We always want to be entertained at every football match we watch, but are there certain kick-off times where you get more value than others? In Episode 73, we looked at the way in which fixture scheduling can influence how many goals, penalties, and red cards you might see in the Premier League. Do Sunday afternoons offer more entertainment than Saturday lunchtimes? Are weekday kick-offs as exciting under the lights as we think? Stick around for some hard cold facts along the way — credit...

The Football Fanalytics Podcast is bringing you a brand new feature... Hard Cold Facts! It's the currency we deal in... well, Mark does. Ryan is more of an 'Expected Vibes' sort of guy. These will be shorter episodes, where we will delve into the goings on around the footballing world, whilst serving up some stats, questions and topical musings for you to feast on. In this episode, we talk about Iceland, Tim Sherwood, the goal scoring record you didn't know England had, Rasmus Højlund and...

With the announcement of the FIFA FIFPRO Men’s World 11 this week, we break down the chosen team and ask who is the most deserving of a place. On the topic of European competition, we take a look at the upcoming “Swiss model” for the UEFA Champions League in 2024-25. Will the new format make the competition a better or worse spectacle? Will there be more heavyweight sclashes? Can we convince Ryan that change is a good thing, sometimes? Will more games also mean more injuries? We look at...

Anyone listening to the Football Fanalytics podcast is going to enjoy watching football itself, but how do you like to consume your broadcast coverage? With the growth of advanced data such as “Live Win Probability” and a “Momentum Tracker” being used within the broadcast, we look at the lengths football data has come in mainstream media, but how much further it still has to go. We cover a lot of ground in Episode 71, from augmented reality, to machine learning and…apex height? Plenty to...

We are back! Fresh from a winter break, where Mark was busy working hard analysing the World Cup and Ryan was busy playing FIFA... The Football Fanalytics Podcast returns for 2023. It's January, which means the footballing world is filled with non stop transfer rumours and clubs looking to bring in midseason reinforcements. Some clubs may need new recruits to rescue their season, some may be looking for injury cover, and some may be throwing money around just for fun... if you're Todd...

The World Cup is underway, and (for very different reasons) the headlines are already being dominated by two people — Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. The debate will rumble on when discussing who is truly the greatest of all time, but for The Football Fanalytics Podcast, it was a perfect time for us to speak with Jonathan Clegg — Wall Street Journal reporter and co-author of a new book titled “Messi vs. Ronaldo: One Rivalry, Two GOATs, and the Era That Remade the World’s Game” with...

We’ve made it as far as Episode 68 and somehow this is our first episode on the topic of referees! We discuss our thoughts on how the game is officiated, how the location and timing of a foul can have an influence over the outcome, and we even have some “per 90” statistics for referees sprinkled in. We also take a look at the role of home advantage towards the unconscious bias from a referee, backed up by the numbers! Let us know your thoughts!

Hello Football Fanalytics listeners! A quick bumper episode this week, as a call to action! We have been nominated in the ’Best Football Journalist’ category in the Globe Soccer Digital Awards 2022. That’s right, so we need your vote! Please click below to vote for us, and thank you as ever to all of you for your support and listenership. Click here: https://vote.globesoccer.com/vote/best-journalist-2022/

In Episode 67, we ask when the best time might be to truly place stock in the league table. With just over one-quarter of the season gone, is it best to look at league points to determine a team’s performance? Or is there a better way? We discuss the utility of expected goal difference at this early stage of the season, and make an early prediction of the final league standings! Meanwhile, Ryan reveals his recent meeting with a Premier League goalkeeper! Bio Links: Spitch:...

Pep Guardiola says they’re “nothing more than telephone numbers”. In Episode 66, we ask…are formations even reliable anymore? When you first see the starting line-up, the formations given are rarely the formations a team sets up in throughout the 90 minutes. How do they differ in and out of possession? How does the game state influence their approach? Is a 4-3-3 the same for two teams? We discuss all the above, and more — with a game to start off the episode, for good...

With no Premier League football matches to report on last weekend, we threw our episode plan out of the window and sat down to talk about…reporting on football matches. We chatted about Mark’s trips to football stadiums reporting on games across the country. We talk through all components of the day, from the pre-match buffet to the post-match press conference. From caramel doughnuts to confusing Brendan Rodgers — we cover a lot of ground in episode 65! All for a bit of fun. Let us know if...

With referees encouraged to be more lenient in their assessment of fouls in the Premier League, we thought it would be a perfect opportunity to discuss the topic in the early part of the season. Which team grabbed the most yellow cards last campaign? Who is the best at the dark arts when fouling? Who makes their fouls the quickest after losing the ball? So much to discuss this week, let us know your thoughts! Bio Links: Spitch: https://tinyurl.com/bdf2bdh7; Fouls article:...

With a handful of games played in the domestic leagues, it is far too early to find any reliable patterns in the data. Instead, we asked…how competitive are the top five European leagues? Do we see much variation within a league from top to bottom? Or is there too much predictability across the board. Which league is the most competitive? We take a closer look with our typical data spin. Bio Links: Spitch: https://tinyurl.com/bdf2bdh7; Gini co-efficient:...

The domestic season is underway, and there are already plenty of talking points to discuss! After Thomas Tuchel and Antonio Conte’s touchline clash, we thought we’d focus on the dugout this week. How can you profile managers using analytics? From formation use to tactical styles, what is the best way to quantify the impact of a manager above a team’s ability? We dive into the debate, and discuss some useful resources for good measure. Finally, we are delighted to announce our collaboration...

That’s right, it’s that time of year again! As we gear up to the new domestic season, it’s time to pick your Fantasy Premier League team. With over 9 million players, this is the biggest Fantasy Football game in the world, and we are offering up our best advice! To help us do so, we are delighted to be joined by football commentator and BBC Fantasy 606 presenter, Alistair Bruce-Ball. Not one to be missed! Want to join our Football Fanalytics Pod League? Be sure to sign up with our league...

After a short summer break, the Football Fanalytics pod is back! We take a quick look at all of the things we need to catch up on in the football world, look ahead to the new season, and reveal what we have coming up in the next few weeks! Make sure you get in contact with us if there is anything you’d like us to cover during the new season.  Twitter: @fanalyticspod Email: [email protected]

It’s episode 60, and Ryan is about to embark upon a huge challenge this week. This Saturday will see the return of the annual London Football Marathon, which looks to raise money for a hugely important charity called TackleAfrica. We chat to Yianny Ioannou — Director of Operations at TackleAfrica — to discuss the great work that the charity does, why the football marathons are so important to raising money, and just how brutal they are to play in! Bio links: TackleAfrica...

The Premier League season is now over, presenting the perfect opportunity to reflect on a thrilling campaign. Manchester City crowned champions, Tottenham Hotspur grabbed the final Champions League spot, and Burnley went down on the final day. In Episode 59, we take a dive into some of the best statistics of the season with the help of the Twenty3 Content Toolbox! Can you name the answers? Give it a go and let us know!

The Women’s Super League drew to a close in dramatic fashion last weekend, with Chelsea pipping Arsenal to the post and lifting the title on the final day. In Episode 58, we reflect upon Chelsea’s victory and are delighted to welcome Women’s football writer Charlotte Harpur onto The Football Fanalytics Podcast. Charlotte also shares her recent experiences in record-breaking crowds, reminds us that Lyon never truly went away, and looks ahead to this summer’s Women’s Euros! We also have a...

What would you say if we said a player was good at ‘packing’? The term has been around for a while, but it hasn’t been as prominent in the modern football lexicon compared with other metrics. In Episode 57, we “unpack” packing in more detail, and give some examples of which players rank highest in their packing rate! Send us in your thoughts, which players come to mind when thinking of this metric?

It’s episode 56 and we really enjoyed recording this one! We chatted about the role of data and analytics further down the football pyramid, and how they can be used and implemented. Can teams at an amateur level still benefit from the use of data? To help us answer this, we spoke with Robbie at Meadowbank Wednesday — a team in the Lothian and Edinburgh Amateur FA Sunday Premier Division — to get the current insight into the data at the amateur level. Robbie shared some great work...

A slightly different topic for the podcast this week, as we explore the role of neuroscience within football. Yes, you read that correctly. We take a closer look Neuro11, who are a scientific group founded by Niklas Hausler and Patrick Hantschke. The group is based in Potsdam of Germany, and they develop mental strength training programmes for professional sports. We chat about their role within Liverpool Football Club and how they have helped with the club’s free kick and penalty taking....

In Episode 54, we were delighted to be joined by yet another guest to the podcast. We chatted to Tom Randolph, founder of Delphlyx – a platform designed to help sporting directors and agents make better informed decisions when using player data. We chatted with Tom on how he came to create Delphlyx, why it is important to ensure that all users can understand the platform, and which clubs he is currently working with. Thanks again to Tom for joining us! Bio links: https://delphlyx.io/

What a week to have an episode on Leeds United! We were delighted to call upon Jon Mackenzie to discuss all things Leeds, as he uncovered some fantastic insight into their season so far. True to form, we chatted about things from a tactical and analytical perspective — there is plenty there for everyone to take something from. Since we recorded with Jon, Marcelo Bielsa has parted ways with Leeds United and Jesse Marsch is now at the helm. Let us know your thoughts on Bielsa’s departure and...