Synopses & Reviews
An all-encompassing look at the penalty kick, soccers all-or-nothing playits legendary moments and the secrets to its success No stretch of grass has been the site of more glory or heartbreak in the world of sports than the few dozen paces between goalkeeper and penalty kicker in soccer. In theory, its simple: place the ball beyond a single defender and secure a place in history. But once the chosen players make the lonely march from their respective sides of the pitch, everything changes, all bets are off, and anything can happen. Drawing from the hardwon lessons of legendary games, in-depth statistical analysis, expert opinion, and the firsthand experience of coaches and players from around the world, journalist Ben Lyttleton offers insight into the diverse attitudes, tactics, and techniques that separate success from failure in one of the highest-pressure situations sports has to offer.
Review
"
The Numbers Gameand#160;does the impossible of making the beautiful game even more beautiful." - Malcolm Gladwell, author ofand#160;
The Tipping Pointand#160;andand#160;
Blink
and#8220;Chris Anderson and David Sally have the ability to see football in a way few have before them. Be warned: The Numbers Game will change the way you think about your favorite team or player, and the way you watch the beautiful game.and#8221; and#8211; Billy Beane, Manager of the Oakland Aand#8217;s and subject of Moneyball
and#160;
"I learned a lot, and it's hard not to applaud a project that is bent on the disenchantment of football's internal conversations and archaic practices, while simultaneously acknowledging an ineradicable core of the unpredictable and random at its heart." - David Goldblatt, author of The Ball Is Round:and#160;A Global History of Soccerand#160;for the Times Literary Supplement
and#8220;and#8230;North American soccer fans would do very well to pick up this book.and#160; It will not only help them understand the game better, but it will also stimulate new ways to analyze and think about the game.and#8221;and#160; and#8211; Forbes
and#160;and#160;
and#8220;[This] is the book that could change the game forever.and#8221; and#8211; The Times (London)
and#160;and#160;and#160;
and#8220;By any standards, this is a landmark book, scrupulously researched and bound to be influential.and#8221; and#8211; Booklist (starred review)
and#8220;Witty and thoughtfuland#8230;should appeal not just to soccer fans, but to readers of Malcolm Gladwell and Freakonomics.and#8221; and#8211; Kirkus Reviews
"Their rather innovative and revolutionary way of looking at the game makes for fascinating reading." -and#160;The Library Journal
and#8220;A highly original contribution to our understanding of what we are seeing at a match, their book is unbeatableand#8221; and#8211; The Independent on Sunday
and#160;
and#8220;Pundits, armchair fans and professionals, will find that several of their long-cherished truisms are not true at all.and#8221; and#8211; The Guardian
and#160;
and#8220;Superband#8221; and#8211; GQ
Review
and#8220;Chris Anderson and David Sally have the ability to see football in a way few have before them. Be warned: THE NUMBERS GAME will change the way you think about your favorite team or player, and the way you watch the beautiful game.and#8221; and#8211; Billy Beane, Manager of the Oakland Aand#8217;s and subject of
Moneyball and#160;and#160;
and#8220;[This] is the book that could change the game forever.and#8221; and#8211; The Times (London)
and#160;and#160;and#160;
and#8220;By any standards, this is a landmark book, scrupulously researched and bound to be influential.and#8221; and#8211; Booklist (starred review)
Synopsis
Moneyball meets Freakonomics in this myth-busting guide to understandingand#151;and winningand#151;the most popular sport on the planet - now with a new afterword on the 2014 World Cup!
Innovation is coming to soccer, and at the center of it all are the numbersand#151;a way of thinking about the game that ignores the obvious in favor of how things actually are. In The Numbers Game, Chris Anderson, a former professional goalkeeper turned soccer statistics guru, teams up with behavioral analyst David Sally to uncover the numbers that really matter when it comes to predicting a winner. Investigating basic but profound questionsand#151;How valuable are corners? Which goal matters most? Is possession really nine-tenths of the law? How should a playerand#8217;s value be judged?and#151;they deliver an incisive, revolutionary new way of watching and understanding soccer.
Synopsis
Moneyball meets Freakonomics in this myth-busting guide to understandingand#151;and winningand#151;the most popular sport on the planet Innovation is coming to soccer, and at the center of it all are the numbersand#151;a way of thinking about the game that ignores the obvious in favor of how things actually are. In The Numbers Game, Chris Anderson, a former professional goalkeeper turned soccer statistics guru, teams up with behavioral analyst David Sally to uncover the numbers that really matter when it comes to predicting a winner. Investigating basic but profound questionsand#151;How valuable are corners? Which goal matters most? Is possession really nine-tenths of the law? How should a playerand#8217;s value be judged?and#151;they deliver an incisive, revolutionary new way of watching and understanding soccer.
About the Author
BEN LYTTLETON is a journalist and broadcaster who has written for Sports Illustrated and Time, among other publications, and is Bloomberg TV's on-air soccer analyst. He is also a director of Soccernomics, the soccer consultancy. He lives in London. This is his first book.