Soccermetrics Podcast Soccermetrics

Jonathan Gruhl is a data scientist at a major technology company with extensive experience
in applying quantitative knowledge to fields such as management, finance, and sports. He presented
research at the OptaPro Analytics Forum on developing similarity scores in football using match event
data. We discussed his work, go over some of the surprising and not so surprising results, and muse on
what makes player similarity studies so challenging in soccer.

Oliver Page is a sports trader with experience at a number of firms in the United Kingdom
and interests in applying academic research and mathematical concepts to sports statistics and betting.
He presented research at the OptaPro Analytics Forum on shotmaking strategies and expected goals in
football. We discussed his work and the challenges of presenting probabilistic information to the rest of
the football industry.

Simon Farrant and Devin Pleuler are with OptaPro, the professional services arm of
Opta Sports. In this episode (recorded at Opta's headquarters in London), we discuss the recently
concluded OptaPro Analytics Forum and a few of the highlights from that conference.

Zach Slaton is the proprietor of the soccer analytics blog A Beautiful Numbers
Game and a columnist at Forbes.com. In this episode, we discuss our respective lists
of the major stories in football analytics during 2013, such as Opta's acquisition by
PERFORM Media, the release of The Numbers Game and The Nowhere Men, the fallout from
the Soccer Analytics panel at SSAC, the acceptance of randomness in football, and more.

This episode of the Soccermetrics Podcast was a live Google Hangout On Air to
discuss the 2014 World Cup Final Draw that was conducted earlier in the day (6 December).
Axel Torres (MARCA and GOL TV), Bobby McMahon (Forbes and formerly FOX Soccer), and
Albert Larcada (ESPN Stats and Info) joined Howard Hamilton to give overall impressions
of the draw and provide initial assessments of the final eight groups.

Dr Geir Jordet is a professor at the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences,
the head of the Psychology division of the Norwegian Center of Football Excellence, and
a sports psychology consultant to professional football clubs and national teams. In
this episode, we discuss the role of the Centre in Norway's football development, the
factors that influence expert performance in football, and the factors that influence
performance in high-pressure scenarios, such as penalty kick shootouts.