The Chris Gill Podcast Football data (recruitment, player rankings & league comparisons) - Aurel Nazmiu #56
Aug 5, 2024
Aurel Nazmiu, a Senior Data Scientist at The Twenty First Group, dives into the fascinating world of football analytics. He shares his journey from blogging to building complex recruitment models. Aurel discusses the importance of measuring key performance metrics and how human factors influence player transfers. He also reveals insights from working with Team Europe at the Ryder Cup, and how live simulation models can project league outcomes. Additionally, he speculates on the future of analytics in sports, emphasizing the role of AI and new tracking technologies.
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Create A Small Public Portfolio
- Build a public portfolio (blog, posts) to show your thinking and attract feedback.
- Start small and iterate; clarity of thinking beats polish early on.
Top-Down Player Valuation
- Use a top-down approach: rate team quality first, then scale player contributions relative to team level.
- Simple signals like minutes played can predict future player performance across leagues.
Measure What Actually Matters
- Measure what actually correlates with winning rather than surface stats like possession.
- Always ask "so what?" to ensure each metric has actionable meaning.
