Sports Science and Scouting

How the goals are scored?

2011-12-21T00:11:00.010+02:00

We analyzed over twenty factors (including age, weight, height, bmi, nationality, foreigners, newcomers, contract duration, contract expiration, rotation) in order to find out what correlates with winning in soccer. Results showed that only goals scored had a p value over .950. So, our interest focused on how the goals are scored. Have you ever wondered that? We performed notation analysis in a sample of Greek Super League goals for season 2011/2012 and present you the main findings:

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Goalpost zone:
Goalkeepers find it difficult to save a shot in their lower right corner (image, animation).
1: 7%
2: 6%
3: 13%
4: 7%
5: 7%
6: 10%
7: 21%
8: 13%
9: 16%
upper: 26%
middle: 37%
lower: 50%
left: 36%
center: 26%
right: 39%

Time zone:
The majority of goals are scored in the last minutes of the game.
0'-15': 13%
15'-30': 13%
30'-45': 21%
first half: 47%
45'-60': 10%
60'-75': 17%
75'-90': 26%
second half: 53%

Goal zone:

The majority of goals are scored from inside the box.
1: 3%
2: 10%
3: 0%
4: 0%
5: 13%
6: 46%
7: 29%
center: 13%
wings: 0%
box: 87%

Final pass zone:
Most assists come from the wings.
1: 11%
2: 18%
3: 24%
4: 18%
5: 15%
6: 8%
7: 6%
center: 29%
wings: 42%
box: 29%

Mistake zone:
Most mistakes that lead to a goal are inside the goal area.
1: 10%
2: 18%
3: 4%
4: 3%
5: 14%
6: 19%
7: 33%
center: 27%
wings: 7%
box: 66%

Goal criticality:
Not all goals are significant. Would you prefer players that just widen your lead or those scoring winners?
opening: 26%
widen lead: 23%
equalizer: 19%
lead: 7%
decrease: 11%
winner: 14%

Pre-final pass foot:
Most of the pre-final passes come from a right foot.
right: 69%
left: 28%
other (head): 3%
all: 51%

Final pass foot:
Assists are evenly distributed between the right and left foot.
right: 48%
left: 48%
other (head): 4%
all: 57%

Goal foot:
Most goals are scored with the right foot.
right: 50%
left: 26%
other (head/chest): 24%

Goal event:
Crosses are the most common way to score in Greek Super League.
technical action (1vs1/sprint/dribble/pivot): 11%
tactical play (through pass/give and go/triangle/overlap): 6%
counter attack: 11%
set pieces (penalty kick, corner kick, free kick): 11%
cross (low cross, far cross, lob): 36%
other (challenge, unstable save, after blocked shot): 9%

Goal action:
Most goals are scored by simply tapping the ball into the net.
header: 21%
instep/direct shot: 20%
tap-in: 32%
penalty kick: 7%
direct free kick: 4%
flair kick (back-heel/bicycle kick/lob): 8%
other (own goal/challenged ball/tackling): 8%

Mistake reason:
Most goals are scored because of a lost personal challenge. We watched with surprise, 10% of the goals to be scored because a defender fell into the ground.
Poor clearance: 14%
Defender fell/lost balance: 10%
Committed foul (push, tackle etc): 7%
Poor positioning: 19%
Poor defensive line: 14%
Lost personal opponent/poor marking/given space: 4%
Lost challenge/header: 25%
Poor pass: 7%

Mistake position:
The right and left full-backs are to blame for the most goal conceded.
Goalkeeper: 12%
Central defender: 21%
Right/left back: 36%
Defensive midfielder: 13%
All defense: 12%
Right/left winger/striker: 7%

read more:
prozonesports.com

Performance after the change in the three-point line

2011-12-08T00:13:00.002+02:00

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In 2010/11 season a major change took place in European basketball. The change of the three-point line from 6.25m that was until then, to 6.75m. How this change affected 3-p ratings of the players and the tactics of the clubs? To answer this question, we compared fourteen major EuroLeague clubs in the following stats: 3-p made, 3p attempted and 3p percentage the past four regular seasons.

Mean values for 3-p were the following (n=14):
season 2007/08: 105/294 (35.6%) 3-p at 6.25m games played: 14
season 2008/09:   75/209 (35.8%) 3-p at 6.25m games played: 10
season 2009/10:   72/205 (35.6%) 3-p at 6.25m games played: 10
season 2010/11:   62/188 (33.0%) 3-p at 6.75m games played: 10

One-sample t-test showed significant reductions in 3-p made (-16.4%), 3-p attempted (-8.1%) and 3-p percentage (-7.1%) in the season which the 3-p line changed to 6.75m (0.001). 3-p percentage dropped from 35.5% to 33% (graph). The aiming of the players affected by the farther distance and coaches instructed fewer 3-pointers to be made. Further distance may not be the only reason for these changes, as different players and tactics appear each season. However, similar results have been found in NCAA.

sources:
euroleague.net

What is the average height and weight of professional soccer players in each position?

2011-11-22T16:57:00.020+02:00

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Have you ever wondered what it takes to be a professional football player in terms of body characteristics? What is the average age, height, body mass and bmi of soccer players? The following stats come from a sample of fourteen Greek Super League clubs. We excluded all players that have not appeared yet, at least at half of the matches played. The graph above shows the average values by playing position. Results in detail (mean and standard deviation) were the following:

GSL players (sample n=162):

Goalkeepers:
Age (y): 29.39, sd: 5.02

Height (cm): 189.7, sd: 0.05

Mass (kg): 83.12, sd: 4.74

BMI: 23.10, sd: 0.96

Central defenders:
Age (y):: 29.13, sd: 4.15

Height (cm): 187.4, sd: 0.03

Mass (kg): 81.38, sd: 3.95

BMI: 23.16, sd: 0.89

Wing backs:
Age (y): 28.02, sd: 4.12

Height (cm): 180.3, sd: 0.05

Mass (kg): 73.52, sd: 4.52

BMI: 22.63, sd: 1.11

Central midfielders:
Age (y): 28.59, sd: 3.92

Height (cm): 179.9, sd: 0.06

Mass (kg): 75.13, sd: 5.49

BMI: 23.21, sd: 1.14

Wing forwards:
Age (y): 27.41, sd: 3.37

Height (cm): 175.2, sd: 0.06

Mass (kg): 70.41, sd: 5.38

BMI: 22.93, sd: 1.21

Strikers:
Age (y): 27.68, sd: 4.32

Height (m): 187.1, sd: 0.04

Mass (kg): 80.81, sd: 5.45

BMI: 23.07, sd: 1.24

Results show that goalkeepers are older, taller and heavier than any other group of players and wing forwards the youngest, shortest and slimmest. The biggest standard deviation was found in the body mass of midfielders and strikers and that can be explained by the inclusion of both defensive (Kumordzi) and attacking (Ibagaza) midfielders in the first group and the inclusion of heavy (Iacob) and light (Athanasiadis) strikers in the second. Positive correlation was found between body mass and height with a p value of .759. Similar results can be found in anthropometric studies of soccer players of other leagues.

The average football player in Greece has the following anthropometrics:

The average GSL player

Age (y): 27.89, sd: 1.18

Height (cm): 181.7, sd: 0.01

Mass (kg): 75.91 sd: 1.00

BMI: 22.96, sd: 0.19

References:

official websites of clubs (see the list here), superleaguegreece.net, uefa.com, onsports.gr/onstats, transfermarkt.de, imscouting.com, whoscored.com

Soccer top speed ratings compared to Bolt's WR

2011-11-04T14:46:00.002+02:00

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What would happen, if a top level sprinter challenged the fastest football players of our days? Have you ever wondered that? The above graph tries to simulate such a race. If you hover over any bar, you will see the 'top speed' rating of each football player, as a percentage of current limit of human sprinting potential, that is Usain Bolt's 100m WR achieved in 2009.

fastest football sprints

fastest man on earth

ronaldo vs bolt
top speed ratings as a % of the fastest football sprint

6v6 soccer formations

2011-10-21T20:05:00.002+03:00

In this post we summarize all possible formations for 6v6 mini soccer and discuss passing distribution options. Mathematics and geometry of football help us be prepared for the unexpected, to recognize which area of the field is stronger and to choose opposition based tactics wisely. In addition, we are able to choose formation specific training (ex. don't waste time for overlap if you don't use it). Deep knowledge of all these, give us the advantage of attacking without consuming too much energy. In addition, defending against those formations is made easier, just by blocking passing and running lanes.

6v6 soccer formations

2-2-1 (home-box)

Short passes: 12
Risk passes: 8
Crosses: 2
Goalkeeper options: 2/4

Defense: 4/10
Midfield: 6/10
Offense: 2/5

Comments: The standard 6v6 formation provides rigid defense and alternative attack. When your team is in possession of the ball, one defender may move forward, so as to attack in a diamond shape. Two midfielders with good first touch and close dribbling are required for success. Crosses from back to front are easily handled by the opposition and should be avoided. Goalkeepers should also avoid giving the ball straight to midfielders.

Training: Box-shaped short straight passing (defenders-midfielders), 3v2 attacking in a triangle (midfielders-attacker), counter attack with long balls (defenders-attacker).

2-1-2 (hourglass)

Short passes: 12
Risk passes: 4
Crosses: 2
Goalkeeper options: 2/3
Defense: 4/10
Midfield: 4/5
Offense: 4/10

Comments: If you have an all-around midfielder, this formation is for you. The midfielder acts as a connection link between attack and defense and should be able to protect the ball and pass it in every direction diagonally and thus he needs good vision and shielding skills. When attacking, he might even try to overlap one central defender and make a run down the wing. Goalkeepers should, once again, avoid giving the ball straight to the midfielder.

Training: Box and 1 short and diagonal passing (infield players), 2v1 shielding skills (defenders-midfielder), overlap (right wing), overlap (left wing).

3-2 (triangles)

Short passes: 14
Risk passes: 4
Crosses: 2
Goalkeeper options: 3/3
Defense: 8/10
Midfield: -
Offense: 6/10

Comments: Choose this formation for tactical plays. It has the advantage of nearly maximum number of short and goalkeeper passes. Plus, you have two attackers to occupy defenders. When attacking one forward may move back to receive the ball and escort it forward. Another offensive option is for the right or left back to make a forward runs and crosses to the far attackers.

Training: Forwards receive ball in midfield and 1-2 passing (attackers to defenders), 1-2 passing and forward run (right wing), 1-2 passing and forward run (left wing), crossing to weak side (wing backs).

3-1-1 (stopper)

Short passes: 10
Risk passes: 4
Crosses: 2
Goalkeeper options: 2/4
Defense: 6/10
Midfield: 2/10
Offense: 2/5

Comments: This is the standard formation when defending a strong central midfield team without fast wingers. The stopper acts as a blockage and he must always leave the defensive line to intercept a penetrating attacker, a long shot or a through pass. There are minimum attacking options, except for counter attack with long balls. Change to this formation if you have the lead and want to retain possession in your end.

Training: Passing triangles (defenders), defending long shots (defenders), counter attack long passing and finishing (defenders to attacker).

4-1 (fullback)

Short passes: 14
Risk passes: -
Crosses: 4
Goalkeeper options: 4/5
Defense: 10/10
Midfield: -
Offense: 4/4

Comments: This ultra defensive strategy should be avoided, but it is referred here because an underdog opposition may play like this. In general it is the same as the 2-3 formation mention below, except that the full backs are mainly defending. The opposition, when clearing the ball, if they send it to the attacker behind your defensive line, may be a difficult situation to handle, so it is suggested placing a fast and tall sweeper to intercept such crosses. Note that pressing the first pass is not a good idea as the goalkeeper has maximum options, so closing down the attacker will be better.

Training: Passing triangles (infield players), 1-2 passing (infield players), pivot passing (attacker), 5v4 defending situations, counter attack long passing and finishing (defenders to attacker).

1-2-2 (sweeper)

Short passes: 12
Risk passes: 4
Crosses: 2
Goalkeeper options: 1/3
Defense options: 4/10
Midfield options: 6/10
Offense options: 2/5

Comments: This formation is an alternative to the 2-2-1 mentioned above. In general, you sacrifice your attacker for a sweeper. Actually, you can make this without subbing him, just swap positions. It is suggested the goalkeeper to give the ball only to the sweeper at the edge of the box and to start attacking from him. This may be useful, if the opposition presses the first pass.

Training: Passing triangles (defenders), passing box (midfielders), 3v2 own side possession (goalkeeper to sweeper to defenders).

1-3-1 (cross)

Short passes: 16
Risk passes: -
Crosses: 4
Goalkeeper options: 1/5
Defense options: 3/5
Midfield options: 10/10
Offense options: 3/5

Comments: This formation is an alternative to the 2-1-2 mentioned above. If you have an all-around midfielder and wingers with good cross this formation is for you. The midfielder acts as a connection link between attack and defense and should be able to protect the ball and direct pass it in every direction. The goalkeeper should avoid giving the ball straight to the midfield and the defender to attack.

Training: Box and 1 short straight passing (infield players), diamond give and go passing (both feet), 2v1 shielding (midfielder), 2v1 first touch (midfielder), crossing and finishing (both sides, wingers to attacker), 4v2 attacking in a diamond (everyone except defender).

2-3 (wingers)

Short passes: 10
Risk passes: 8
Crosses: 2
Goalkeeper options: 2/4
Defense: 4/10
Midfield: 4/10
Offense: 2/5

Comments: If you have pacy wingers with good cross but don't want to risk to much, this is the right formation. Forward runs should be encouraged, but diagonal passes to the far player, should be avoided. Use this if you want to increase your width, so as to open rigid 3-1-1 defenses.

Training: Diamond give and go passing (both feet), crossing and finishing (both sides, wingers to attacker), 3v3 attacking in a triangle (wingers-attacker).

3-1-1 (isosceles)

Short passes: 12
Risk passes: 4
Crosses: 2
Goalkeeper options: 3/5
Defense: 7/15
Midfield: 4/5
Offense: 1/5

Comments: This is the standard formation when defending. The defensive line holds its position when there is a threat of a penetrating attacker, a long shot or a through pass. Prefer this formation to 3-1-1 stopper, if there are winger threats. There are minimum attacking options, except for counter attack with long balls. Change to this formation if you have the lead and want to retain possession in your end.

Training: Passing triangles (defenders-midfielder), defending crosses (defenders), counter attack long passing and finishing (defenders to attacker).

1-4 (diamond)

Short passes: 10
Risk passes: 8
Crosses: 2
Goalkeeper options: 1/1
Defense: 2/5
Midfield: 4/10
Offense: 2/5

Comments: This ultra offensive strategy should only be used, if you don't have the lead and there only few minutes left on the clock. Once again, the only attacking option is the wingers trying to cross to the wide attacker. Avoid using this if the opposition is pressing the first pass. If that's the case, command an attacker to come and receive the ball and wingers to return to defense.

Training: Side passing (attackers), vs 3-1-1 attacking situations, crossing and finishing (wingers to far attacker), long passing (sweeper).

note: corrections pending

Aek Athens FC team analysis 2011 - 2012

2011-10-14T21:48:00.005+03:00

STAFF
General Manager
Arnar Gretarsson
Head coach
~~Manolo Jimenez~~
Nikos Kostenoglou
GSL wins: 42%
Head scout
Toni Savevski

TRANSFERS

In (16): U20 GSL starlets Bougaidis (central defender) and Fetsis moved to Aek from Aris U20 and Panathinaikos U20 respectively. Kontoes (right back) signed from Panionios and Sialmas (attacker) from 'beta ethniki' side PAS Giannena. Liberopoulos, Manolas and Dellas renewed their contracts. Beleck (striker) loaned from Udinese and Tsoukalas (defender) returned to Greece from Palermo. Spaniards Jose Carlos (23y, AMLC, last season: 10 games, 2 goals) and Cala (DEF, loaned from Sevilla) also joined. Konstantopoulos will be the new goalkeeper. 15 years old, Greek/Australian Paul Katsetis also joined. Islanders Helgason and Gudjonhsen and former Colombia international Vargas (31y, midfielder) also joined.

Out (15): Aek lost his best player Nacho Scocco after Al-Ain paid his minimum fee release clause (2.8M). Ismael Blanco moved on a free to Mexico. Greeks Intzoglou, Koutroumanos and Zorbas moved to Atromtios, Panetolikos and Ofi for free. Eder, Baha, Dadomo, Drpic and Lukac given free transfer (why they signed them at first place?). Goalkeeper Saja, and defender Jahic also released. Diop returned to UK. It is obvious the effort to get rid of big contracts. Michel's and Nasuti's loans ended.

ROSTER (32)

AEK's formation vs Sturm

Foreigners: 31%
Mean age: 25
Management: 55%
Chemistry: 47%
Depth: 100%
Formation: 4-5-1
Line up: GK Konstantopoulos, LB Lagos, RB Kontoes, CB Manolas, CB Dellas, ML Carlos, MR Sialmas, MC Makos, MC Kafes, AMC Gudjohnsen, ST Liberopoulos
Subs: GK Arabatzis, LB Karabelas, RB Georgeas, CB Cala, CB Helgason, ML Leonardo, MR Guerreiro, MC Rikka, MC Gentsoglou, MC Burns, ST Beleck
Backups and youngsters: GK Moschonas, LB Englezou, RB Tsoukalas, CB Bougaidis, MC Argyriou, MC Klonaridis, MC Katsetis, ST Nikoltsis
Loaned out: CB Matentzidis (Diagoras), RB Kalamiotis (Thrasyvoulos), MC Agyriba (Paok Glyfadas), AMC Froxilias (Thrasyvoulos), ST Abdurahmani (Niki Volos)
Key players: Dellas, Makos, Kafes, Liberopoulos, Gudjohnsen
U23 starlets: Manolas, Gentsoglou
U21 prospects: Bougaidis

Official website: www.aekfc.gr
Youtube channel: aekadmin

this post is part of the section team analysis.

Fahad Al Enezi. Fast enough for Europe?

2011-10-13T21:47:00.002+03:00

Fahad Al Enezi with an impressive run, proved his speed in the match Al-Ittihad vs Al Ansar 3-2 (2/10/2011). Fahad clocked at 8.31m/s (18.6mph or 29.9km/h), currently ranking 10th for mean speed (of one sprint) in ask4sports.com lists. Fahad is a Kuwaiti footballer who plays for Ittihad in Saudi Premier League, on loan from Kazma (KUW).

Ashley Young vs Aaron Lennon. Who is faster?

2011-10-11T00:28:00.000+03:00

Season 2011/12 has already started with new sprint records by football players. Among them there are usual suspects: Aaron Lennon and Ashley Young. Lennon's sprint in the match against Man Utd was clocked by ask4sports at 10.1m/s (22.6mph, 36.4km/h). Worth mention is his ability to maintain that speed for over 20m (graph - yellow line). Not surprisingly, Lennon ranks 1st for the number of entries in ask4sports lists for the fastest football sprints of all times, with his peak speed exceeding 9m/s no less than 4 times between 2009-2011. In the same match, at Old Trafford, Young's sprint was clocked at 9.7m/s (21.7mph, 35.0km/h), currently ranking 6th. I've discussed earlier the role of surface and high expectations to perform like this. In the graph, there is also Pato's recent sprint (vs Barcelona) for comparison reasons.

Peak sprinting speed of Pato, Young and Lennon.

Panathinaikos performance analysis

2011-10-07T18:25:00.005+03:00

The following stats extracted out of full performance analysis from the first half of a recent friendly match: Jesualdo Fereira tried a 4-5-1 formation with two attacking midfielders (Quincy and Leto, although this is not their natural position). Kante in the first minutes made some mistakes but his performance increased later in the game. Simao never tried other than parallel short passes. Simao and Leto always made a foul when trying to steal the ball. Leto and Zeca first touch was bad, giving the ball straight to the opposition. Another thing is that six times during the first half PAO tried to start an offensive 3-5-2 play with Simao as sweeper, Leto as a second attacker and the two backs as offensive wingers.

Panathinaikos
27% correct dribbles
71% correct forward passing
37% headers won
45% correct clearances
74% correct interceptions
5 shots
11 crosses

Best stats
Dribbling: Quincy 8/13 (62%)
Forward passing: Katsouranis 22/32 (69%)
Headers: Vyntra 7/7 (100%)
Clearances: Vyntra 3/3 (100%)
Interceptions: Boumsong 5/5 (100%)
Shots: Leto 3
Crosses: Katsouranis 5

Worst stats*
Dribbling: Zeca 2/6 (33%)
Forward passing: Leto 6/13 (46%)
Headers: Leto 1/3 (25%)
Clearances: -
Interceptions: Leto 0/3 (0%)
*this is relevant as they were players without any of the above actions (0%)

this post is part of the sections Greek football scouting stories and match analysis.

Greek football legends

2011-10-07T16:24:00.004+03:00

Vasilis Hatzipanagis
Club with most appearances: Iraklis
Distinguished skill: Dribbling
Major moment: Golden Player Award
Currently: Commercial industry

Kostas Nestoridis
Club with most appearances: Aek
Distinguished skill:
Major moment: Greek Championship top scorer (1959-1963)
Currently:

Vasilis Tsiartas
Club with most appearances: Aek
Distinguished skill: Set pieces
Major moment: Uefa Euro 2004 winner
Currently: Fifa agent

Giorgos Delikaris
Club with most appearances: Olympiacos
Distinguished skill:
Major moment:
Currently: Business industry

Nikos Machlas
Club with most appearances: Ofi
Distinguished skill: Headers
Major moment: 1998 European Golden Boot
Currently: Chairman of Ofi

Dimitris Saravakos
Club with most appearances: Panathinaikos
Distinguished skill: Scoring
Major moment: Captain of Greece in 1994 World Cup
Currently: Football industry

Mimis Domazos
Club with most appearances: Panathinaikos
Distinguished skill:
Major moment: Greek Championship appearances record
Currently: Panathinaikos board of directors, football industry

Nikos Anastopoulos
Club with most appearances: Olympiacos
Distinguished skill: Scoring
Major moment: Greek National Team all time scorer
Currently: Ofi head coach

Thomas Mavros
Club with most appearances: Aek
Distinguished skill: Scoring
Major moment: Greek Championship all time scorer
Currently:

Theodoros Zagorakis
Club with most appearances: Paok
Distinguished skill:
Major moment: Euro 2004 winner and MVP award
Currently: Chairman of Paok

Giorgos Koudas
Club with most appearances: Paok
Distinguished skill:
Major moment:
Currently:

Stelios Manolas
Club with most appearances: Aek
Distinguished skill: Marking
Major moment:
Currently: Coach

Takis Loukanidis
Club with most appearances: Panathinaikos
Distinguished skill:
Major moment:
Currently:

Mimis Papaioannou
Club with most appearances: Aek
Distinguished skill:
Major moment: Fifa Best Greek Player Award
Currently:

Antonis Antoniadis
Club with most appearances: Panathinaikos
Distinguished skill: Headers
Major moment: European Champions Cup 1971 top scorer
Currently: Panathinaikos board of directors

Giorgos Sideris
Club with most appearances: Olympiacos
Distinguished skill: Scoring
Major moment:
Currently:

Demis Nikolaidis
Club with most appearances: Aek
Distinguished skill: Scoring
Major moment: Chairman of Aek (2004-2008)
Currently:

Vassilis Karapialis
Club with most appearances: Olympiacos
Distinguished skill:
Major moment: Greek Championship winner with Larissa (1987/88)
Currently: Football industry

Antonis Nikopolidis
Club with most appearances: Olympiacos
Distinguished skill: Positioning
Major moment: Uefa Euro 2004 winner
Currently: Undergoes Uefa A' coaching license

This list is not ready yet, any help would be most welcome.

this post is part of the section Greek football scouting stories.

Super League start of coaches sacking

2011-10-07T01:44:00.007+03:00

Manolo Jimenez mutually terminated his contract with AEK late this evening. Except for the financial aspect, I cannot think of any other explanation than the negative results in European competitions, especially the recent home loss against Sturm Gratz. On the other hand, Manolo was one of the most successful coaches in domestic competitions: At the start of this season, he had a .54 winning percentage in Greek Super League ranking 3rd after Olympiacos' Ernesto Valverde (77%) and Panathinaikos' Jesualdo Ferreira (58%). Aek's offensive productivity was not bad as they scored more than 2 goals in 30% of the matches with Jimenez on the bench. That may deteriorated this season but who is to blame for the departure of key attackers (Scocco, Djebour, Blanco). Manolo has been sacked before even getting past match-day 5 (the same match-day as Bajevic's sacking the year before), leaving his team in the pole position of GSL. He had also won the Greek Cup last year, the only title for Aek the last 9 years. After this initiate change in the bench of a GSL club for season 2011/12, Asteras' Fernandez, Aris' Tsiolis, Kerkyra's Badovic, Panionios' Lemonis and Gianina's Demol also left...

Aek's offensive productivity with Jimenez

this post is part of the section Greek football scouting stories.

Some thoughts about the fixed games scandal

2011-10-05T21:40:00.005+03:00

Fixed games not only affect betting companies, they also harm other areas:

1) Scouting

When the result of a match is predetermined, performance analysis is not applicable! This may sound like a minor issue, but think about it: A good match analyst spends thousand of hours in the video room, keeping track of statistics, trends, formations and plays, for his team and all others. A huge amount of work totally wasted. Is this the reason why clubs accused for fixed games, didn't invest for a scouting department?

2) Match preparation

Not to mention the wasted efforts of a coach and his players, that have spent many hours each week, to understand and train on opposition-specific plays. How frustrating must be, a few minutes after the match starts, the referee to give a dubious red card and a penalty, or to stop every attacking opportunity as an offensive foul!

3) Transfers

What about when the transfer window opens and you have to take a multimillion decision to sign a player? Usually, future transfers are carefully chosen, after hours of watching internet statistics, videos and DVDs. If the game is fixed, how would you know that a player's performance is real? Also, another issue is the looting of all those players from accused and relegated clubs.

4) Match program

As a result of the fixed games scandal, Greek Super League created the match program without knowing 3 out of 16 teams. That's because the trials haven't finished yet. Because of this delay, Greek 2nd national division (Football League 1), will start on October 16th (!), and the match-days are stretched very much. For example: 23, 26, 30 of October and 20, 23, 27 of November. No room for match preparation and training, when you have to travel from Athens to Thrace, back to Athens, then to Rhodes and back to Athens again.

5) Shattered dreams

Clubs may have signed an average of 50 professional and semi-professional players. Most of them have families and/or have traveled a long way to be there. Each one of them, dreams for a successful career in soccer. When a player inks his first contract in one of the top three divisions (professional divisions), feels that the time has come to prove himself and that all those years in conference leagues, all those efforts and injuries he suffered, finally paid off. What should be his reaction, when he learns that his team is relegated from Super League to 4th national division, because of betting fraud?

6) Club reputation

What about the parents of thousands of youngsters enrolled in the football academies of those clubs? Would you sign and pay, for your kid to learn football, by a club accused for threats of physical violence?

The following teams have already relegated to the 4th Conference Division (Semi-professional League) due to fixed games scandal, betting fraud or false financial awareness issues in 2010/11:

ILIOUPOLI FC (from FL1 to GCL)
ETHNIKOS PIRAEUS FC (from FL1 to GCL)
IONIKOS NIKEA FC (from FL1 to GCL)
RHODOS FC (from FL1 to GCL)
IRAKLIS FC (from GSL to GCL)
ANAGENNISI KARDITSA FC (from FL1 to GCL)
TRIKALA FC (from FL1 to GCL)
KAVALA FC (from GSL to GCL)
ASPROPIRGOS FC (from FL2 to GCL)
OLYMPIAKOS VOLOS FC (from GSL to GCL)
AIAS SALAMINA FC (from FL2 to GCL)

this post is part of the section Greek football scouting stories.

Atromitos FC team analysis 2011/12

2011-10-01T16:25:00.002+03:00

Overview: Atromitos is by far the champion of summer's transfer period, by snapping up quality free agents and young stars, plus by releasing all last year's wrong choices. Giorgos Donis prepares for the third surprise in his career (after reaching the cup final two times with lower level clubs). Their debut game against newly promoted Ofi ended in a draw (match day 1, 27/8/2011, 1-1). All goals scored from corner kicks (Pitu assist). Atromitos could have win, but Anastasakos lost some chances. The second game was a crucial away victory against Aris (match day 2, 11/9/2011, 0-1). Once again they scored from a set piece, after Pitu's free kick found the head of Mitroglou. If Atromitos' players learn each other fast and find another way to score (except set pieces), they must aim straight for the play-offs this season. In their third game in GSL, against Panathinaikos, they lost the change for a winning strike, as they dominated the field but failed to convert possesion into goals (Pao was playing with 10 players, match day 3, 17/9/2011, 1-1). At the 57th minute of the game, Greek broadcaster Nova, reported for Atromitos the following stats: 86% passing accuracy, 62% possession and 64% more passes than their opponents! Also, it is worth mention that Atromitos dares to use only 4 foreigners and many youngsters in the line-up.

STAFF
General manager
Giannis Aggelopoulos
Coach
Giorgos Donis
GSL wins: 30%
Head scout
Tolis Apostolou

TRANSFERS
In (14): Socrates Fytanidis signed for Atromitos, as his contract with Asteras expired. Sfakianakis and Anastasakos renewed their contracts. Thomas from Doncaster, Dimoutsos from Panathinaikos, Intzoglou from Aek, Makris from Kerkira, Pitu (ARG) from Iraklis, Epstein (GER) from Olympiakos, Radman (CRO) and Beljic (SER) from Panseraikos also arrived at the club. Zuela (ANG) loaned from Krasnodar, Giannoulis from Koln and Tatos from Olympiacos.

Out (15): Saganowski and Baszczynski returned to Poland. Michailidis, Favalli, Sarmiento, Sambou, Wassi, Karalis, Nebegleras, Oliveira, Camara, Androutsos and Melissas given free transfer. Intzoglou loaned out to Pierikos.

ROSTER (25)

Foreigners: 33%
Mean age: 26
Management: 57%
Chemistry: 36%
Depth: 100%
Formation: 4-3-3
Line up: GK Itandje, LB Giannoulis, CB Nastos, CB Fytanidis, RB Skondras, MC Tatos, MC Balas, MC Pitu, FWL Epstein, FWR Karagounis, ST Mitroglou
Subs: GK Radman, LB Kokolakis, RB Thomas, CB Zuela, CB Zoumpoulakis, MC Dimoutsos, MC Brito, MC Makris, FWL Sfakianakis, FWR Beljic, ST Anastasakos
Backups and youngsters: GK Karagiolidis, GK Rachiotis, LB Argiros, CB Kantoutsis, RB Karagounis, MC Bilitsis, MC Limnios, MC Athanasiou, MC Gromitsaris, ST Karamanos, RB Kaimakamoudis
Key players: Itandje, Fytanidis, Pitu, Sfakianakis, Epstein
U23 starlets: Skondras, Dimoutsos, Tatos, Mitroglou

U21 prospects: Kantoutsis, Balas, Karagounis, Kaimakamoudis

Official website: www.atromitosfc.gr
Web TV: atromitosfc

This article is part of the post 'Greek Superleague overview 2011/12'.

Skoda Xanthi FC team analysis 2011/12

2011-09-28T00:46:00.005+03:00

Overview: It seems that Xanthi tried hard and fixed the last 2 years mess, by releasing all players they didn't need. They also snapped one of the best scorers of GFL and opened the Romanian transfer market. Xanthi is ready to regain the standard stature of a middle-table position club, they had back in seasons 2005-2009. For this to happen, Kazakis and Markovski ought to find their way into scoring and Romanians Dica and Mara to blend in. In the debut match against Paok (match day 1, 28/8/11, away loss 1-0), they knew it would be hard from the beginning as Paok had already played four matches in Europa League, but that didn't mean that they quit trying. Good performances continued against Olympiacos (match day 3, 18/9/11, away loss at 95': 2-1) and against Aek (match day 2, 21/9/11, home loss: 3-4). In match day 4, against Ofi, they finally get what they deserved: Solid performance and win by 3-1. Marcelinho is currently on top form.

STAFF
General manager
Giannis Papadimitriou
Coach
Marinos Ouzounidis
GSL wins: 31%
Head scout
Kostas Konstantinidis

TRANSFERS

In (8): Prolific striker Markovski joined from Doxa Dramas. Dani and Mara from Iraklis. Goalkeeper Viviani (29y) from Grenoble, defender Stasiak (30y) from Poland and Vlachodimos (20y) from Stuttgart II. Dica (free transfer) and Edimar (loan) joined from Cluj.

Out (12): Kostoulas moved to Asteras and Stewart to Millwall on a free transfer. Quintana, Al-SAify, Buga, Jaggy, Grzelak, Vrontaras and Alfa contracts expired. Good deal for Katongo (250K from a Chinese club). George Boateng (35y) joined Championship side Nottingham Forest. Former U21 international Rizogiannis (23y) went to Niki Volou.

ROSTER (30)

Foreigners: 37%
Mean age: 25
Management: 50%
Chemistry: 52%
Depth: 86%
Formation: 4-5-1
Line up: GK Viviani, LB Edimar, RB Bertos, CB Vallas, CB Stasiak, MC Dica, MC Vasilakakis, MC Mara, FWL Marcelinho, FWR Poy, ST Markovski
Subs: GK Gspurning, LB Tsoumanis, RB Baxevanidis, CB Stathakis, CB Komesidis, MC Fliskas, MC Dani, MC -, FWL -, FWR Souanis, ST Kazakis
Backups and youngsters: GK Liberopoulos, GK Lodigin, GK Zaropoulos, CB Goutas, MC Gaqollari, MC Katharios, MC Mandalos, FWL Lazaridis, ST Vlachodimos, ST Altiparmakovski
Key players: Viviani, Marcelinho, Markovski
U23 starlets: Vasilakakis, Stathakis, Bertos
U21 prospects: Katharios, Vlachodimos, Mandalos

Official website: skodaxanthifc.gr
Youtube channel: skodaxanthichannel

This article is part of the post 'Greek Superleague overview 2011/12'.

Alexandre Pato top speed

2011-09-15T18:04:00.003+03:00

Alexandre Pato scored one of the fastest goals in CHL history in the match Barcelona - Milan (2-2, Camp Nou, 13/9/11). His top speed clocked at 9.38 m/s (21.1mph, 33.8km/h) and his dribbling speed at 8.75m/s (19.6mph, 31.5kmh), ranking 8th for running speed and 1st for dribbling speed in ask4sports lists! Comparisons with Usain Bolt (12.4 m/s) are not realistic yet.

Pato's max speed reached 9.4 m/s vs Barcelona.

this article is part of the posts: 'World's fastest football players' and 'World's fastest football dribblers'.

Maccabi Tel-Aviv vs Panathinaikos

2011-08-19T22:01:00.002+03:00

The game Maccabi Tel-Aviv vs Panathinaikos (3-0, 18/8/2011, UEFA Europa League, play-offs, first leg), left a bitter taste to Panathinaikos fans. It was a disastrous performance for Panathinaikos and a wonderful ability show off for Maccabi: With a 4-4-2 formation, quick, 1-2 touch passes and left side up mentality, left no chances for Panathinaikos to qualify, from the first match! In the pictures below enjoy direct, attacking football combinations of the Israeli team (connected lines, 83% correct!), even after scoring the first two goals and thus sealing qualification (left image: all passes between 70'-80')! Maccabi chose a more rigid 4-4-2 after that (right image), so as not to concede a goal. Even though, watch two things: 1) how high was the defensive line and 2) the decision making: since all long passes intercepted in right side (right image: all passes between 80'-90'), they chose to change side at 90th minute and that led to a third goal (bold lines). Vyntra was very close to Boumsong for an unknown reason and Quincy had his mind on attack!

M.Tel-Aviv passing up to 3rd goal (left: 70'-80', right: 80'-90')

this post is part of the section Greek football scouting stories.

Wisla vs Apoel passing analysis

2011-08-18T03:03:00.003+03:00

Robert Maaskant, in the game Wisla Krakow vs Apoel (1-0, 17/8/2011, UEFA Champions League, play-offs, first leg), preferred a 4-4-2 formation with forward passing mentality for two reasons: It was the home game and needed to score, plus to avoid mistakes in defense. Apoel, with last year's experience, started the game with confident short passes to see Wisla's reaction and soon surpassed their opponents in terms of possession (47%-53%). Melickson (his free kick hit the bar in the second half), Nunez (run over 11km in the whole match) and Malecki (scorer 71') are the main threats for the second leg in Nicosia. If Apoel wants to be in the group stage draw, they should convert possession to goals. In the pictures below, you can see all passes (top graph) and key movements (lower graph) of Wisla, for the quarters before scoring between 55'-70' (left images) and after scoring between 70'-85' (right images).

Wisla formation and passing, before and after scoring.

Wisla key passing and movements, before and after scoring.

this post is part of the sections Greek football scouting stories and match analysis.

Bosnia vs Greece friendly match analysis

2011-08-12T19:02:00.003+03:00

Bosnia-Herzegovina invited Greece for a friendly match (10/8/11), as both teams wanted to prepare for their next official games on September for the European Championship, vs Belarus and Israel respectively. Fernando Santos called up for the first time Zaradoukas (LB), Petsos (DMC) and Tatos (MC). However, Zaradoukas played for 30', Petsos for 8' and Tatos didn't used. In the whole match, Bosnia was dominating the field, creating chances to score. Greece had only 2 (Samaras intercepted in counter attack and Torosidis' header didn't find target at the last minute of the game). The game ended in a goalless draw. Greece's starlets Ninis and Fetfatzidis had a bad day. Katsouranis and Karagounis were nervous. Samaras was alone in attack. Torosidis made some sprints and K.Papadopoulos was a solid interceptor. At first glance, Greece's problem to score may seem to be in attack and the lack of a real striker (like Dzeko), but the real problem is the defense's and midfield's inability to keep possession. In the pictures below you can see both teams goalkeepers' actions. Greece lost possession 80% of the times in the second half as most goal kicks were searching for Samaras' head (who moved in the left side of the pitch), but that was to obvious for the opposition to handle...

Bosnia vs Greece, goalkeepers analysis (first half)

Bosnia vs Greece, goalkeepers analysis (second half)

this post is part of the sections Greek football scouting stories and match analysis.

Germany U21 vs Cyprus U21 match analysis

2011-08-10T01:30:00.004+03:00

Germany U21 invited Cyprus U21 for the UEFA U21 Championship qualifying round (9/8/11). Both teams are in the same group with Greece U21 (Group 1). In the whole match Germany played well the possession game and created a total of 18 attempts to score. In the first half, Germany's captain Lewis Holtby was the best player on the field creating many chances and scoring 2 goals (9', 37'). Cyprus' defense was struggling to clear the ball and hoped for the counter-attack. Mytidis scored the only goal for Cyprus, after a terrible mistake by the two central defenders of Germany (39'). In the second half, Germany scored another 2 goals (66', 75'). In the pictures below you can see match analysis (full passing distribution) of Cyprus for the second half. It is obvious the trend of hurried clearances, that most of the time led the opposition to regain possession.

Cyprus U21 match analysis.

this post is part of the sections Greek football scouting stories and match analysis.

Olympiacos vs West Brom player analysis

2011-08-05T02:25:00.007+03:00

Olympiacos invited West Bromwich Albion in a pre-season friendly (the first match for Olympiacos in Karaiskaki stadium for the season 2011/12). The game ended in a draw (2-2). In the pictures below you can see match analysis of specific players (Constanzo, Mellberg), after the 55th minute of the game and all actions of the following substitutions: Marcano, Torosidis, Grbic and Fetfatzidis (subbed in at the 65th minute of the game). Blue vectors indicate correct passes, red vetors: wrong passes, blue snake lines: dribbles, red snake lines: missed balls while dribbling, green vectors: shots on goal and yellow vectors: shots wide. Letters in the pitch can be interpreted as follows: s: goalkeeper's save or outfielder's sprint, f: foul committed, f: foul suffered, m: correct marking, m: wrong marking, h: header won, i: interception, c: clearance, t: correct touch, t: wrong touch.

Constanzo, Mellberg and Marcano player's analysis.

Torosidis, Grbic and Fetfatzidis player's analysis

this post is part of the sections Greek football scouting stories and match analysis.

Panathinaikos vs Odense match analysis

2011-08-03T04:09:00.006+03:00

Jesualdo Ferreira's choice to wait and go for the goalless draw was obvious right after the announcement of the starting lineups (Pao vs OB 3-4, 3/8/2011, UEFA Champions League, third qualifying round, second leg). Panathinaikos lined up without attackers (Tzorvas, Vyntra, Spyropoulos, Boumsong, Sarriegi, Katsouranis, Simao, Marinos, Ninis, Leto, Cleyton), but the early goal of Odense (12') forced them to change their plans. Striker Toche subbed in at the 20th minute of the game and scored on his debut (50'). Later in the game, striker Petropoulos subbed in (67'), but scored when all have finished (95'). In the picture below you can see Pao's 4-4-2 formation and player's full match analysis for the crucial minutes after the second striker subbed in (67': when the score was 2-2 and they needed only one goal), up to when they conceded the third goal (80': when they lost every hope to qualify). Odense qualified on a 4-5 aggregate.

Panathinaikos vs OB (match analysis: 67'-80')

this post is part of the sections Greek football scouting stories and match analysis.

Valerenga vs Paok. The new Paok FC

2011-07-28T22:54:00.005+03:00

The choice of Lazlo Boloni to keep Paok's last year's strategy, plus the latest addition of Costin Lazar were the keys of success in the first official match for season 2011/12 against Valerenga in Norway (UEFA Europa League, third qualifying round). In the picture below you can see Paok's 4-3-3 formation and match analysis of his star players for the crucial last 25 minutes, where Paok scored two goals, one after Lazar through pass to Vieirinha and one with free kick specialist Pablo Garcia. Left side up tactics created many problems to Valerenga's defense. No striker, no problem for Paok.

this post is part of the sections Greek football scouting stories and match analysis.

Nick Galis hangtime

2011-07-21T21:24:00.001+03:00

Greece won its first European title in 1987 by defeating the holders and favorites Soviet Union with a 103-101 score in overtime. Greece's Nikos Galis, an NBA draft pick of 1979, was voted as the tournament's MVP with a 37 points per game average. Watch in the video below, analysis of his classic highlight. Galis makes the basket by staying in the air for .73 seconds and by making body adjustments to avoid 4 defenders.

Lionel Messi profile

2011-07-21T16:12:00.008+03:00

For Lionel Messi we have measured his top running, dribbling and shooting speed and there is also data available for his correct passing and take ons percentage. All data is objectively measured with the methods of notational and kinematic analysis.

Lionel Messi profile

Take ons: 67% (vs Man Utd)

Passing: 92% (vs Man Utd)

Running speed: 86% (vs Real)

Dribbling speed: 91% (vs Getafe)

Shooting speed: 85% (vs Argentina)

In this post we will further his analysis for the penalty taking attribute. It seems that he makes adjustments right after his left foot is planted next to the ball so as to confuse the goalkeeper. Specifically, he laterally inclines his trunk at 74 deg, the hip at 70 deg and the foot at 54 deg. His joints' range of motion and muscles elasticity help him reach his limits and prevent injury.

Player attributes in basketball videogames

2011-07-21T15:18:00.001+03:00

Basketball and baseball analytics are way far compared with soccer, and have the advantage that are objectively measured. For example, for basketball there is data for each 3 pointer made the last 20 years and for baseball, data for the fastest pitcher ever. Basketball video-games reflect this data monitoring all these years and are full of metrics and stats to represent a player's ability. I will give you an example, from the latest NBA 2K11:

When you are at the 'player card' screen you can see some general stats and bio:

1. Height

2. Weight

3. Age

4. Years pro

5. Overall rank

6. Position rank

7. College

8. Drafted (year, round, pick, team)

...and there are the following subcategories too:

1. Career stats

2. Attributes

3. Skills

4. Tendencies

5. Ambition

I suppose that 'career stats' come from original NBA data and include the following values for each previous season:

1. Points per game

2. Offensive rebounds per game

3. Rebounds per game

4. Assists per game

5. Steals per game

6. Blocks per game

7. Turnovers per game

8. Field goal %

9. 3 point %

10. Free throw %

11. Minutes per game

12. Fouls per game

13. Points

14. Rebounds

15. Assists

16. Steals

17. Blocked shots

18. Turnovers

19. Field goals made

20. Field goals attempted

21. 3 pointers made

22. 3 pointers attempted

23. Free throws made

24. Free throws attempted

25. Minutes played

26. Personal fouls

27. Games started

28. Games played

'Attributes' screen has a rating and an average for NBA starters in each position for the following abilities:

1. Overall

2. Shot close

3. Shot medium

4. Shot 3pt

5.Free throw

6. Layup

7. Dunk

8. Ball handle

9. Pass

10. Offensive low post

11. Defensive low post

12. Blocking

13. Stealing

14. Offensive rebound

15. Defensive rebound

16. Speed

17. Stamina

18. Durability

19. Offensive awareness

20. Defensive awareness

21. Fastbreak

'Skills' screen has two graphs, one for overall and one for shooting:

Overall graph

1. Offense

2. Rebounding

3. Defense

4. Potential

Shooting graph

1. Close

2. Medium

3. 3PT

4. Free throw

5. Layup

6. Dunk

'Tendencies' screen has a rating and an average for NBA starters in each position for the following abilities:

1. Close tendency

2. Midrange tendency

3. 3PT tendency

4. Drive tendency

5. Dunk tendency

6. Back to basket tendency

7. Triple threat tendency

8. Fadeaway tendency

9. Hook shot tendency

10. Putback tendency

11. Flashy pass tendency

12. Foul tendency

13. Pass intercept tendency

14. On ball steal tendency

15. Contested shot tendency

'Ambition' screen has valued with a 'likert' scale (not, somewhat, moderate, very, extremely) the following attributes:

1. Loyalty

2. Financial security

3. Play for winner

4. Player thoughts (for his contract renewal etc)

When you send a 'scout' to evaluate a 'prospect' he returns with the following abilities evaluated:

1. Overall

2. Potential

3. Athletisism

4. Inside game

5. Outside game

6. Playmaker ability

7. Inside defense

8. Outside defense

9. Rebounding

10. Intangibles

...with the following 'letter' grading scale: A+, A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, D- and F (I have found an F+ and an F- rating when I scouted a prospect more than six times).

The grading scale and the values correspondence is the following:

A+ = 99‐98% A=97‐94% A‐=93‐90%
B+ = 89‐87% B=86‐83% B‐=82‐80%
C+ = 79‐77% C=76‐73% C‐=72‐70%
D+ = 69‐67% D=66‐63% C‐=62‐60%
F= below 59%

When you choose an 'NBA scout' to evaluate an NBA player, he directly evaluates the following abilities:

1. Overall

2. Inside scoring

3. Outside scoring

4. Perimeter defense

5. Post defense

6. Handling

7. Rebounding

8. IQ

9. Athleticism

10. Potential

...with the following 'letter' grading scale: A+, A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, D- and F. The prospect scout evaluates differently than the nba scout.

You can also see results of the NBA scout with the following 'values' grading scale: '99 the best - 50 the worst' (except for the potential which is valued with a 'letter' grading scale).

1. Overall

2. Shot close

3. Shot medium

4. Shot 3pt

5.Free throw

6. Layup

7. Dunk

8. Ball handling

9. Pass

10. Low post offense

11. Low post defense

12. Block

13. Steal

14. Offensive rebounding

15. Defensive rebounding

16. Speed

17. Stamina

18. Durability

19. Defensive awareness

20. Offensive awareness

21. Potential (this replaces 'fastbreak' attribute compared to 'attributes' screen in player's card)

...but values are not always similar with letter grades! I have found a player with handling (the only common attribute between the two methods) value: 89 and letter grade: A-.

In the NBA 'statistics' screen there are 5 categories:

1. League leaders

2. Player stats

3. Team stats (irrelevant to player attributes)

4. Metric stats

5. Rookie watch

'League leaders' screen has the same stats as the 'career stats' screen except that it is for current season and that players are sorted from the best to the worst for each stat.

'Player stats' screen has the same stats as the 'career stats' screen except that it is for current season.

'Metric stats' screen has the following stats:

1. Efficiency

2. Pure point rating

3. True shooting %

4. Effective field goals %

5. Assist ratio

6. Turnover ratio

7. Possesions

8. Field goals %

9. 3 pointers %

10. Free throws %

'Rookie watch' screen has the same stats as the 'career stats' screen except that it is for current season and that are included only rookies.

At the end of each match you can check the 'game stats' screen where you can see the 'box score' which is full of statistics for each player and each team:

1. Minutes played

2. Points

3. Rebounds

4. Assists

5. Steals

6. Blocks

7. Turnovers

8. Field goals made - attempted

9. 3 points made - attempted

10. Free throws made - attempted

11. Offensive rebounds

12. Personal fouls

...and below that there is the 'shot chart' option where there are a total of 14 shooting charts, one for each quarter, each half and the full game for each team!

Franck Ribery running technique

2011-07-20T01:22:00.004+03:00

this article is part of the post titled: 'World's fastest football players'

Modern football requires speed and Franck Ribéry is one of the representatives of fast running. His top speed reached 9.7m/s (21.7mph, 35.0km/h). And that was the case in the World Cup Final of 2006, not in a random game! He sprinted on counter attack leaving behind him Materazzi. In the picture below you can see his running cycle and by clicking the next link the video proof of his run (skip to 1.45 min).

Running cycle of Ribery. Interesting technique of his left hand.

Ασκήσεις για τα κάτω άκρα

2011-07-19T22:26:00.001+03:00

Αυτή η ανάρτηση αποτελεί απάντηση των ασκήσεων κοιλιακών. Αρχικά ρίξτε μια ματιά εδώ. Πριν ξεκινήσετε την άσκηση καλό θα ήταν να διαβάσετε εδώ. Αν είσαστε στην κατηγορία που δεν έχετε τίποτα από αυτά μπορείτε να ξεκινήσετε αμέσως, έχοντας πάντα στο μυαλό σας όμως αυτό.

Διάρκεια προγράμματος: 30 λεπτά

Θα χρειαστείτε: 1 στρώμα γυμναστικής

ΖΕΣΤΑΜΑ

Κάντε ζέσταμα συνολικής διάρκειας 7΄. Μπορείτε να επιλέξετε κάτι από τα παρακάτω: τρέξιμο στο διάδρομο, επιτόπιο τροχάδην, χορό, βήματα αερόμπικ, σταθερό ποδήλατο, κινήσεις πολεμικών τεχνών σε μέτρια ένταση. Σταματήστε όταν νιώσετε ότι αρχίζετε να ιδρώνετε,να κοκκινίζετε και δε μπορείτε να μιλήσετε με ευκολία.

ΚΥΡΙΩΣ ΜΕΡΟΣ

Ξεκινήστε κάνοντας τις παρακάτω διατάσεις για τετρακέφαλο, δικέφαλο, προσαγωγούς και απαγωγούς, ως εξής: Κρατήστε σταθερά το μέλος και μετρήστε από μέσα σας για 15 έως 20 δευτερόλεπτα. Μην κάνετε ταλαντεύσεις. Επαναλάβετε για το άλλο μέλος.

Διάταση τετρακεφάλου

Διάταση δικεφάλου

Διάταση απαγωγού

Διάταση προσαγωγών

Στη συνέχεια κάντε τις παρακάτω ασκήσεις με την εξής σειρά:

Άσκηση 1: Η άσκηση αυτή αφορά τους γλουτούς. Η αρχική θέση είναι σε τετραποδική στήριξη και ξεκινάτε φέρνοντας το ένα γόνατο προς τη μύτη σας, με ταυτόχρονη κάμψη κεφαλής μπροστά. Στη συνέχεια τεντώνεται το πόδι προς τα πίσω όπως δείχνει η εικόνα της τελικής θέσης. Προσοχή όταν τεντώνεται το πόδι πίσω να φτάνει έως ότου σχηματίζεται ευθεία γραμμή μεταξύ του ποδιού, της μέσης και του κεφαλιού. Κάντε 3 σετ των 15 επαναλήψεων για κάθε πόδι με διάλειμμα 15 δευτερόλεπτα ανάμεσα στα σετ.

Άσκηση γλουτιαίων αρχική θέση

Άσκηση γλουτιαίων τελική θέση

Άσκηση 2: Η άσκηση αυτή αφορά πάλι τους γλουτούς, αλλά πιάνει αλλού. Η αρχική θέση είναι παρόμοια με πριν μόνο που τώρα ξεκινάτε όπως φαίνεται στην εικόνα. Σηκώστε το ήδη σηκωμένο πόδι προς τα πάνω με μια μικρή έως ελάχιστη κίνηση και φτάσετε μέχρι το σημείο που φαίνεται στην εικόνα τελικής θέσης. Επαναφέρετε αργά το πόδι στην αρχική θέση. Προσοχή όταν σηκώνεται το πόδι πάνω να μη κάνετε λόρδωση στη μέση σας. Κρατήστε τη μέση σε ευθεία γραμμή. Θυμηθείτε ότι η κίνηση πρέπει να είναι μικρού εύρους (γύρω στις 10 μοίρες). Κάντε 2 σετ των 12 επαναλήψεων για κάθε πόδι με διάλειμμα 30 δευτερόλεπτα ανάμεσα στα σετ.

Άσκηση γλουτιαίων 2 τελική θέση

Άσκηση γλουτιαίων 2 αρχική θέση

Άσκηση 3: Η άσκηση αυτή αφορά τους προσαγωγούς. Ξαπλώστε πλάγια όπως φαίνεται στην εικόνα και φέρτε το πάνω πόδι αρκετά μπροστά από το άλλο. Σηκώστε το κάτω πόδι προς τα πάνω έως εκεί που φαίνεται στην εικόνα τελικής θέσης και επαναφέρετε αργά το πόδι στην αρχική θέση. Επαναλάβετε την κίνηση πριν το πόδι ακουμπήσει κάτω. Κάντε 3 σετ των 12 επαναλήψεων για κάθε πόδι με διάλειμμα 30 δευτερόλεπτα ανάμεσα στα σετ.

Άσκηση προσαγωγού αρχική θέση


Άσκηση προσαγωγού τελική θέση

Άσκηση 4: Η άσκηση αυτή αφορά τους απαγωγούς. Ξαπλώστε πλάγια όπως φαίνεται στην εικόνα και φέρτε το πάνω πόδι λίγο ακριβώς μπροστά από το άλλο. Στρίφτε τη μύτη του ποδιού ώστε να κοιτάει ελαφρώς προς τα κάτω. Σηκώστε το πάνω πόδι προς τα πάνω έως εκεί που φαίνεται στην εικόνα τελικής θέσης (όχι ψηλότερα) και επαναφέρετε αργά το πόδι στην αρχική θέση. Επαναλάβετε την κίνηση πριν το πόδι ακουμπήσει κάτω. Προσοχή όταν σηκώνετε το πόδι τα δάκτυλα να κοιτάνε ελαφρώς προς τα κάτω και ποτέ προς τα πάνω. Αν κάνετε σωστά την άσκηση θα νιώσετε ένα ελαφρύ κάψιμο στο μέσο και πλάγια του γλουτού σας. Κάντε 3 σετ των 15 επαναλήψεων για κάθε πόδι με διάλειμμα 15 δευτερόλεπτα ανάμεσα στα σετ.

Άσκηση απαγωγού αρχική θέση

Άσκηση απαγωγού τελική θέση

Άσκηση 4: Η άσκηση αυτή αφορά πάλι τους απαγωγούς, αλλά πιάνει αλλού. Ξαπλώστε πλάγια όπως φαίνεται στην εικόνα (με τα πόδια στις 90 μοίρες αυτή τη φορά) με το ένα πόδι πάνω στο άλλο. Σηκώστε το πάνω πόδι προς τα πάνω έως εκεί που φαίνεται στην εικόνα τελικής θέσης (όχι ψηλότερα - περίπου 20 μοίρες) και επαναφέρετε αργά το πόδι στην αρχική θέση. Επαναλάβετε την κίνηση πριν το πόδι ακουμπήσει κάτω. Κάντε 2 σετ των 12 επαναλήψεων για κάθε πόδι με διάλειμμα 30 δευτερόλεπτα ανάμεσα στα σετ.

Άσκηση απαγωγού 2 τελική θέση

ΑΠΟΘΕΡΑΠΕΙΑ

Επαναλάβετε τις διατάσεις και το ζέσταμα ξανά αλλά αυτή τη φορά με σκοπό την αποθεραπεία. Επαναλάβετε τις διατάσεις για τρίτη φορά μετά την αποθεραπεία.

Αυτή η ανάρτηση γράφτηκε για την στήλη fitness coach science.

Greek soccer players abroad

2011-07-10T01:48:00.008+03:00

Australia (A-league)
1. Jesse Makarounas (age: 17y, pos: Striker, club: Perth Glory, Australia U17)
2. Michael Theoklitos (age: 30y, pos: Goalkeeper, club: Brisbane Roar)
3. Kosta Barbarouses (age: 21y, pos: Striker, club: Brisbane Roar, New Zealand)
4. Dimitri Petratos (age: 18y, pos: Midfield, club: Sydney FC, Australia U20)
5. Dean Bouzanis (age: 20y, pos: Goalkeeper, club: Melbourne Vict., Australia U23)
6. Lucas Pantelis (age: 29y, pos: Midfield, club: Wellington Phoenix, Australia U23)
7. Evan Kostopoulos (age: 21y, pos: Striker, club: Adelaide United)
-. Angelos Postecoglou (age: 45y, pos: Coach, club: Brisbane Roar)

Australia (VPL)
1. James Stefanou (pos: Defender, club: Melbourne Knights)
2. Yanni Perkatis (age: 17y, pos: Midfield, club: AIS, Australia U17)
3. Dimitri Tsiaras (age: 27y, club: Richmond Soccer Club)
4. Evan Batsis (age: 18y, club: Richmond Soccer Club)
5. Ross Antoniadis (club: Richmond Soccer Club)
6. Marinos Gasparis (age: 25y, pos: Midfield, club: South Melbourne FC)
7. George Malliaras (age: 19y, pos: Goalkeeper, club: South Melbourne FC)
8. Yanni Galanos (age: 23y, pos: Forward, club: South Melbourne FC)
9. Matthew Lazarides (club: Northcote City SC)
10. Kristian Konstantinidis (pos: Defender, club: Northcote City SC)
11. Harry Kinigoupoulos (pos: Left back, club: Northcote City SC)
12. Chris Petropoulos (pos: Goalkeeper, club: Northcote City SC)
13. George Giannou (pos: Striker, club: Northcote City SC)
14. Jonathan Voulgaris (pos: Striker, club: Northcote City SC)
15. Nick Tzoulis (pos: Midfielder, club: Northcote City SC)
16. James Kalifatidis (pos: Striker, club: Northcote City SC)
-. Peter Tsolakis (coach, Northcote City SC)

New Zealand (ASB)
1. Alex Feneridis (age: 21y, pos: Right midfield, club: Auckland City)
2. George Barbarouses (age: 23y, pos: Midfield, club: Team Wellington)
3. Mikey Halikias (age: 25y, pos: Left midfield, club: Team Wellington)

United States and Canada (MLS)
1. George John (age: 24y, pos: Defender, club: FC Dallas, called up: Greece)
2. Peter Vagenas (age: 33y, pos: Midfield, club: Vancouver, capped: USA)
3. Pari Pantazopoulos (age: 22y, pos: Defender, club: Chicago Fire)
-. Frank Klopas (age: 44y, pos: Coach, club: Chicago Fire)

Germany
Holland

This list is not ready yet, any help would be most welcome.

this post is part of the section Greek football scouting stories.

NBA draft picks with Greek interest

2011-07-10T01:32:00.004+03:00

Greece
1953 round 7 Boston Celtics Lou Tsioropoulos from UoKentucky
1979 round 4 (pick 68 overall) Boston Celtics Nick Galis from Seton Hall
1982 round 9 (pick 207 overall) Boston Celtics Panagiotis Giannakis from Ionikos
1986 round 2 (pick 37 overall) Portland Trail Blazers Panagiotis Fasoulas from NC
1987 round 4 (pick 90 overall) Atlanta Hawks Fanis Christodoulou from Panionios
1995 round 2 pick 2 Chicago Bulls Dragan Tarlac from Olympiacos
1996 round 1 pick 14 Sacramento Kings Pedrag Stojakovic from Paok
1996 round 1 pick 23 Denver Nuggets Efthimis Rentzias from Paok
2000 round 1 pick 25 Phoinix Suns Jake Tsakalidis from Aek
2001 round 2 pick 19 Memphis Grizzlies Antonis Fotsis from Panathinaikos
2003 round 2 pick 5 Los Angeles Clippers Sofoklis Schortsanitis from Iraklis
2003 round 2 pick 29 Detroit Pistons Andreas Gliniadakis from Peristeri
2004 round 2 pick 21 Dallas Mavericks Vassilis Spanoulis from Maroussi
2006 round 2 pick 57 Minnesota Timberwolves Loukas Mavrokefalidis from Paok
2007 round 2 pick 58 San Antonio Spurs Giorgos Printezis from Olympiacos
2008 round 1 pick 23 Utah Jazz Kostas Koufos from Ohio State University
2008 round 2 pick 1 Minnesota Timberwolves Nikola Pekovic from Panathinaikos
2009 round 2 pick 45 Minnesota Timberwolves Nick Calathes from UoFlorida

This list is not ready yet, any help would be most welcome.

Diamantidis vs Messi (MVP awards 2010/11)

2011-06-25T20:33:00.006+03:00

Season 2010/11 ended with two finals in the major European sport competitions: The Champions League Football final between Manchester United and Barcelona and the Euroleague Basketball final between Maccabi and Panathinaikos. Dimitris Diamantidis won the MVP award of the Euroleague final and Lionel Messi the MVP award of the Champions League final. Their playing style is distinguished by great vision and passing ability and that can be proved by the stunning 92% successful passing percentage for Messi in the final and an average of 9 assists in the final-four for Diamantidis. Another ability that both have is the elasticity of movement and the skill to make body adjustments according to a specific situation. Diamantidis also awarded as the best defender in Euroleague and Messi is clearly the best attacker with 12 goals and 4 assist in 13 CL matches. Watch in the video-tribute below what numbers can't describe.

Panathinaikos FC match analysis 2010/11

2011-06-12T17:19:00.005+03:00

Panathinaikos FC managed to get the pole position of Greek Superleague 2011 play-offs and to take the Champions League ticket for next season, but what was the offensive strategy that was followed? Jesualdo Ferreira's tactical plan is to start all attacks from the wings. In the graph below you can see full performance analysis of Panathinaikos offensive actions (blue lines) from the first half of a match with an inferior opponent. The green dots represent player's position of a 4-5-1 formation. Each green line represents a dribbling action. Transparent green areas show where the play was focused. You can easily assume the targeted passing distribution to the wings. Connected lines represent direct passing (only a few took place). The trend not to play from the center of the field is questionable as Pao's best players are central midfielders and his power is not in the wings. On June's transfer window, Pao should focus on finding pacy wingers, if Ferreira wants to continue this strategy.

In this particular game, Ninis contribution was crucial, Cisse found himself more times intercepting balls in defense than attacking, Tzorvas free kicks didn't find target and Boumsong was making row Z clearances, unlike other matches. Even throw-ins were misplaced. The game ended in a draw as opposing right and left backs locked Panathinaikos wingers.

Click here for Olympiacos FC match analysis 2010/11

this post is part of the section Greek football scouting

Fytanidis player analysis before Atromitos

2011-06-12T16:30:00.003+03:00

Socrates (27y, 185cm, 78kg) is a right back who can play with ease as a center back or as a defensive midfielder if the need occurs. He has great work rate, discipline and leadership qualities. In his playing style is discriminant the right timing of his jumps and that he seldom loses a header. More defending qualities include coordination of the defensive line, goal line saves and locking his personal opponent out of the game. In 2010/11 season, he had 24 league and 2 cup appearances and he was the captain of Asteras Tripolis FC. He was 59 times capped with the U21,19,17 Greek national teams. After his contract expired, he signed a new deal with cup finalists, Atromitos FC side. Below you can see full performance analysis of Socratis from the past season with big opponents like Panathinaikos, Aek, Aris and Paok. In the home game against Panathinaikos, Socrates successfully marked out of the game his personal opponent who eventually subbed in the second half. Asteras managed to get the draw.

In the home game versus Paok, Paok attackers failed to threaten Asteras' defence and once again the game ended in a draw. His personal opponent didn't touch the ball in the whole game.

In the away game versus Aek, he played as a central defender and Aek attackers failed to threaten Asteras' defense, well organized by Socrates.

In the away game against Aris made his best appearance of the season (see graph) and even created some chances in attack when Asteras was behind the score.

this article is part of the post 'best players in Greece' written by the Greek football scout.

Panathinaikos BC shot chart GBL Finals 2011

2011-06-06T01:18:00.014+03:00

Panathinaikos offensive performance analysis in Greek Basket League Finals 2011. The graph shows all offensive actions made by Panathinaikos' players in the 3rd period and the overtime of game 4 vs Olympiacos finals series (5/6/2011). Panathinaikos crowned champions for 2011 (3-1). All Panathinaikos' attacks were passing by Calathes' hands (Diamantidis injured and subbed). Obradovic's players made individual actions like dribbling in the paint, so as to get fouled. Only a couple of pick and rolls took place this time. Stunning accuracy by Fotsis from the three point line (total 6/6).

Panathinaikos offensive plays 4th period

Panathinaikos offensive plays OT

Third period stats:

Nick Calathes: 2/2 FT, 0/3 2P, 1 assist, 6 drives, 2 times fouled

Antonis Fotsis: 2/2 FT, 3/3 3P, 1 time fouled

Kostas Kaimakoglou: 0/1 2P

Romain Sato: 0/1 3P, 1 mistake

Mike Batist: 6/6 FT, 2/2 2P, 5 times fouled

Drew Nicolas: 0/2 2P, 0/1 3P, 1 drive, 1 assist, 1 mistake

Stratos Perperoglou: 1 time fouled

Overtime stats:

Nick Calathes: 3 assists, 2/2 field goals

Antonis Fotsis: 2/2 3P

Kostas Kaimakoglou: 2/2 FT, 1 mistake

Romain Sato: 2/2 FT, 0/3 field goals

Mike Batist: 1/1 2P

Ian Vougioukas: 1/1 2P

Click here for Olympiacos BC shot chart in game 3.

This post and the shot charts are created by ask4sports' video analyst.

Olympiacos FC match analysis 2010/11

2011-06-03T22:52:00.011+03:00

Olympiacos FC crowned champions of the Greek Superleague 2011, but what was the key for this achievement? Ernesto Valverde's tactical plan is the answer and few people can doubt that. In the graph below you can see full performance analysis of Olympiacos offensive actions (blue lines) from the first half of a match with an inferior opponent. The red dots represent player's position of a 4-4-2 formation. Each green line represents a dribbling action. Transparent green areas show where the play was focused. You can easily assume the targeted passing distribution to the right side of attack. Another key point was the direct passing (connected lines) in the midfield that gave less time for the opposition to respond.

Olympiacos' performance analysis and Valverde's plan.

In this particular game, as crosses from the right flank didn't find target during the first half, Valverde ordered his players to focus passing to the left side after halftime. Near the end of the game, the score was 0-0, so he placed one striker behind the other, creating a passing ladder, so as to create more chances in the box. Olympiacos scored in the last minutes of the game and Valverde rewarded for his coaching and alternative tactical plans. Olympiacos was one of the few clubs in Greece playing with standardized strategies and the right players to carry them out.

Click here for Panathinaikos FC match analysis 2010/11

this article is part of the post Greek football scouting

Olympiacos BC shot chart GBL Finals 2011

2011-06-02T01:26:00.021+03:00

Olympiacos offensive performance analysis in Greek Basket League Finals 2011. The graphs show all offensive actions made by Olympiacos players in the 3rd and 4th quarter of game 3 vs Panathinaikos finals series (1/6/2011). Only a few set plays took place, but some three-pointers were adequate for the win. Olympiacos managed to make the brake in the finals series (1-2).

Olympiacos offensive plays 3rd period

Olympiacos offensive plays 4th period

Third period's stats were:
Pelekanos: 1/2 3P
Spanoulis: 1/1 FT, 1/1 drives
Papanikolaou: 1/1 FG
Bourousis: 1/2 FG
Printezis: 1/1 3P
Gliniadakis: 0/1 FG
Teodosic: 1/1 FG
Gordon: 0/2 FG
Halperin: 1/2 drives
TEAM TOTAL: 1/1 FT, 7/12 FG, 2/4 3P, 5 assists, 3/3 drives, 2 picks, 2 mistakes.

Fourth period stats:
Pelekanos: 1/1 3P
Spanoulis: 1/3 FG, 3/4 FT
Printezis: 1/1 3P
Teodosic: 2/2 FT, 0/2 FG
Gordon: 2/2 FG, 2 mistakes
Mavrokefalidis: 1/2 FT
TEAM TOTAL: 6/10 FT, 5/9 FG, 2/3 3P, 1 assist, 2/2 drives, 3 mistakes.

Click here for Panathinaikos BC shot chart in game 4.

This post and the shot charts are created by ask4sports' video analyst.

Why evaluate maximum running speed in football

2011-05-28T21:01:00.009+03:00

Speed is one of the prerequisites for top level football, although I think that it's overrated (I'm a fan of technique). My main goal (as a scout) when I started to collect speed data was to create a list with the top level fastest football players, so as to categorize them in percentile ranks. In such a way, I could easily identify potential transfer targets and predict if a player lacks speed to become a star. Additionally, with this knowledge, I could easily interpret results from field tests of my team's players and to try to improve them (as a fitness coach). After seven months into this, I resume my findings: I found that maximum running speed in football is approximately 10.9m/s. I am convinced that footballers ability to run, will exceed 11m/s in the near future (but not anywhere near Usain Bolt's top speed of 12.42m/s). I know (as a sports biomechanist) that 10.9m/s is a very big value and nearly 40% false, considering the difficulties of video analyzing with moving camera angles and not laboratory conditions...

If you take a look at the cyan graph you will see steep reductions of speeds (I show that with color changing from red, orange, yellow, white) which means that there are categories of players who fall into the following ranks:
100-95% (ex. Ronaldo, Henry)
95-90% (ex.Walcott, Lennon)
90-85% (ex.Ribery, Martins)
85-80% (ex.Guerron, Odonkor)
80-75% (ex.Pato, Carlos)
How can you rate players below these zones? That's the catch! All other players are able to run with speeds up to 75% of the maximum ever recorded sprint, unless they are too old, injured etc. Except some scarce results for EPL players and a German study, there is no other objectively evaluated data available online.

Update: TOP SPEED RATINGS COMPARED TO BOLT'S WR

For all other leagues it is unknown who is faster than the average player. So all football clubs are in a 'fog of war mode' and try to find fast players from unreliable sources of information (rumors, websites, videogames) or by sending scouts to watch the player they are interested. To watch means to use our eyes. Unfortunately our eyes can't objectively measure speed... Results could be extremely important and have major impact on players, managers, scouts, coaches, video-game developers and sports journalists (not to mention sports fans).

African/Asian fastest football players

2011-05-27T03:19:00.012+03:00

AFRICAN/ASIAN FASTEST FOOTBALLERS (ASK4SPORTS.COM)

ALGERIA
Nadir Belhadj

BURKINA FASO
Jonathan Pitroipa

CAMEROON
S.Eto'o

GABON
Pierre Aubameyang

GHANA
Dominic Adiyiah
Quincy Owusu-Abeyie

IVORY COAST
Gervinho

JAPAN
Ryo Miyaichi

KUWAIT
Fahad Al-Enezi

LIBERIA
George Weah

NIGERIA
O.Martins

TOGO
Emmanuel Adebayor

European fastest players review
American fastest players review

American fastest soccer players

2011-05-27T03:06:00.012+03:00

AMERICAN FASTEST SOCCER PLAYERS (ASK4SPORTS.COM):

ARGENTINA
Lionel Messi
Sebastian Dubarbier
Claudio Caniggia
Ezequiel Lavezzi
Javier Zanetti

BRAZIL
Ronaldo
Alexandre Pato
Roberto Carlos
Robinho
Kaka
Vagner Love
Leonardo Geraldo
Douglas Costa
Adriano
Thiago Silva
Dentinho

CHILE
Alexis Sanchez
Mark Gonzalez

COLOMBIA
Amaranto Perea

ECUADOR
Joffre Guerron
Antonio Valencia

HONDURAS
Edgar Alvarez
David Suazo

MEXICO
Javier Hernandez
Carlos Vela
Giovani dos Santos

USA
Marvel Wynne
Robbie Findley

Video proof:

ARGENTINA
SEBASTIAN DUBARBIER SPEED

CLAUDIO CANIGGIA SPEED

EZEQUIEL LAVEZZI SPEED

BRAZIL
LEONARDO GERALDO SPEED

DOUGLAS COSTA SPEED

ADRIANO SPEED

THIAGO SILVA SPEED

CHILE
MARK GONZALEZ SPEED

ECUADOR
ANTONIO VALENCIA SPEED

HONDURAS
DAVID SUAZO SPEED

USA
MARVEL WYNNE SPEED

ROBBIE FINDLEY SPEED

MEXICO
CARLOS VELA SPEED

European fastest players review
African/Asian fastest players review

European fastest football players

2011-05-27T02:59:00.022+03:00

EUROPEAN FASTEST FOOTBALLERS (ASK4SPORTS.COM):

BELGIUM
Tomas Vermaelen
Emile Mpenza
Romelu Lukaku
Eden Hazard

BULGARIA
Dimitar Berbatov
Martin Petrov

CZECH REPUBLIC
Tomas Rosicky
Vaclac Kadlec

FINLAND
Lauri Dalla Valle

FRANCE
Thierry Henry
Franck Ribery
Jonathan Biabiany
Gael Clichy
Djibril Cisse
Aly Cissokho
Patrice Evra
William Gallas
Nicolas Anelka
Julien Faubert
Samir Nasri
Bernard Mendy

DENMARK
Dennis Rommedahl
Christian Eriksen

GEORGIA
Levan Kenia

GERMANY
David Odonkor

GREECE
Vasilis Koutsianikoulis

ITALY
Ignazio Abate
Daniele de Rossi
Fabio Grosso
Mauro Camoranesi
Vincenzo Iaquinta
Domenico Criscito

NETHERLANDS
Eljero Elia
Arjen Robben
Ryan Babel
Mark Overmars
Robbie Van Persie
Ibrahim Afellay

POLAND
Zbigniew Boniek
Tomasz Wrobel
Iereneusz Jelen
Łukasz Piszczek

PORTUGAL
Cristiano Ronaldo
Jose Bosingwa
Nani

RUSSIA
Andrei Arshavin

SERBIA
Milos Krasic

SPAIN
Fernando Torres
David Villa
David Silva
Alvaro Arbeloa
Jesus Navas

UK
Theo Walcott
Gabriel Agbonlahor
Gareth Bale
Aaron Lennon
Wayne Rooney
Micah Richards
Michael Owen
Joe Hart
Shaun Wright-Phillips
Kyle Walker
Nedim Onuoha
Kieran Richardson
Nile Ranger
Stewart Downing
Craig Bellamy
Sean Scannell
Ashly Young
Ledley King
Nathaniel Clyne
Raheem Sterling
Kieran Gibbs
Alex Oxlade-Camberlain

Video proof:

BELGIUM

EDEN HAZARD SPEED

ROMELU LUKAKU SPEED

EMILE MPENZA SPEED

ENGLAND
ASHLEY YOUNG SPEED

LEDLEY KING SPEED

FRANCE
JULIEN FAUBERT SPEED

SAMIR NASRI SPEED

BERNARD MENDY SPEED

POLAND
TOMASZ WROBEL SPEED

IERENEUSZ JELEN SPEED

PORTUGAL
NANI SPEED

American fastest players review
African/Asian fastest players review

Congress of Sports Science in Athens

2011-05-08T16:41:00.005+03:00

The Department of Physical Education and Sport Science of the University of Athens organized with success a conference, celebrating 30 years of existence, focusing on the key components of scientific research and practice in modern Sports Science. The conference focused on three main research fields: Biological, Theoretical and Training. In the main lecture of the conference, the audience had the honor to watch V.Klissouras speaking about the limits of human body in athletic performance. As a summary, highlights of the conference include the following presentations: G.Nassis tried to show which is the best hour of the day for football training. T.Tsakiris investigated the effect of metabolic acidosis on CO2 stores after exercise. K.Fousekis talked about musculoskeletal asymmetries and how they correlate with sports injuries. A.Souglis searched the differences in lipid profile before and after preseason football training. D.Mandalidis presented valid evaluation methods for the assessment of the spine and lower limbs. M.Nikolaidou talked about the rate of force development in the upper extremities. A.Sotiropoulou presented the organizational structure from a specific Greek Superleague football club. E.Varamenti presented exercise physiology data from the Greek women water polo league.

Ask4sports.com admin, Nick Kondilopoulos, presented 3 studies in the conference, extracted by 4 years research in the Sports Biomechanics Lab of the University of Athens:

'The use of inertial sensors to quantify human mobility'

'Kinematic adaptations in Sit-to-Walk with the effect of motion speed'

'The effect of fatigue in technical aspects of shooting in football'

The second presentation judged as excellent and will be puplished in a special edition of scientific sports science journal: 'Kinesiology'.

How fast do players run during a football match?

2011-05-02T17:43:00.003+03:00

You may have read ask4sports' fastest football players list. But what is the meaning of those speeds? Do you believe that football players run all the time with 10m/s? That's false! Top speeds provided by ask4sports are all football speed records and are not met everyday! Players that are away from the ball are usually walking. Research shows that they walk nearly half the duration of the match. That is 45 minutes of walking! If a player has a speed of 0 m/s means he is static and with speeds up to 4 m/s that he walks. The 2nd in order action that is performed by pitch players is jogging (4 - 6 m/s), where they spend 23 minutes of the game. Next is cruising (speeds from 6 m/s up to 8 m/s). This happens mainly in transition to attack or when they lose possession and run back to defense. And finally they sprint (8-10m/s) fewer than 4 minutes of the total duration of a match. Players sprint to get to the ball faster than the opposition or to get past defenders. There is also the backwards running action in which players spent 9 minutes of the whole match. If you add all these minutes it's a 90 minutes full-time.

Micah Richards, the fastest defender ever?

2011-04-23T23:25:00.014+03:00

We analyzed Micah Richards' top speed in the game against Notts County only to find that Manchester's defender deserves a place in the list of the fastest football players ever. His top speed reaches 9.62m/s. His mean speed was 8.62m/s. His profile in Manchester City's official site (a straight-forward and very informative site I have to admit) provides us with performance analysis stats, like percentages of correct passes and tackles. Another great source of information is the guardian interactive chalkboards, in which individuals perform full match reports, like passing distribution for all players. If we trust these sources, for season 2010/11, Micah's objective skills ratings with the data available so far would be the following: tackling 84%, passing 83%, top speed 88%, clearances (37/73) 51% and crossing (0/8) 0%. Great stats except for crosses! Watch the video proof of the top speed run (Richards starts running from the half-way line at the beginning of the video):

Preparations for London 2012 Olympics

2011-04-16T03:24:00.007+03:00

London is preparing for the 2012 Summer Olympics and we will discuss two topics that made us impact:

1. One thing is a talent identification program called 'sporting giants' that recruits athletes with potential in an effort for the British to win more medals. They choose 'tall' athletes and they try to train them in a small period of 2 years time... Read more here and here. This has been the case in the past by other countries like USSR and Germany. Research though shows doubts in talent identification programs...

2. The channel that will cover the games is considering to apply sports biomechanical principles in live TV broadcasting so as to improve viewers' experience. You will have the chance to compare kinematic performance parameters between athletes and to learn terms like running velocity, angle of release and trajectory of movement. Read more here. Again, it's not the first time that this is going to happen though... By my experience and tons of hours spent in video and motion analysis, I believe that the audience is not ready for complex analysis yet and that they must keep it simple.

Inverse dynamics for punching force
in kick-boxing


Timing of technical phases and angle of release in shot put

Does the surface induces high top speeds?

2011-04-13T15:29:00.011+03:00

Surface has been proved that affects running biomechanics, including running speed. It is different to run on the treadmill, street, turf, grass, asphalt or concrete. If you take a closer look on the 'fastest football sprints list' you will see that more than 30% of the best sprints were made in Arsenal's Emirates, Tottenham's White Hart Lane, Liverpool's Anfield, Man Utd's Old Trafford or England's national stadium Wembley. I made a little search only to find that all those football grounds use the same technology for the grass (dessosports). That doesn't mean that this type of grass boosts running performance. I only see a tendency.

Other possible explanations

1) Players (Walcott, Lennon etc) of those teams (Arsenal, Tottenham etc) are carefully selected with thorough scouting and mainly SPEED ATTRIBUTE in mind.

2) Those teams spend more time in speed-specific training.

3) High expectations in such matches (Arsenal - Tottenham, Arsenal - Manchester United etc), could drive players to those great performances.

Wayne Rooney's speed record in Emirates

Evolution of football video-games

2011-04-11T21:26:00.021+03:00

Football video-games have evolved over the past 30 years in terms of graphics, game-play and attributes. Improvements had one goal: to resemble reality alongside retaining playability.

Player's attributes
In terms of describing a footballer's abilities, there was a change from one 'overall skill' rating in Gary Lineker's Superstar Soccer 1987 to sixty attributes in SEGA's Football Manager 2011 (see list below). To my knowledge these attributes are subjectively rated by local volunteers and after thorough testing and discussion in forums. But do all those numbers resemble reality? Are those attributes objectively rated?

Technical attributes:
1.Corners
2. Crossing
3. Dribbling
4. Finishing
5. First touch
6. Free kick taking
7. Heading
8. Long shots
9. Long throws
10. Marking
11. Passing
12. Penalty taking
13. Tackling
14. Technique

Mental attributes:
15. Aggression
16. Anticipation
17. Bravery
18. Composure
19. Concentration
20. Creativity
21. Decisions
22. Determination
23. Flair
24. Influence
25. Off the ball
26. Positioning
27. Teamwork
28. Work rate

Physical attributes:
29. Acceleration
30. Agility
31. Balance
32. Jumping
33. Natural fitness
34. Pace
35. Stamina
36. Strength

Goalkeeping
37. Aerial Ability
38. Command Of Area
39. Communication
40. Eccentricity
41. Handling
42. Kicking
43. One on Ones
44. Reflexes
45. Rushing Out
46. Tendency to Punch
47. Throwing

Hidden
48. Adaptability
49. Ambition
50. Consistency
51. Controversy
52. Dirtiness
53. Important Matches
54. Injury Proneness
55. Loyalty
56. Pressure
57. Professionalism
58. Sportsmanship
59. Temperament
60. Versatility
(Click here to read what each one of these means)

Below you can see how attributes grew in number each decade in various football management simulators.

Player's skills in '80s football management simulators.
The need for more detailed description was obvious.

Player's abilities in '90s football management simulators.
The graphical interface improved.

Player's attributes in '00s football management simulators.
Messi dribbling rating is 20/20.
Does this mean that he never loses the ball while dribbling?

Graphics and movement

Another change was in terms of graphics: from pixelated to detailed 3D models created with kinematic data obtained by full body motion capture techniques. The latest technique used for data acquisition in Electronic Art's FIFA 11 was a camera-less motion tracking system (XSens). Watch how the graphics and movement of football video-games changed over the years as technology of motion capture improved:

Analysis of shooting speed in football

2011-04-09T04:32:00.044+03:00

Shooting speed in football is important because higher values give less time to the goalkeeper to react. Research shows that the ball leaves the foot with 20-30 m/s in experienced footballers. Ball speed in shooting is affected by angle of approach, foot dominance, lower leg technique, accuracy, training, age etc. We have found in children of 5-7 years old (with only 8 months of training) a mean speed of 10.7m/s. In 21 years old amateurs a mean speed of 22.9m/s. Below there is an endeavor to gather all shots in football history with the highest velocity, swerve and distance. You can suggest a powerful shot in the comments section. As always ask4sports.com will try to analyze those shots.

Combination of shot accuracy and speed is essential to score

ESTIMATION OF TOP SHOOTING SPEED (ASK4SPORTS.COM)
1. IRE Steven Reid:    33.9m/s (75.8mph, 122.1km/h) 2005/06
2. UKR Oleksandr Aliev:     32.9m/s (73.6mph, 118.4km/h) 2005
3. BRA Alex:     31.4m/s (70.2mph, 113.1km/h)
4. SWE Zlatan Ibrahimovic: 31.2m/s (69.8mph, 112.3km/h)
5. NED Arjen Robben:    31.1m/s (69.6mph, 111.9km/h)
6. BRA Ronny:                  31.1m/s (69.6mph, 111.9km/h) 2006
7. ARG Lionel Messi:         28.9m/s (64.7mph, 104.1km/h) 2010
8. ITA Ciro Capuano:          28.1m/s (62.9mph, 101.2km/h) 2010
9. RUS Andrei Arshavin: 27.5m/s (61.5mph, 99.0km/h)
10. NED Rydell Poepon:     26.8m/s (59.9mph, 96.5km/h)
11. ENG Tom Huddlestone: 26.5m/s (59.3mph, 95.4km/h)
12. GHA Michael Essien:   25.5m/s (57.1mph, 91.8km/h)
13. BEL Kevin Mirallas:      22.9m/s (51.2mph, 82.4km/h) 2010

ESTIMATION OF SHOOTING BALL SWERVE (ASK4SPORTS.COM)
1. BRA Roberto Carlos:
2. ENG David Beckham:

MAX SHOOTING DISTANCE (ASK4SPORTS.COM)
1. ENG David Beckham:    65.8m
2. SER Dejan Stankovic: 50.2m (speed: 20.2m/s, 45.2mph, 72.7km/h)

upcoming analysis
hasselbaink, huddlestone, van persie, obafemi martins, juninho, r.carlos, bastos, edman, almeida, gerrard, taiwo, scholes, rooney, henry, shearer, vargas, gerrard, rosicky

Transfer targets in Football League 1 (2010/11)

2011-04-05T05:19:00.039+03:00

Who are the players that can be considered as transfer targets, as Greek Football League One for season 2010/11 closes to the end? Read 'Beta Ethniki' best players overview for all teams below (in league position order). This topic will close when the league's judges decide the final league positions, as there are several legal issues pending.

1. Panetolikos (promotion to Superleague)

Panetolikos managed to get promotion this year, but who was the catalyst for this achievement? The answer is clear: former Frankfurt and Ergotelis attacking midfielder Giorgos Theodoridis' class was too much for 'beta ethniki' (30y, 9 goals, 1 assist, capped once). Theodoridis posses great shooting, vision, crossing, dribbling, scoring, offensive awareness and renewed his contract. Another player is former Aek, Xanthi and Munchen 1860, pacy right attacking midfielder Pappas (27y, finishing-, heading--, U21 capped). Don't bother deal with Andre Rocha. Central defenders Anastiadis and Edjenguele posses ok defensive skills. Panetolikos front-line closes with notable strikers: Karamalikis (29y) and Kaounos (33y). Babaniotis was Greece U21 international goalkeeper but he never played this season, as coach Vazakas trusted Luigi Gennamo (ok handling). Boumale (CAM, 21y, midfielder) is below average yet.

2. PAS Giannina (promotion to Superleague)

Full backs Giorgos Dasios (27y), Vanderson (26y) and young defensive midfielder Paul Keita (SEN, 194cm, 18y) gained a lot of experience this year. Skoufalis (32y), Sialmas (24y, league's best goal), Bakayoko (34y, 29 apps, 19 goals, league's top scorer), Tzanis (25y) and Furtado (28y) offensive cooperation is the main reason for Gianena's league position (total: 30 goals, 11 assists). De Vincenti must learn not to lose his nerves.

3. Ofi Creta (eligible for play-offs, promotion to Superleague)

Ofi had the points and all the fonts to get a promotion through the play-offs procedure but failed to get permission by the league officials to play (decision pending). Manolis Moniakis was Ofi's greatest asset but lost him on January for 90K Kerkyra's offer! Worth mention players where former Aek's full back Bourbos (27y), loaned from Olympiacos' Katsikogiannis (22y), attacking midfielder Tadic (27y) and striker Agritis (29y). January's transfer of Leonidas Kampantais (29y) added quality and effectiveness in the squad.

4. Trikala (excluded from play-offs)
DF Boukouvalas 23y
MF Scaglia 23y

5. Levadiakos (eligible for play-offs, promotion to Superleague)

Levadiakos' players estimated market value is near 7.5M € making a ready for the return to Superleague team. Let's start by naming a few of them: Goalkeeper former U21 international Kyriakos Stratilatis (186cm, 23y) hasn't played much, as Dimitris Kyriakidis (184cm, 24y) was under the goalposts in most of the games making half clean sheets of the games played. Defender Thanasis Moulopoulos (25y) played in all matches and is being partnered by former U21 international Thodoris Tripotseris (24y) and tall Christos Lisgaras (25y). In the midfield there are experienced and former Superleague players like Giorgos Barkoglou (9goals, 32y), Dimitris Kiliaras (25y), Giannis Taralidis (29y) and Italian Stefano Napoleoni (7goals, 24y). In offense there is the attacking duo of Patrick Dimbala (CON/BEL, 28y, only 14 apps) and Zdravko Popovic (CRO, 27y). Levadiakos seems to be tactical the most well managed club in 'beta ethniki'. For an unknown reason they signed Zouroudis on January.

6. Doxa Dramas (eligible for play-offs, promotion to Superleague) vid 1 vid 2

Christos Chatzipantelidis (energetic left midfielder, 29y) and Marko Markovski (prolific striker, 24y) are definitely able to play in Superleague and their contracts expire on June. Youngster Moschakis (attacking midfielder, 21y) may be another transfer target in the future.

7. Diagoras Rhodes (eligible for play-offs)

Goalkeeper Charalambos Tabasis with 13 clean sheets in 26 matches is one of Diagoras' promising players (196cm, 24y), although he must improve some technical aspects before making a move to a bigger club. Right midfielder Fotis Georgiou (25y, 31 apps, 8 goals, 1 assist, video with performance analysis), right back Apostolos Skondras (22y, clearances+) and Joseph Agyriba (22y, defensive midfielder, French/Ghanian, loaned from Aek) performances are also worth mention. Midfielder Salamastrakis, right back Provatidis, left back Platanos and central defender Christofilleas made ok performances. I've heard good opinions about left midfielder Zlatkovic but failed to impress me (his set pieces don't find target). I don't want to speak for Reyes, Tarachulski and Exouzidis.

8. Panthrakikos

Right midfielder Christ 28y makes many crosses from the flags and former Genk and Charleroi striker Orlando has perfect physical skills but fails to score (13 apps, 1 goal). Defenders Natsiouras and Tziortiopoulos (long passing+), midfielders Robert (27y, crossing+, score+) and Arsenijevic (27y, dribbling+, crossing+) alongside strikers Malki and Soultanidis all know how to communicate and have good passing cohesion but won't get any younger.

9. Veroia

Veria's top assets are winger Blazevski (25y, cross+, pass+, 3 assists), striker Saitiotis (29y, 11 goals), Nick Georgiadis (28y, energetic) and young striker Kaltsas (21y, 5 goal).

10. Pierikos

27 years old Gougoulias, Miloskovic and Portoulidis are ok for attack, but I would choose Athanasios Papageorgiou (right back, loaned from Atromitos).

11. Ethnikos Asteras

Asteras' best players are over thirty years old (Mamary Traore solid central defender, Chorianopoulos set piece taker, Diamantis, Chaniotis and goalie Kottaras) and if you want to look at something younger former Venlo and Waalwijk striker Luwamo Garcia (ANG/BEL, 26y, 30 apps, 6 goals, energetic) and left back Dimitris Parianos (24y, 181cm, 72kg, hard worker, prefers crosses, performs tackles). Tsiolis is pacy but needs further skills development. Don't look deeper or you will be disappointed as merely all other players made dull performances. Franceschi is among the worst foreigners in FL1.

12. Agrotikos Asteras
Sorry, I haven't seen any match.

13. Ionikos (excluded from playouts - relegation to football league 2)

Terrible season for Ionikos as he was in the last places of the league flirting with relegation when the league judges decided that January's transfers were illegal and didn't get permission to use 14 players! For the same reason they relegated to FL2 despite their league position above relegation zone. Many young Greek players took the change to play like technical tall striker Giondis and pacy midfielder Vlachos.

14. Thrasyvoulos

Goalkeeper Siderakis (23y), attacker Vasilis Skourtis (19y, loaned from Panionios), midfielders Panagiotis Tsimiklis (23y) and Kwame Frimpong (27y), can merely be considered as transfer targets from Thrasivoulos. All other good players are over aged. Athenian clubs in 'beta ethniki' are a disappointment.

15. Ilioupoli (excluded from playouts - relegation to football league 2)

I don't know the English word to characterize Ilioupoli. Sure thing is that Ilioupoli is not a football club (decision pending for fixed games scandal). The best players of Ilioupoli are loaned from other teams: Lampropoulos (right back, from Asteras Tripolis) and Leontiou (midfielder, from Panathinaikos). From all others, former Panathinaikos and Kavala's forward Kritikos and midfielder Foufoulas (26y, 14 apps) are just above average. From the youngsters, left back Sikalias (21y, 26 apps, moves forward if he isn't tired), left midfielder Niaros (21y) and central defender Berios (22y, interceptions+, headers+, short passing+) seem to have potential and gained a lot of experience this year. I don't want to speak about their captain.

16. Ethnikos (excluded from playouts - relegation to football league 2)

Liberian international defender Solomon Grimes (25y) and French midfielder Bourama Ouattara (26y) are considered worth mention but their performance in the pitch is questionable. Ethnikos players seems to be affected by managerial crisis and they hold on their captain Siligardakis (29y) and flair midfielder Paolo Farinola (27y ), to avoid relegation, something that didn't happen as, like Ionikos (read above), they relegated automatically.

17. Anagenisi Karditsas (relegated to football league 2)
Sorry, I haven't seen any match.

18. Kallithea

Kallithea had some notable players (MF Karadimos retiring, DF Tzorbatzakis 28y, DF Pararas 30y, MF Fabinho 27y, ST Kaltsas 21y, ST Maroukakis 21y) and based on young not-foreigners but failed to avoid relegation, finishing in the last place of the league (decision pending).

Mike Zambidis punching force

2011-04-02T20:06:00.003+03:00

"Iron" Mike Zambidis is a kick-boxer from Greece with over 80 knockouts in his career. Watch in the video below slow-motion analysis of the punching trajectory and force developed in 3 fights, including the famous KO against Yamamoto. Zambidis power lies in his rotator cuff muscles. Although there have been recorded bigger values in boxing that reach up to 1000 Nt, Mike managed to KO his opponents.

Greek players that deserve an international call up

2011-04-01T21:52:00.017+03:00

Does anyone know why those players haven't been called up for international duty yet? They didn't have the chance to show their skills even in a friendly match, although some of them were regular members of the U23, U21, U19, U17 teams. Do you believe that they don't have adequate abilities to represent Greece, because most of them come from lower level Greek Superleague teams? Ask4sports gathers all those players and suggests an alternative squad for the Greek national team. Surprisingly, there are suggestions for all positions.

Alternative squad for Greek National Team

Apostolos Vellios (Everton)
Giorgos Abaris (Larisa)
Panagiotis Katsiaros (Larisa)
Antonis Ladakis (Asteras Tripolis)
Socratis Fytanidis (Asteras Tripolis)
Nikos Lazaridis (Aris)
Konstantinos Mendrinos (Aris)
Mihail Fragoulakis (Ergotelis)
Iosif Daskalakis (Ergotelis)
Ilias Kyriakidis (Ergotelis)
Fanouris Goundoulakis (Panionios)
Stelios Sfakianakis (Atromitos)
Ilias Anastasakos (Atromitos)
Andreas Tatos* (Atromitos)
Christos Karypidis (Omonia)
Dimitris Petkakis (Kavala)
Giannis Zaradoukas* (Volos)
(comment below if I miss someone)
(*called up after this post)

There are also notable players even in Greek Football League 1 like Barkoglou, Kampantais, Pappas, Kiliaras and Skoufalis. Below you can watch videos of Ladakis, Kiliaras, Fytanidis and Sfakianakis in action:

Lionel Messi top speed

2011-02-15T19:11:00.017+02:00

this article is part of the posts: 'World's fastest football players' and 'World's fastest football dribblers'.

Ask4sports reference point for top running speed will be Lionel Messi. Before I started to make the list of the fastest football players, I knew that top speeds over 10m/s are achieved only by top athletes. In our analysis in the game against Osasuna, Messi reached a top speed of 10.00m/s (upper graph)! Dribbling speed analysis made in the game against Getafe showed top value 7.67m/s. Top dribbling speed is not that great but seven defenders fell on his feet (lower graph). These two sprints led to equal number of goals.

Update: Messi's top speed is 9.38 m/s (vs Real, 2008) and here is the new video. The speed of 10 m/s (vs Osasuna, 2010) was removed because of inaccurate previous video.

Gabriel Agbonlahor top running speed

2011-02-15T03:35:00.012+02:00

this article is part of the post titled: 'World's fastest football players'

I was a bit skeptical about Aston Villa's Gabriel Agbonlahor top speed. Twenty of you voted to be the next player for analysis. At first, I saw disappointing results (mean speed around 8m/s). I was sure that Gabriel uses more his mind than his feet to get past defenders (he lurks near the half-way line to break the offside rule and runs in open space when the chance appears). But great positioning alongside great acceleration distinguish his play. I was confused because he decelerated at the end of his run to control the ball, so the mean speed was low. But in the first meters he achieved a burst of 10.41m/s (see fluctuations in graph), making him one of the fastest football players ever!

Aaron Lennon's top running speed

2011-02-12T22:41:00.011+02:00

this article is part of the post titled: 'World's fastest football players'

Tottenham hotspurs and England national team's winger Aaron Lennon is considered one of the fastest players ever. But how fast he is? After analysis of his famous sprints against West Ham (9.9m/s), Werder Bremen (9.6m/s) and Mexico (9.4m/s), we found that Lennon achieves top speeds over 9m/s several times in a game and he is a continuous threat for opposing defenders. His top speed reaches 9.92m/s! The graph below shows Lennon's velocity development.

Fortounis performance analysis

2011-02-09T20:51:00.022+02:00

We analyzed Konstantinos Fortounis performance in the first half of the friendly game: Greece U21 vs Germany U21 (9/2/11). Fortounis had an all-rounder role in the midfield and was active in most of the game, as his teammates were seeking for him in every attacking situation. His biggest advantage is his first touch and positioning, but his decisions afterward are questionable. He needs to work on his passes because in this game he wasted 45% of them. He had some bursts of speed with unfortunate conclusion. He is a 'give and go' adept. At the end of the half he created 3 good attacking opportunities but his teammates wasted all of them. In defense he followed the zonal marking tactical orders he had.

Fortounis performance analysis
forward passing: 3/7
backward passing: 3/4
parallel passing: 5/7
crosses: 1/4
marking: 0/7
touches: 25/29
dribbles: 9/11
give and go: 2/5
fouls awarded: 3
times in final 3rd: 5
sprints: 4
shots: 0
headers: 0
tackling: 0

Scout rating
: offensive awareness
: first touch
: passing
: decisions
: crossing
: experience
-: marking

A scout of Juventus appeared in this game, showing interest for Asteras Tripolis's youngster. Read more: juventinologo.com, insidefutbol.com, exedrasports.gr.

Update (June 2011): Kostas moved to Kaiserslautern. Topic closed. Hope German bloggers provide us with data and their evaluation in the future.

this article is part of the post 'best players in Greece' written by the Greek football scout.

Andrei Arshavin kinematics

2011-02-08T03:46:00.006+02:00

this article is part of the post titled: 'World's fastest football players'

After your request, we analyzed the fast run of Arsenal's Arshavin in the game against Liverpool. At first glance, I thought that this run would be a speed record because Andrei found enough space in front of him and began running from one box to the other. So I gave priority for this analysis despite your votes for Agbonlahor... This run wasn't a football speed record, so afterwards I decided to analyze Arbeloa's speed and Arshavin's shooting velocity for more information.

Results showed that Arshavin's running speed reached 8.42m/s and Arbeloa's running speed 8.25m/s. Arbeloa is not slow! If he had accelerated a bit faster, he would have caught Andrei. Arshavin was 3m ahead of him at the start, so Arbeloa began with disadvantage. Arshavin's shooting speed was 27.5m/s, which is a very high value.

World's fastest football dribblers

2011-02-07T14:21:00.056+02:00

When I made the list of the world's fastest football players, I saw that there are players very fast with the ball (mainly attacking midfielders and wingers) and others fast without it (mainly strikers, wingers, full backs and central defenders). For example, Kaka achieved a top speed over 7m/s, but he touched many times the ball. In contrast, Bale achieved a top speed over 10m/s, touching the ball only once. So a new category added for top dribbling speed ability. Note that not all players are tested yet! Ask4sports.com dribbling speed testing is in real football match conditions.

ESTIMATION OF TOP DRIBBLING SPEED (ASK4SPORTS.COM):

1. BRA A.Pato: 8.75m/s or 19.6mph or 31.5kmh 2011
1. SER M.Krasic:    8.41m/s or 18.8mph or 30.3km/h 2010
2. BRA Ronaldo:       8.31m/s or 18.6mph or 29.9km/h 2005
3. FRA B.Mendy:      7.89m/s or 17.7mph or 28.4km/h 2004
4. ARG L.Messi:       7.67m/s or 17.2mph or 27.6km/h 2010
5. BRA Kaka:           7.51m/s or 16.8mph or 27.0km/h 2006

upcoming analysis:
rooney, giggs, robben, ronaldinho, owusu-abeyie

Scouting Ackon Nathaniel

2011-02-05T14:57:00.004+02:00

BIOGRAPHY / STATS
Date of birth: 16/3/87
Height: 186cm
Weight: 74kg
ΒΜΙ: 21,39
Position: Central Defender
Preferred foot: Right
Transfer value: FREE
Nationality: Ghanaian

Career:
season      club                    apps goals country
2004-2007 Dwarfs FC       52      4      Ghana
2007-2008 Hassccas FC        15      2      Ghana
2008-2009 Africa Sports FC     8      3       Ivory Coast
2008-2009 Vipers FC              24   3       Ghana

Remarks:
2007: MVP defender in Ghana Division 1

Ackon grew up playing football. Ghana conditions along with intensive training helped him built a strong musculoskeletal system. He played for Ghana's division 1 football club Dwarfs FC and gained a lot of experience there. He even called up in Ghana's national team selection.

I haven't seen Nathaniel in action yet, but our partner in Ghana Ali Yakubu (youth coach in Play Soccer Ghana), urges about Ackon's abilities and gave us a short report: 'He is an experienced defender, strong in one on ones and powerful in the air. He can even help in set pieces, by scoring goals with headers. His shooting ability is also worth mention. He has good vision and technique for a defender'.

Nathaniel wants to play abroad. If he is offered a trial in Europe, he could achieve his goal.

January's tranfers in the Greek Superleague

2011-02-03T18:42:00.021+02:00

Jan Kozák to Larissa FC
(slovakian, 25caps, 2goals, 190cm, 30age, MC)

Do you want know more about Kozák before you see him in action? Read a short comment by James Baxter writer in britskibelasi.footballunited.com: 'Kozak is a midfielder, tall, lovely passer of the ball, good set-piece delivery. Can look lazy at times. If you want more on him (eg short profile), I could write a couple of paragraphs on his time in Slovakia, national team performances etc.' Thank you James but I don't want to know more! AEL's best player is Metin who plays in the same position! AEL should have signed a winger not a central midfielder! They opted instead not to sign speed merchant Bernard Mendy (29 years old, free agent, 4 international caps with France, right winger, estimated value 1M€)!

Kamil Čontofalský to Larissa FC
(slovakian, 34caps, 191cm, 32age, GK)

What about Čontofalský? He came from Cyprus where he had 5 appearances. In AEL he has some good saves already (4 appearances) but nothing special if you compare his history with Viera. AEL let Sebastián Viera (27 years old, 185cm height, EU passport, 15 international caps with Uruguay, estimated value 2.25M€) on a free transfer to Colombian side Atletico Junior! Čontofalský offers his services as a translator too...

Radoslaw Matusiak to Asteras Tripolis FC
(polish, 15caps, 7goals, 184cm, 29age, ST)

It is a well known tactic for Asteras Tripolis to sign mercenaries and it seems that this is the case for Matusiak. Michal Zachodny writes in polishscout.blogspot.com: '...Recent years saw others (including Matusiak) coming back (to Poland) after unsuccessful football but financially beneficent trips to better leagues...'. Let's see by his performance in the pitch, if Radoslaw is able to prove us wrong.

Marius Niculae to Kavala FC
(romanian, 38caps, 13goals, 184cm, 29age, ST)

Niculae was a great talent of romanian football... in the past... Read an insightful report by Radu Baicu in scoutingromania.com. I have nothing more to say. I believe that Kavala's manager wanted a partner for Benjamin Onwuachi (nigerian, 170cm, 26age ST, current season: 20 games 9 goals) to go for the play-offs. Kavala players have always the play-offs in their minds. The attacking pairings: Niculae-Onwuachi and Pantelic-Mirallas might be the most goal productive at the end of this season...

Václav Sverkos to Panionios FC
(czech, 11caps, 3goals, 185cm, 27age, ST)

read more: transfermarkt.de, imscouting.com, scoutingromania.com, britskibelasi.footballunited.com, .ael1964.gr

this article is part of the post 'Greek scouting stories' written by the Greek football scout.

B.Mendy vs R.Carlos speed analysis

2011-02-03T03:37:00.014+02:00

this article is part of the posts: 'World's fastest football players' and 'World's fastest football dribblers'.

We analyzed French international winger Bernard Mendy, in his famous run against Roberto Carlos in a friendly match between France and Brazil in 2004. Mendy's dribbling speed reached 7.89m/s. Then, we analyzed Fenerbahce's Roberto Carlos in a recent game, where he showed his quality and proved that he is able to run at high speeds despite his age (8.37m/s).

Joffre Guerrón top speed analysis

2011-01-29T16:07:00.009+02:00

this article is part of the post titled: 'World's fastest football players'

We analyzed Joffre Guerrón's famous run. Results showed that he is one of the fastest football players on earth! His top speed reached 9.18m/s.

Clichy and Eto'o in top-20 of speed

2011-01-25T17:38:00.012+02:00

this article is part of the post titled: 'World's fastest football players'

Gael Clichy, the left full back of Arsenal made it to the top-20 of the fastest football players. In his run in the game versus Reading he reached a top speed which exceeded 9m/s! On the other hand Samuel Eto'o made it to the top-5 of the fastest football players. He achieved a top speed which exceeded 10m/s.

Cristiano Ronaldo vs Usain Bolt top speed

2011-01-25T15:42:00.011+02:00

Ask4sports.com suggested a list of the TOP-3 fastest football players on earth:

1) Cristiano Ronaldo

2) Thierry Henry
3) Theo Walcott

The proof was the video highlights (along with our kinematic analysis) of these players sprinting in open space in an official match - not in practice or in the lab!

I've noticed a confusion (in forums, comments etc) about our results. Some people stated that Ronaldo's and Walcott's top speeds were similar to Usain Bolt's speed in the 100m WR race, because they made the following calculation:

mean velocity = dx/dt = 100m / 9.58s = 10.44m/s

If this statement was true, then Bolt should only be milliseconds faster than Ronaldo. But this formula calculates the average velocity for Bolt. Bolt didn't run from the start to the finish line with 10.44m/s. He started from zero speed and reached a top speed of 12.42m/s!

So, if we compare this value (instantaneous speed) with Cristiano's top speed we will see that:

Bolt (12.42m/s) is way faster than C.Ronaldo (10.9m/s)

From the graph above it is clear that in the first 20m they develop their speed similarly, but right after Bolt goes on nitro!

So the statement that Ronaldo is as fast as Bolt is wrong!
And Bolt is not as good as Ronaldo in football...

The fastest man on earth: Usain Bolt

2011-01-23T18:04:00.015+02:00

The fastest man on earth is Usain Bolt (JAM). His speed during the 100m world record race reached: 10.44m/s or 23.4mph or 37.6km/h. This value though is the mean speed, not the instantaneous top speed.

mean velocity = dx/dt = 100/9.58 = 10.44m/s

The top instantaneous speed is measured by ask4sports.com to be 12.42 m/s approximately. As you can see in the graph below the differences are small between the three medalists (Bolt, Gay, Powell). In the first 0-40m the rate of speed development is identical. What distinguishes Bolt from the others is the speed achieved from 40 to 80m. In fact Bolt and Gay are the only men on earth with speeds that exceed 12m/s.

Download the spatiotemporal analysis of the race

NOTE:
The fastest animal on land is the Cheetah (TNZ), with top speed which exceeds 3 times the speed of Bolt.

Arjen Robben vs Cristiano Ronaldo top speed

2011-01-23T14:39:00.018+02:00

this article is part of the post titled: 'World's fastest football players'

We compared a series of in-game sprints from football players and we found that Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the fastest football players in the world. The greatest ability of Cristiano Ronaldo is his stride frequency. On the other hand, Robben is both fast and effective. A comparison can't be made because we analyzed highlights where Robben touches the ball, when Ronaldo just sprints in the open space. The graph below shows how the top velocity of each player is achieved:

Update: The latest sprint of Cristiano Ronaldo in the Copa del Ray final 2011 (Barcelona - Real Madrid, 0-1) was clocked by ask4sports.com as a top speed record of 10.9m/s!

Best Greek right full backs in the Superleague

2011-01-21T20:46:00.020+02:00

Who is the best Greek right back in the Superleague? Covering this position is one of the most difficult decisions that a club's manager has to take. And that's a fact because, if the opposition has a pacy left winger everything will be difficult.

Fytanidis' performance analysis

You can see our list of the best Greek right full backs in Superleague below:

Torosidis
Vyntra
Fytanidis
Maniatis
Petkakis
Galitsios
Argiropoulos

ANALYSIS OF THE TOP THREE:

Vasilis Torosidis (25, Ht:187cm, Wt: 80kg) contract until 6/2013 500k/y

Vasilis is not only considered the best right back in the Greek Superleague at the moment, but also one of the best talents of Greece despite his age, according to a recent article by ESPN. The Dailymail writes about a possible transfer to Liverpool to cover the absence of Glen Johnson. Olympiakos' new signing Maniatis, designates that this rumor may become reality. According to Transfermarkt, Vasilis' estimated transfer value is 8M€. He has 34 caps in the Greek national team, scoring 4 goals. His playing style is versatile and he likes to get forward. This season, he has 15 league apps scoring 3 goals. His development hindered by a recent adductor muscle injury.

Loukas Vyntra (29, Ht:184cm, Wt: 76kg) contract renewed until 6/2014 600k/y
Vyntra's contract has still to be renewed! That's due to the disturbances in the board of directors of Panathinaikos. If nothing changes he may have to search elsewhere to further his career. This will not be difficult because he is an established and experienced player with 36 international caps. This season, he has 16 league apps scoring 1 goal. Watch a video compilation about Vyntra, created by streetpoetgr here.

Socrates Fytanidis (26, Ht:185cm, Wt: 79kg) signed a 2-year deal with Atromitos
Socrates is a right wing back who can play with ease as a center back or as a defensive midfielder if the need occurs. He has great work rate, discipline and leadership qualities. In his playing style it's discriminant the right timing of his jumps and that he seldom loses a header. More defending qualities include coordination of the defensive line, goal line saves and locking his personal opponent out of the game. He usually finds himself in the final third of the pitch, helping the offense with triangle and overlap passing combinations. This season, he has 16 league apps and he is currently the captain of Asteras Tripolis FC. He is regularly included in the Superleague's 'best eleven lineup'. He was 59 times capped with the U21,19,17 Greek national teams.

this article is part of the post top players in Greece written by the Greek football scout.

Gareth Bale top speed

2011-01-15T16:58:00.015+02:00

this article is part of the post titled: 'World's fastest football players'

Tottenham's Wales international left winger/back/midfielder Gareth Bale is currently on top form and he proves it in every game. As you requested here is the new analysis for Bale: Gareth reached a top speed of 10.23m/s! He covered a distance of 64.17m in 7.17s, achieving a mean speed of 8.95m/s. He made 32 running strides and touched the ball once, in the 88th minute of the game! Below there is the graph with his speed development. The last picture is his gait cycle. As you can see Gareth improved his running technique both in the upper and lower extremities, compared to our previous analysis:

Kaka top speed while dribbling

2011-01-14T21:08:00.011+02:00

this article is part of the post titled: 'World's fastest football dribblers'

Kaka reaches top speed while dribbling (7.51m/s), goes all the way and scores in the international game Brazil vs Argentina. Dribbling the ball affects the top speed of a footballer. Keep in mind that Kaka was close dribbling the ball so we found lowered top speed compared to our other analysis. Generally, when running with the ball an approximate 20% decrease takes place, compared to running without the ball.

Abate, the fastest Italian footballer?

2011-01-05T23:10:00.015+02:00

this article is part of the post titled: 'World's fastest football players'

We analyzed a series of runs made by Ignazio Abate from games of Milan FC or Italian national team. His top speed was 9.21m/s in the international game against Israel. We found also, that Abate achieves the following mean speeds in other highlights: A: 7.35m/s, B: 7.71m/s, C: 8.12m/s, D: 7.66m/s, proving that he is consistent in high speeds.

Abate achieving top speed

Update: Abate though is not the fastest Italian footballer as Iaquinta in the European cup final of 2006 between Italy and France achieved a top speed of 9.22m/s!

Mohammad Tadayon

2011-01-04T16:22:00.017+02:00

BIOGRAPHY / STATS
Date of birth: 12/1/84
Height: 189cm
Weight: 84kg
BMI: 23,53
Preferred foot: right
Position: ST
Transfer value: FREE
Contract expired: 31/12/2010
Nationality: Swedish/Iranian

Mohammad is a striker with a clinical ability to finish inside the box, who is currently playing for IK Sleipner (Swedish third national division - south). His contract ended 5 days ago and he is looking for a team to continue his career. His impressive stats the last year show that he is an ideal signing for any team who wants a continuing threat inside the box and a goal scoring leader. He has great heading ability and can convert the crosses of his teammates into goals.

CAREER
season     club               division        apps     goals   assists
1989-2000 Örebro           (U16 - SWE)        -        -           -
2001-2004 Djurgården     (U19 - SWE)    -      -           -
2004-2006 Hässelby       (reg. - SWE)       42        28        9
2006-2007 Persepolis     (1st nat. - IRN)    6          1         -
2007-2008 Linköpings ff (4th nat. - SWE) 21      14        7
2008-2009 Smedby ais   (4th nat. - SWE) 10       9         2
2008-2011a Ik Sleipner    (3rd nat. - SWE) 48    15        3
2010-2011b Vasalunds If (3rd nat. - SWE)

REMARKS
2 months trial in Udinese FC
International U17 and U23 caps (Iran)

VIDEOS

Watch in the video below: A) a hat-trick of Mohammad, B) highlights from a recent game (18/10/2010) where his contribution for the result was decisive, scoring an equalizer and a winning goal, C) highlights from different games of this season.

Konstantinos Mitroglou

2010-12-30T15:46:00.018+02:00

He was born in Greece but grew up and learned soccer in Germany. Mitroglou played 16 times for Greece U21 national team scoring 5 goals. Kostas made great appearances with Olympiacos (32apps/9goals) on 2009/10 season. This season haven't played much because of the great appearances of Mirallas. Mitroglou loaned out from Olympiacos to Panionios FC. He has scored 5 goals and gave 2 assists in 15 appearances this season.

Scout rating
: scoring
: flair
: decisions

BIOGRAPHY
Age: 22 (12/3/88)
Height: 188cm
Weight: 86kg
BMI: 24,36
Position: Striker
Transfermarkt value: 3,5M €
Team: Olympiakos
Contract expires: 30/6/14
Nationality: Greek
International caps: 4

The stats:
season apps goals

2010/11 2010/11	10 5	5 (loaned to Panionios FC) 1
2009/10	32	9
2008/09	7	2
2007/08	12	4

soccerway

this article is part of the post 'best players in Greece' written by the Greek football scout.

Όταν η επιστήμη αθλητισμού δεν ισχύει

2010-12-30T14:09:00.005+02:00

Υπάρχουν στιγμές όπου η επιστήμη του αθλητισμού σηκώνει τα χέρια ψηλά και δεν έχει κάτι να πει ή να αναλύσει. Μπορείτε να δείτε κάποια βίντεο που συνέβει αυτό από διάφορους αθλητικούς αγώνες:

1) Η Sharapova ανακαλύπτει dead-spot σε γήπεδο τέννις:

2) Δείτε την τροχιά στο buzzer beater του Arenas από αγώνα NBA:

3) Η μπάλα κολλάει κυριολεκτικά στο στεφάνι κατά την εκτέλεση ελεύθερης βολής:

4) Δύο συνεχόμενα buzzer beater σε διάστημα 5sec:

5) Το πιο περίεργο σουτ που έχω δει σε γήπεδο μπάσκετ (δυστυχώς δεν έχω βίντεο) ήταν το 1999 όπου στην προπόνηση της σχολικής ομάδας ένας μαθητής λυκείου με ένα σουτ από πλάγια θέση κατάφερε να βάλει τη μπάλα δύο φορές στο καλάθι! Αυτό έγινε αφού η μπάλα βρήκε στόχο και στη συνέχεια το διχτάκι την επανέφερε μέσα στο καλάθι!

Αν έχετε να περιγράψετε κάποια άλλη περίπτωση ή να προτείνετε κάποιο βίντεο μπορείτε να το κάνετε στα comments.