Following on from the match report/dashboard I made recently, I’ve created some Python code to visualize either a) the performances of the two teams in a given match, or b) the performances of a specific player over a certain period, i.e. several games. The data comes from Opta, via WhoScored.
Specific Games & Teams
While the match dashboard provides a good summary/overview, these maps/visualizations allow us to go deeper into the analysis by focusing on one visualization at a time. You can then take a closer look at the areas occupied by a team, the passing networks, the locations and directions of passes aimed at dangerous areas (final third, penalty area), and so on.
View individual game trends over a series of matches
For the analysis and scouting of specific players, it is always necessary both to consult statistical reports (as for example on FBref) and to observe the player in action through video (clips and matches), but mapping and visualizing event data is also beneficial. Indeed, this tool can constitute a kind of intermediary between observation and statistical analysis, by graphically/visually mapping the trends, habits and performances of a given player. While we can look at a player’s performance in a single match, we can get a better idea of his or her characteristics and playing habits by using a bigger sample, namely data from several matches.
Alexandre Bovey