The German national team are banking on technology to give them the edge to successfully defend their World Cup crown.
Bidding to become only the third team to win consecutive World Cup tournaments, Die Mannschaft worked with software giant SAP to develop cutting-edge applications that effectively analyze match data and deliver personalized feedback to players.
The ‘video cockpit’ is a content hub that merges live videos of the team’s matches with match and training information and statistics. With the ability to quickly filter specific match scenes by player actions – for example every throw-in taken by right-back Joshua Kimmich – it allows the national team match analysts and coaches to quickly identify patterns and review or identify weaknesses.
That information is delivered to players via the ‘player dashboard’, a cloud-based application that gives players instant access to personalized information and videos, from their mobile devices.
Designed to help players prepare for matches at times convenient to them, the tailor-made information includes detailed analysis about upcoming opponents, tactical guidance and scouting information on opponents. In one example provided by SAP, an analysis of Spain playmaker Isco describes characteristics such as “very pass-safe” and “extremely good in small space”, accompanied by videos demonstrating his specific skills.
“We have an incredible amount of data at the German national team that we need to process and share in real time with the trainer, the players and the analysts,” said Oliver Bierhoff, former player and current general manager of the German national team.
“Artificial Intelligence and machine learning play a significant role in football (soccer) and are an essential part of data analytics.”
While match analysis is nothing new in soccer, giving players the flexibility to access information on their own terms is a move from the traditional classroom environment, where an analyst or coach would present to a room of players.
Technology like the player dashboard allows star striker Thomas Muller, for example, to access detailed individual feedback and preparation information when he wants to, whether over his morning cornflakes or before bed.
Though such an approach asks for more individual responsibility from players, it is information and flexibility they have pushed for, according to Sven Schwerin-Wenzel, Development Senior Manager and Design Thinker for SAP Sports and Entertainment.
“Match analysis in general has shifted a little bit. In the past it was purely opponent preparation, now it’s getting more and more about individual preparation and the DFB (German Football Association) under Oliver Bierhoff has established an excellent feedback culture,” Mr Schwerin-Wenzel told me in a phone interview.
“The players are demanding this information from the coaching team. It is one of the aspects of the digital transformation that’s going on in German soccer.
“It is not only the issue of the coaching team and the analysts to make this information available to the players, but also the big wish and demand from the players’ side. They want to take this information, take the insights received, and improve their performance to be best prepared for the next match and to defend the World Cup.”
An early adopter of using data insights to improve performance, the DFB have worked with SAP since 2013 to identify the marginal gains that are crucial in a sport like soccer.
In 2014, data analysis from SAP’s Match Insights application helped the German team improve their passing speed, moving from an average possession time of 3.4 seconds in 2010, to 1.1 seconds in 2014. Germany won the World Cup in 2014.
In the penalty shootout at the 2006 World Cup quarter-final, German goalkeeper Jens Lehmann had a piece of paper with information which helped him stop shots from the Argentine players. A decade later, at Euro 2016, goalkeeper Manuel Neuer had SAP’s Penalty Insights Function available as Germany defeated Italy 6-5 on penalties in the quarter-final.
Can Germany retain their World Cup crown? Check out my preview of Group F here
