Two Problems in Soccer Analytics 

Two Problems in Soccer Analytics 

This talk concerns two problems in soccer analytics that both rely on tracking data. The first problem begins with a review of average aging curves in sport. Then, a new approach is introduced which addresses personal aging curves in soccer, an essential problem of interest which has not been previously addressed. The second problem concerns the development of a metric that identifies soccer players who have a similar style to a player of interest. Whereas performance variables have been well studied, the same is not true of stylistic variables. Unlike assessments from scouting, the metric is automatic and objective. The metric is developed using a Bayesian framework.