Understanding Performance Analysis for Football

What is performance analysis in sports?

Sports performance analysis has become a staple for football teams over the last twenty years and consists of making systematic observations to provide players and teams with objective information to understand and enhance their performance.

Although sports performance analysis methods and technologies have become more sophisticated over time, they are now more easily accessible for clubs at all levels and help to deliver a fundamental goal: valid, accurate and reliable information to athletes and coaches to improve their knowledge on a particular area of the sport.

Observation of performance is typically undertaken either live during the sporting event or post-match and effective analysis can identify strengths and weaknesses of upcoming opponents, evaluate the effectiveness of tactics, and pinpoint areas of performance requiring attention.

Whether in the form of visual feedback from video or objective statistics from data, performance analysis distills the complexities of sport into quick actionable insights, saving coaches time and helping them to make better decisions.

4 Key Areas of Football Performance Analysis

When focusing on how sports performance analysis is used in a football context, there are 4 main areas where it can be leveraged: technical, tactical, physical, and psychological.

Technical Analysis

One of the key functions of performance analysis in football is in the identification and development of players' technical characteristics. Video and data is used to analyze skills, detect areas of improvement, monitor progress and flag up any changes in performance, using basic solutions like Hudl and Assist through to an advanced tool like Hudl Sportscode. 

This can be compared and contrasted against the benchmarks set by coaches or player profiles of teammates and rivals, to strengthen decision-making around squad selection, and individual player development. Recruitment can also be significantly strengthened by reviewing player attributes through tagged footage on platforms such as Wyscout.

Tactical Analysis

Football performance analysis also focuses on the collective as well as the individual and is used to break down the tactical elements of any given game. Effective analysis can highlight the impact of tactical decisions, identify patterns of play and formations, and find holes in an opponent’s setup. 

From comparing stats and video in Wyscout all the way through to leveraging advanced tools such as Insight, performance analysts at every level are now better equipped to evaluate tactical variations, giving them a more complete picture when analyzing patterns of play.

Physical Analysis

GPS trackers and wearable technologies, such as WIMU, are often combined with video analysis to better understand the physical exertions of football players during training and matches. This physical data can be used to analyze athlete performance, manage player’s load, and aid injury management and return to play.

Psychological Analysis

Understanding the mental side of professional football is crucial to unlocking better performances. Psychological analysis plays an important role when it comes to evaluating players’ ability to handle pressure, discovering what motivates them, and monitoring their work-rate. 

Using video and data, presented in an engaging way through telestration, can help with the intake of coaching ideals, boost confidence and enhance mental preparation ahead of games.

Applying Performance Analysis in Football for Competitive Advantage

But how can you apply these areas of performance analysis into your football workflows? Here we look at where to gain a competitive edge through effective use of performance analysis, with examples from professionals within the football industry.

Game Preparation

In the build up to the next game, performance analysis plays a crucial role in assessing both your own team and the upcoming opposition so that you can be tactically, physically and mentally prepared. 

It can be as simple as recording training sessions and matches with Focus Flex and sharing playlists of important clips via Hudl. As discussed by Danny and Nicky Cowley in a recent Hudl webinar, this can be a great way to pick out the  strengths of your own team and present them in an engaging way to reinforce the key messages and objectives for the upcoming game. 

For more advanced pre-match analysis, reviewing video clips of the opposition with Sportscode playlists from Wyscout data can give your players the upper hand, highlighting the opponents’ danger areas and where they can be exploited. 

Real-Time Adjustments

Football moves quickly and the need to adapt and be flexible can be the difference between winning and losing. Leveraging performance analysis tools like Hudl Replay, which allows coaches to review match footage live on the touchline via an iPad connected to the live feed of the match, enables high-speed in-game adjustments based on how the action is unfolding on the pitch, without losing a second. 

Many teams, like Brazilian giants Palmeiras, will also live code games in the quest for a competitive advantage. Performance analysts will create video playlists with Hudl Sportscode during the game and present at half-time and help the coaching staff to make data-driven decisions that can help influence the match.

Long-Term Player Development

Away from the weekly demands in football, performance analysis also plays a significant role in players development over time. Accruing video and data of a player across a season gives a complete picture of their performance - both technical and physical - and gives objective evidence to where improvements can be made.

As a result, many clubs are incorporating performance analysis technology throughout their different age ranges to aid long-term player development. A prime example is Spanish top tier side Leganés, who have integrated WIMU from academy to first team to maximize the human performance of their players.

Tools and Tech in Sports Performance Analysis

For clubs wanting to implement advanced performance analysis, it is therefore necessary to have the right advanced tools at their disposal. Hudl’s suite of professional solutions fulfills that need, giving you high performance video and data analysis tools on one connected platform. 

Below we look at 3 areas where Hudl can take your advanced performance analysis to the next level:

Video Analysis for In-Depth Game Review

The starting point for most clubs in their analytical process is recording video footage of training sessions and matches. In the past this has required manual filming, taking away manpower and time that could be spent on analysis. 

The optimal solution is Focus Flex, Hudl’s portable and automated camera that captures all the action in high quality 1080p footage and automatically uploads sessions, making review processes faster than ever. 

Once the video footage is gathered, uploaded straight to Hudl and made available for review, commenting, clipping and sharing. For more advanced workflows, analysts can use Hudl Sportscode to tag and annotate key events and actions, creating valuable video and data playlists which can be quickly and efficiently shared with coaches and players for further analysis. 

GPS and Wearables for Real-Time Player Tracking

Physical preparation is an increasingly important part of modern football and having the right solution is essential. The WIMU Pro system combines hardware and software to measure load performance, reduce injury risk and optimize competition readiness, to ensure that your best athletes maximize their performance

While in the past it wasn’t easy to combine athlete monitoring and advanced video analysis, WIMU’s integration with Sportscode allows users to streamline operational processes and clubs to empower sports scientists and analysts to collaborate more closely.

With both WIMU and Hudl Sportscode to aid your decision-making process, you’ll have comprehensive insights derived from integrated data sources. There’s no need to seek other resources—Hudl is the one-stop-shop that unifies your data sources, providing a centralized platform that connects event data swiftly and efficiently.

Data Analytics Software for Strategic Insights

For clubs looking for the fastest way to improve performance, Insight brings new levels of data analysis to Hudl Sportscode. Insight supports the key high-performance workflows of pre-match, live, and post-match analysis, plus scouting and recruitment across single or multiple games without the need for manual coding.

Integrated with Statsbomb industry-leading data, Insight strengthens the impact of event and tracking data by providing detailed context to your match analysis and player recruitment, all customized to your club’s terminology. As a result, performance analysts can empower decision makers within a club with key information to drive success.

Drive team success with Hudl’s performance analysis tools

Performance analysis has revolutionized the way football teams prepare, compete, and develop over time. By leveraging Hudl’s comprehensive suite of integrated solutions, athletes, coaches, and teams can identify strengths, address weaknesses, and refine strategies through actionable data-driven insights. 

Whether through real-time adjustments, post-match reviews, or long-term player development, performance analysis provides a critical edge in today’s competitive football landscape and Hudl’s tools can empower clubs of all sizes to enhance their decision-making and drive consistent success both on and off the pitch.