if we see someone like David Ngog develop for the meager tag of 1.5 million and becomes a world-class striker. If you compare his return to say, Robbie Keane, there is some merit, albeit with extenuating circumstances.
-- Gentlemen prefer blondes. Avoid sight-based observations.
No, this is not an observation on Christian Poulsen. Well, actually it might be. In Moneyball, Billy Beane cites one of the reasons why he was able to get players on the cheap was the fact that they never
looked the part. Blondes do tend to stand out on the field with their lighter locks and Soccernomics goes into examples of this. Some players -- or managers who happen to be Spanish, slightly chubby and speak in a funny accent -- just don't seem right in a football shirt. And yet they get the job done. Compare that to Poulsen, who stands out with his blonde hair and also stands out with his rather lackluster play.
-- Sell any player if another club offers more than he's worth.
By far, Lyon are a perfect example of this, getting good prices on Essien and Malouda before flogging them on. It's a rather cold, hard fact, but every player has a price. If Real Madrid were to bid 300 million pounds for Gerrard, as much as Stevie has meant to the club, you would be mentally retarded not to sell Gerrard. However, it helps to have a ready-made replacement, which leads us to ....
-- Have your replacement ready
before you sell your best players.
A good example of this is at Arsenal where Jack Wilshere is being groomed to replace Fabregas who was groomed to replace Viera when he was sold on. There's no doubt Fabregas within the next couple of years is headed back to Spain and Wenger is getting Wilshere ready for that day.
-- Buy undervalued players who have personal problems
Interesting theory, this. Soccernomics cites the example of Brian Clough and Peter Taylor as the management team that did this often. They would ask a player what his vice was and after finding out, would use the proper management skills or outside help to control it. Man management that allowed Forest and Derby to buy good players for a pittance and be successful.
-- Finally, help your players relocate.
I was shocked to read how clubs just consider their players as merely merchandise. OK, so they make more money in a week than I will in a lifetime. But think about being a young man moving from a different corner of the world to a new foreign land. In this foreign land, your employer does not assist you in buying a house, does not help you get acclimated to life and expects you to be successful because they've paid a huge sum of money.
A good example of how this worked well is Torres. I remember reading about how the club gave him DVDs to get a feel of the tradition and history surrounding LFC. Of course, it helped having established Spanish stars like Alonso and Reina, but every little bit helps."
