Success in professional sport has become a finer art and one drawn up by even smaller margins. There is no greater example than soccer, where endless answers are sought in the hopes of gaining a deciding edge. Many clubs in Germany’s Bundesliga have been the source of an endless line of talent, and the reasons why are outlined in the quality and diversity of coaching.
German football continues to ride on a wave of success after the entertaining 2013 UEFA Champions League final between Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich in Wembley, London, and the country’s World Cup win in Brazil a year later. Other than develop a generation of talented coaches, this has also created a pool of talented players who expect more from their development than just a few tough sessions ahead of Saturday. And so “Generation Why” was born.
The questioning of methods — why am I running here and not here — has seen a rapid increase in the sheer amount of technology and data available to today’s pro soccer players. Granted, not every player yearns to learn, nor is all of the development groundbreaking, but the development of relevant technology provides tangible insights into how measurable the world of a professional soccer player has now become.
Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen is doing its best to give its players the best possible technology, analysis and nutrition.
Professional sports teams’ menus make for largely familiar reads: Unprocessed foods, organic produce, plenty of fruit and vegetables and, of course, carbohydrates at the core.
That’s why a buffet is always on offer. Lactose-free milk and gluten-free pasta are on offer (although there are no vegans or vegetarians on the team), meat is sourced from an organic butcher in the area, and small portions of banana or cake are left in the changing room pre and postgame. For some, food is nothing more than a fuel, but for others, it is as valuable as it appears and interest is taken, and recipes are practiced at home.
The faster soccer has become, the greater the nutritional awareness of players has become, but no specific instructions are given to players about what to eat. They are given all they need, including new ideas, but ultimately they are trusted to make the right decisions. New players, or those arriving alone, are given food to take home for the first few weeks as they adjust to new surroundings.
Players’ level of interest matches the increased level of technology now available. And while watching film is not a fundamentally revolutionary idea, what can now be done with it is a game changer.
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Lars Kornetka is Leverkusen’s chief video analyst, but he’s also the assistant coach. A friend of former head coach Roger Schmidt, Kornetka has watched more football games than is imaginable. After 10 years at Hoffenheim, several at Schalke and one at Bayern, Kornetka moved to Leverkusen for the 2014-15 season.
In 45 minutes, it quickly becomes clear of the depth (and the number of hard drives) behind the program. The job costs 10-12 hours a day and is relentless.
Before Leverkusen play a team, four to five games of the opposition are reviewed. A report is then drawn up assessing their strengths and weaknesses, which are then used as a guideline for the training sessions ahead of the fixture (fairly normal procedure). Afterwards, there’s an analysis of whether the opposition played as predicted, notably in terms of a) vs. the ball, b) with no pressure on the ball and c) under pressure from Leverkusen.
Leverkusen’s review of its own performance is also broken down into a host of clips neatly organized into categories – with the ball, vs. the ball, set-pieces, second ball, to name but a few.
Kornetka believes 60 to 70 percent of all goals are scored in transition (the moment the ball is won back), 20 percent from set-pieces, leaving just 10 percent scored from open play. Effectively, the longer you have the ball, the less likely you are to score.
Leverkusen also look at how its goals were scored, where they were scored, how long it had the ball before they scored, how many touches were taken, and perhaps most pivotally considering the aforementioned statistic: how many seconds were needed to score after the ball was won?
A shot map highlights the club’s shooting technique vs. certain opponents. Questions like where do we shoot from against deep-lying teams, or why do we struggle against five-line defenses can now be answered. Ultimately, it becomes clearer to paint, and then understand, a picture of what club’s need to do to become more successful against certain teams.
The data is overwhelming for any ordinary onlooker, but the key is not to overload the player, or the head coach. Individual and group meetings are organized, but it’s the relationship between a head coach and a video analyst that requires an even defter touch.
Kornetka has a maximum of five minutes (more likely three) during the half-time interval to show his head coach relevant clips of issues that need addressing. In Leverkusen’s 1-1 draw with Ingolstadt near the end of the 2016-17 season, those clips showed that Leverkusen was not closing down the opposition’s defense because they were getting sucked out wide. Leverkusen completely changed its tactical approach for the second half and ended up drawing (and should have won).
After games, there’s a tally of tactical approaches. For example: how many chances did we create, how many second balls did we win – so as to provide some tangible numbers for the performance.
Using Ignite software, clips of all varieties can be accessed by players on their own smartphones. So if they need to check something before or after training, they can do so on their own phone.
Nevertheless, there’s a difference between intelligence and a desire to do something. Intelligent players can grasp things quickly and often without the video, whereas even those desperate to learn can struggle even with all of the necessary tools. New Jamaican signing Leon Bailey is one of the smartest.
Intelligence on the pitch includes anticipation and awareness, but it also includes an early-engrained acumen for the basics of movement and stretching. Leverkusen’s youth team fitness coach Tim Riedel works with the players hoping to make the step into the first team and tracking their physical development is aided by the use of Catapult Sports technology.
Catapult technology supplies tracking monitors for elite level sport at over 1,100 teams in 35 sports across 57 countries, including the NFL and NBA. The device is used to measure (amongst others) acceleration and deceleration, jumping height and speeds.
Leverkusen winger Karim Bellarabi can reach up to 33 km/h, Usain Bolt is into the early 40s. The point is that performance can now be analyzed to almost microscopic levels now. Every training session film can be cross-referenced with the data provided by Catapult, or used to show the development of a player’s fitness over time. Leverkusen also works with Impect, a statistical start-up founded by a former player that focuses on a new stat called packing (focuses on the number of players taken out of the game with a pass). In short, the possibilities are endless, the choices decisive.
All of this work is done to increase the chances of the one thing all professional sports teams want to do as much as possible: win. Sound nutrition and expert training analysis and video reviews is at the core of most top clubs, so staying ahead in soccer isn’t all that easy.
The days of astonishment at the presence of such technology flew by quicker than you can say Apple. Now the focus is on the effective application of such technology — aka using numbers to make wins. After qualifying for European competition every season since 2009-10, Leverkusen’s 2016-17 season was one of their worst on record. There’s no doubt the club has everything at its fingertips to succeed. Perhaps it’s just time to redraw those fine margins.