The Death of Modern Football? Rangers & Celtic Reject Analytics | Where Does That Leave Hearts?

Celtic fell to another Europa League defeat, losing to Celta Vigo at Celtic Park, and on this Huddle Breakdown Extra Time, Martin, James and Alan get into why the Hoops keep hammering teams in the Scottish Premiership and then get carved open in Europe. James reports from his first European night at Paradise. He also shares UEFA tracking data showing Callum McGregor has covered 37.4km in three Europa League games, the second most in the whole competition. Alan breaks down the structural issues behind Celtic giving up more shots than they take, a lopsided left side, and the “Engels-sized hole” on the right. He also says Oliver Sorensen is being set up to fail. The panel discusses board accountability, the roughly £300m in missed Champions League money, the SPFL TV rights tender, and the Conference League coefficient problem facing Scottish football. They finish by previewing Sunday’s lunchtime trip to Easter Road to face bottom-of-the-table Hibs under their new manager, after David Gray’s sacking. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Celtic thrash Hearts 7-1 at Celtic Park, and James and Alan dig into the data behind the Scottish Premiership demolition. Hearts had more possession and more shots but were blown away on xG. It’s a scoreline that echoes Germany 7-1 Brazil, and the packing numbers tell a similar story. We break down why Hearts’ bold possession game plan backfired, how Callum Osmand’s first professional start on the left wing set the tone, Benjamin Nygren’s movement, Kieran Tierney’s performance, and whether Celtic’s pace up front makes them a counter-attacking force in the Europa League. We also ask whether the 7-1 really fixed Celtic’s structural problems, use MLB payrolls and analytics staff to look at how smaller clubs close resource gaps, and preview Celtic vs Celta Vigo. The topics include xG, variance, set pieces, game state and what the result means for the season ahead. Want to support the channel? - https://huddlebreakdown.com Like this video and want more content like it? Subscribe to the channel below and hit the bell to get notified every time a new video goes live. Follow us on Twitter: @huddlebreakdown @Alan_Morrison67 @jucojames Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Celtic were beaten 4-1 by Benfica in Lisbon in the Europa League, and on this Huddle Breakdown Extra Time, Martin, Alan and James break down why. Alan uses packing data to show that Benfica cut through Celtic’s front three 14 times in the first half alone, and asks why Martin O’Neill left Oliver Sørensen in a number 10 role that doesn’t suit him. The guys go through all four goals and Viljami Sinisalo’s goalkeeping. Alan’s data shows how much Sebastian Tounekti’s output drops in big games compared with Gianluca Prestianni, and the panel discusses Kasper Høgh’s struggles and whether Camilo Durán should now start through the middle. To finish, they preview Celtic v Hearts in the Scottish Premiership, covering Hearts’ set-piece threat, their new style of play and the luck that has gone their way so far. Plus details of our supporters’ meetup in Glasgow city centre on Monday 26 October. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Football author and executive Ben Lyttleton (Twelve Yards, Edge, Football School) joins Alan and James on The Huddle Breakdown Interview to talk about how data analytics is changing football and what that means for Celtic. Ben goes behind the scenes of the Netherlands’ penalty data before the 2010 World Cup final. He explains why your best penalty taker should go first or fourth, and why most Premier League transfers fail. He also makes the case for a sporting director as the “guardian of the culture.” Then the conversation turns to Martin O’Neill. Ben explains how the man-management strengths that won Celtic the Scottish Premiership title are now being held against him, and how a well-run club should handle a short-term slump. They also cover over-optimisation, the comeback of the dribbling winger, and why creativity may be the one thing AI can’t predict. Ben ends with why football is still a force for good. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Celtic produced their most dominant performance in weeks at Fir Park, and Alan and James break down the data from the Motherwell win. After Liam Scales talked about the player meetings, has Celtic’s game model shifted back towards Ange-ball? Is Shaun Maloney now effectively running the team under Martin O’Neill? The guys cover the expected goals (xG), the packing numbers behind Kieran Tierney’s huge game and Bauer’s man-of-the-match display. They also cover Jota’s emotional return after three years away and why a striker’s underlying numbers don’t match the doubters. Then they look at the Scottish Premiership weekend: Rangers’ flattering win over Kilmarnock, why Hearts are a real title threat, and the “two Frankensteins” in Glasgow. To finish, a Europa League preview of Benfica, and the hard truth about how far Scotland has fallen in Opta’s European league rankings. Want to support the channel? - https://huddlebreakdown.com Like this video and want more content like it? Subscribe to the channel below and hit the bell to get notified every time a new video goes live. Follow us on Twitter: @huddlebreakdown @Alan_Morrison67 @jucojames Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.