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New and expanded pro-edition looking at mathematics and football - together they are much more than just a game

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´Football looked at in a very different way´ Pat Nevin, former Chelsea and Everton star and football media analyst

Football - the most mathematical of sports. From shot statistics and league tables to the geometry of passing and managerial strategy, the modern game is filled with numbers, patterns and shapes. How do we make sense of them? The answer lies in the mathematical models applied in biology, physics and economics.

Soccermatics brings football and mathematics together in a mind-bending synthesis, using numbers to help reveal the inner workings of the beautiful game.

This new and expanded edition analyses the current big-name players and teams using mathematics, and meets the professionals working inside football who use numbers and statistics to boost performance.

Welcome to the world of mathematical modelling, expressed brilliantly by David Sumpter through the prism of football. No matter who you follow - from your local non-league side to the big boys of the Premiership, La Liga, the Bundesliga, Serie A or the MLS - you´ll be amazed at what mathematics has to teach us about the world´s favourite sport.

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Preface: The Kick-off

Part I: On the Pitch
Chapter 1: I Never Predict Anything and I Never Will
Chapter 2: How Slime Moulds Built Barcelona
Chapter 3: Check My Flow
Chapter 4: Statistical Brilliance
Chapter 5: Zlatan Ibrah Rocket Science

Part II: In the Dugout
Chapter 6: Three Points for the Bird-brained Manager
Chapter 7: The Tactical Map
CHapter 8: Total Cyber Dynamo
Chapter 9: The World in Motion

Part III: From the Crowd
Chapter 10: You´ll Never Walk Alone
Chapter 11: Bet Against the Masses
Chapter 12: Putting My Money Where My Mouth Is
Chapter 13: The Results Are In
The Full-Time Whistle

Notes
Acknowledgements
Index

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Sumpter´s deconstruction of formations proved why maths and football can´t live without each other. It´s every football nerd´s dream. FourFourTwo

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