After nine months, 38 games and countless goals, all that separated Liverpool and Manchester City at the end of the last season was a single point, in what will go down as one of the closest title races in Premier League history.
But are we really surprised it was so close? The influence technology has in football now is monumental, coaches and analysis experts spend hours if not days preparing and planning. Whether it’s studying opposition teams and individual players hoping to find a weakness or making a tactical positional tweak that will see your team win the ball higher up the pitch – no stone is left unturned.
One of the factors which saw Manchester City clinch the title last season was when City played Liverpool back in January. Although City ended up winning the game 2-1, it could have been so different.
Liverpool’s danger man, Sadio Mané was through on goal and looked to have given the reds the lead, only for City defender, John Stones to clear the ball off the line.
With the naked eye most would have thought that the ball had crossed the line. But the technology suggested otherwise, as it turned out Liverpool were just 11mm’s away from taking the lead.
Of course, we will never know if Liverpool would have gone on to win that game against City or even go on to win the league, but it’s an example of the influence technology is having in elite football.
We’ve looked at the most innovative technology companies currently working in football, that will not only help players reach their potential but will allow coaches to analyse and prepare for future games.
PlayerMaker has become the complete coaching tool, it allows for coaches and sport scientists to track and analyse metrics for not only physical and technical but also tactical and biomechanical data.
In the past, clipping and tagging clips from training and game day footage was a laborious task that would take multiple hours to complete, with PlayerMaker it’s never been quicker.
To track players performance all that needs to be done is attach a simple sleek design around their boot and then allow the unique motion sensor to do the rest. From detecting every ball touch to reviewing a player’s weaknesses over time, PlayerMaker offers a solution like no other currently in the game.
The even better news is that the software comes in three different versions, ranging from Elite which is aimed at the professionals and offers the most powerful team and player analysis available.
Since being crowned as the most innovative football start-up at the HYPE Summit last year, VEO has had more high-profile clubs sign up to use its technology, notably Premier League’s Burnley FC.
No matter if it’s training or a match, Veo allows clubs to record football without the use of a cameraman. The solution involves a 180-degree camera which is powered by highly intelligent software to create automatic broadcasts of your football. (Pretty cool, huh?)
The AI powered solution can recognise exactly where the action is happening on the pitch and knows when to zoom in or out. So, when it comes to the analysis of the game, coaches can easily highlight what needs to be worked on in training the following week!
PLAYR allows footballers of all abilities to take their performance to the next level, using the latest GPS tracking technology which also supplies personalised advice accessed via the app.
A key component of the PLAYR football tracker is the SmartPod, which is a small lightweight gadget using a combination of an advanced GPS tracker with an accelerometer, which means that sport scientists can measure everything from top speed, to distance covered.
The SmartPod is slotted into the top of the SmartVest which is made of a malleable and ultra-compressive fabric which not only provides the player with the perfect fit but its ergonomic design the player doesn’t need to worry about the SmartPod falling out at any point.
PLAYR is part of Catapult Sports, which provides technology to nearly 3000 teams including Chelsea, Real Madrid and the French National Team
For all aspiring footballers out there, who want to better themselves and continue to improve, you won’t find many products better and reasonably priced than the PLAYR Smart Football Tracker.
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