Using data to pick the next German government

Photo by Ansgar Scheffold on Unsplash

Dear Reader,

As a fan of Liverpool FC, I was reading an interview with the football club’s former top data analyst. Ian Graham has just brought out a book with the provocative title ‘How to win the Premier League’ in which he argues that clubs are better advised to use data when buying players rather than relying on the gut instinct of a coach.

After its American owners brought the Moneyball philosophy across the Atlantic, Liverpool have become one of the best clubs in the world thanks to the fact that they have an uncanny knack of buying brilliant players for relatively little money. Their secret? Analytics: before buying a player, they use computer models to measure his scoring, defensive ability, or positioning and can then compare him to the competition.

On television, former players still moan that “football is about more than just numbers.” But, in the unforgiving world of professional sport, minnows like Brentford who have put their trust in da…