Liverpool has ended big Lionel Messi debate as FSG transfer guru identifies Europe’s best player
Liverpool’s outgoing director of data science has had quite an impact on Jürgen Klopp’s squad over the years, and he has now stated his opinion on Lionel Messi.
Liverpool is set to lose a highly prominent figure this summer, but his departure will drift under the radar. It isn’t James Milner, Roberto Firmino, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Naby Keïta or even outgoing sporting director Julian Ward, but a data scientist by the name of Ian Graham.
For more than a decade, the Welshman has constructed and refined Liverpool’s data science department at the request of Fenway Sports Group.
Upon his takeover of the club in 2010, John Henry wanted the Reds to foster a data-driven and evidence-based culture on Merseyside, which is largely why Graham was first appointed having been poached from a UK-based firm named Decision Technology.
Graham had previously provided Tottenham Hotspur with consultancy services through his role at Decision Technology, with Damien Comolli and Michael Edwards leaning on his advice and recommendations at White Hart Lane before the trio moved to Liverpool to head up FSG’s revolution.
Liverpool is set to lose a highly prominent figure this summer, but his departure will drift under the radar. It isn’t James Milner, Roberto Firmino, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Naby Keïta or even outgoing sporting director Julian Ward, but a data scientist by the name of Ian Graham.
For more than a decade, the Welshman has constructed and refined Liverpool’s data science department at the request of Fenway Sports Group.
Upon his takeover of the club in 2010, John Henry wanted the Reds to foster a data-driven and evidence-based culture on Merseyside, which is largely why Graham was first appointed having been poached from a UK-based firm named Decision Technology.
Graham had previously provided Tottenham Hotspur with consultancy services through his role at Decision Technology, with Damien Comolli and Michael Edwards leaning on his advice and recommendations at White Hart Lane before the trio moved to Liverpool to head up FSG’s revolution.
This week, Graham appeared at the Cheltenham Science Festival, and he was asked about a certain Lionel Messi, who recently agreed to join Inter Miami.
The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner will travel to the United States to play Major League Soccer next term, and Liverpool’s outgoing data director believes he has the edge over Cristiano Ronaldo as the greatest player of the modern era.
“It’s Messi,” he told his audience in Gloucestershire, as The Guardian reports. “The difference is that Messi is also a world-class attacking midfielder.
The chances he creates for his teammates are an order of magnitude greater than Ronaldo. Messi does two jobs brilliantly. Ronaldo does one job brilliantly. That’s the difference.”
Indeed, Graham has developed statistical models which allow him to analyze player contributions without ever watching a single second of footage. “Any statistical model will tell you that Kylian Mbappé is the best player in Europe at the moment,” he said.
“But unfortunately, financially, he’s out of Liverpool’s league. We’re looking for the best-performing players per pound.”
The likes of Keïta, Mohamed Salah, Andy Robertson and Alisson Becker are just a few examples of players signed by the Reds who showed up as undervalued difference makers in the numbers.
Liverpool’s so-called ‘Moneyball’ methods in the transfer market have helped Jürgen Klopp deliver every available trophy from the Premier League to the Champions League and everything in betwee
Liverpool is set to lose a highly prominent figure this summer, but his departure will drift under the radar. It isn’t James Milner, Roberto Firmino, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Naby Keïta or even outgoing sporting director Julian Ward, but a data scientist by the name of Ian Graham.
For more than a decade, the Welshman has constructed and refined Liverpool’s data science department at the request of Fenway Sports Group. Upon his takeover of the club in 2010, John Henry wanted the Reds to foster a data-driven and evidence-based culture on Merseyside, which is largely why Graham was first appointed having been poached from a UK-based firm named Decision Technology.
Graham had previously provided Tottenham Hotspur with consultancy services through his role at Decision Technology, with Damien Comolli and Michael Edwards leaning on his advice and recommendations at White Hart Lane before the trio moved to Liverpool to head up FSG’s revolution.
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This week, Graham appeared at the Cheltenham Science Festival, and he was asked about a certain Lionel Messi, who recently agreed to join Inter Miami. The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner will travel to the United States to play Major League Soccer next term, and Liverpool’s outgoing data director believes he has the edge over Cristiano Ronaldo as the greatest player of the modern era.
“It’s Messi,” he told his audience in Gloucestershire, as The Guardian reports. “The difference is that Messi is also a world-class attacking midfielder. The chances he creates for his teammates are an order of magnitude greater than Ronaldo. Messi does two jobs brilliantly. Ronaldo does one job brilliantly. That’s the difference.”
Indeed, Graham has developed statistical models which allow him to analyze player contributions without ever watching a single second of footage. “Any statistical model will tell you that Kylian Mbappé is the best player in Europe at the moment,” he said. “But unfortunately, financially, he’s out of Liverpool’s league. We’re looking for the best-performing players per pound.”
The likes of Keïta, Mohamed Salah, Andy Robertson and Alisson Becker are just a few examples of players signed by the Reds who showed up as undervalued difference makers in the numbers. Liverpool’s so-called ‘Moneyball’ methods in the transfer market have helped Jürgen Klopp deliver every available trophy from the Premier League to the Champions League and everything in between.
Photo by Jan Kruger – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images
Photo by Jan Kruger – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images (Image: Jan Kruger – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)
Graham’s time on Merseyside will come to an end this summer, with the theoretical physicist set to be replaced internally by Will Spearman, another pioneer in the field of football analytics. He has big boots to fill, but the Chicago-born scientist is more than capable of doing exactly that, having already made waves through his ‘pitch control’ concept.
Michael Edwards is no longer at Anfield, and the same can be said for his successor, Ward. Last month, seasoned Bundesliga legend Jörg Schmadtke was appointed as Liverpool’s new sporting director on a short-term basis, which could be extended at the end of the summer window.
The German is known for having an eye for a player, but his name isn’t particularly associated with data-driven ways, unlike those before him such as Edwards, Ward or Comolli. It remains to be seen how Liverpool’s recruitment department will operate without Graham and Edwards moving forward, but Klopp is adamant that nothing will change, having said as much in a press conference towards the end of the campaign.
The Reds have a vital window to navigate this summer, with a midfield renovation job very much on the agenda. It remains to be seen who Klopp will sign in the coming months, but this is Liverpool’s first summer without Graham behind the scenes for more than a decade, which makes things interesting, to say the least.