Mexico's one-nil victory over Germany was one of the most intriguing and entertaining matches in the first round of World Cup group stage action.
Juan Carlos Osorio out-witted Joachim Low as El Tri surprised the World Cup holders, leading to plenty of excellent post-game tactical articles from; the influential Michael Cox (https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/world-cup/world-cup-2018-germany-mexico-hirving-lozano-toni-kroos-a8403956.html), the detailed Spielverlagerung website (https://spielverlagerung.com/2018/06/18/world-cup-day-4/) and Performance 100's own Tom Harrison (http://futmexnation.com/2018/06/17/tactics-with-tom-osorio-masterminds-historic-victory-over-germany/).
The Soccer Nurds website weighed in with their own piece on Mexico v Germany, and used Performance 100 data in an attempt to provide statistical evidence to back-up claims about how Mexico and Germany approached their World Cup opener. This article was an excellent example of just one of Performance 100's uses.
The Performance 100 map above displays what an outfield player did, on average, per 100 possessions during Mexico v Germany. Looking at actions per 100 possessions, rather than per 90 minutes, quantifies decision making, which helps to determine and define a team's tactical approach.
Plenty can be taken from this Performance 100 map. Compare dribble figures for both sides, observe the huge clearances number for Mexico, and note the average amount of ball possessions per 90 minutes. Without even watching the match it could quickly be determined, from the Performance 100 map, that Germany dominated possession, and that Mexico looked to attack directly on the counter (55.6 completed passes per 100 possessions is a low team average).
From that basic starting point, there are numerous possibilities of how to use and interpret this Performance 100 data. For example, Mexico's counter-attacking approach against Germany could be statistically compared to performances from other counter-attacking sides.
Alternatively, efficiency could be assessed to try to help figure out why Mexico were so successful against Germany. The dribble success rate, and low number of missed passes, considering the direct approach, are likely big contributors to the surprise win.
Performance 100 data certainly cannot replace traditional tactical analysis, but by quantifying decision making and efficiency, Performance 100 can support, contribute to, and question analysis in articles and professional clubs and countries.
To read how Soccer Nurds used Performance 100 data to dissect Mexico's historic victory over Germany, click here- https://www.soccernurds.com/articles/mexico-germany-the-performance-100-angle.
If you'd like to learn more about Performance 100 data and our services, explore this website and contact us on twitter @Performance_100 or via email, performance100stats@gmail.com.