Curated Cutback #1:

Hi everyone,

Before sharing the links from the past week, I'd like to take a moment to discuss a few things with you.

First of all, I’ve modified my code for the scoring overperformance visualization, which was included in the Dallinga article, and initially showed Dallinga as the best shooter among those featured in the visualization:

Now, after adding a weighting factor for the date - giving more importance to more recent shots at the expense of older ones - the ratios have changed slightly. I believe it’s fair to assume that over time, with playing, training, and even transfers, a player’s shooting ability can change, so I think this is a good enhancement to the model that doesn’t completely invalidate the underlying calculations. The visualization has been updated just enough to place Pavlidis ahead of Dallinga, so I wanted to be transparent and update you. Here it is:

Keeping your work, models, and so on updated and continuously improving is important, and in the future, I hope to add a weighting factor based on the defensive abilities of opponents to the overperformance calculation.

On another note, I’ve noticed that engagement with the newsletter hasn’t been growing as expected. So, I’d like to ask you directly for some feedback. What might not be fully convincing about my work? Where could I improve? Your opinion is crucial to me, as it helps me enhance the service I offer and grow this project at the same time. Since this is a newsletter, your support and sharing are essential to reaching more people.

Currently, I'm facing some challenges with social media platforms. Twitter/X, which has always been my main channel, is significantly limiting engagement unless divisive strategies are used, which I prefer to avoid. Bluesky is still in its early stages, and LinkedIn, at the moment, seems like an unpredictable gamble.

As I approach the end of my studies, I plan to dedicate more time to this project, which represents my showcase for the future, especially in the field of football analytics. For this reason, I've decided to move the newsletter to Beehiiv starting in September, as it seems to be the most widely used and appreciated platform by those building newsletters right now, making it ideal for growing and consolidating the community. All content and subscribers will be transferred there, so if you no longer wish to receive the newsletter, I encourage you to unsubscribe now. Otherwise, I'll assume your silence as implicit consent.

For August, I already have a small plan in place. Every Monday, I'll share a newsletter issue with the most interesting links of the week, as decided by the poll, even though it received only a few votes (just two, which is a bit disappointing, to be honest). Additionally, I'll be publishing a couple of analytical posts that I'm working on. One of these will be an analysis of the best ball-playing centerbacks in Serie A 23/24, linked to my previous post "Who's the most reliable ball playing centerback in Serie A?". Before the final publication, I'll share some preview visualizations in the other post I’ve planned, so if you have requests for a specific defender (from the Brasileirao, Liga Profesional, Jupiler Pro League, Eredivisie, Scottish Premiership, Russian Premier League, MLS, Championship, League One, Turkish Super Lig, or one of the Big Five European Leagues from last season), let me know in the comments or via email. Otherwise, I'll focus on some defenders linked to Juventus, my favorite team.

Thank you for your support, and I look forward to your feedback. Now, I'll leave you with the best links of the week, divided by language. I've been focusing on selecting fewer pieces to ensure they are of high quality and to reduce any choice overload bias.

Talk soon!

English:

• Why geography helps Bayern Munich dominate the Bundesliga; by Stefan Bienkowski

  • Stefan, on Substack, wrote a great article that clearly highlights how football is inevitably connected to society. In particular, he shows what has contributed to making Bayern Munich one of the most important, wealthy, and successful clubs in the world, thanks to the unique factors that characterize the region it represents.

• Inside soccer's dominant styles, from Man City to PSG; Bill Connelly for ESPN

  • This article is very long, so I recommend reading it when you have time. Additionally, it’s packed with information and data - PACKED. I suggest tackling it when you’re feeling particularly fresh. The author does an excellent job of classifying all the teams in the top 5 European leagues based on their playing style, clearly explaining why some teams are where they are. It’s an article well worth reading, and I’ve seen it reposted more than once on X by particularly talented individuals. It had to be included in this issue.

Italian:

• Le Olimpiadi possono essere sostenibili per l’ambiente?; by Il Post

  • A report on what has been done for Paris 2024 to make it as sustainable as possible. The author has aimed to highlight both the positive and negative aspects, without overlooking the challenges faced by the organizers in their attempt to create something that could serve as an example for the future.

• Guida all'Udinese 2024/25; by Emanuele Atturo for Ultimo Uomo

  • As every year, Ultimo Uomo provides an overview of each team that will compete in the upcoming Serie A. This week, the guide I found to be the best written, most interesting, and informative is the one on Udinese, one of the few teams with a clear and stated focus on player trading, innovation, and player development in Italy. The other guides published so far cover Lecce, Monza, Cagliari, Hellas Verona, and Venezia.

A couple of other useful links: this year, The Guardian has reintroduced its tool that summarizes all official transfers concerning the top 5 European leagues, in case you need it for any reason or are just curious.

Lastly, from Asia Nikkei, an interesting piece of news, especially since more and more Japanese players are making their way to Europe. Red Bull has acquired 100% of a third-division team in Japan, becoming the first non-Japanese company to fully own a team in the Japanese football system. We’ll see if it turns out to be a success or a failure, as was the case with the attempt to replicate the Right to Dream Academy. In which case, it doesn’t mean that Red Bull won’t bring more Asian players through their ranks.

Mark Carey of The Athletic published an article analyzing how some Premier League teams managed to get the ball into the opponent's penalty area last season. It’s a great article, but since it’s behind a paywall, I’m sharing the dashboard he created to visually represent his insights below.

All the images were taken from the respective posts, and I’m not currently monetizing from this newsletter, so I don’t want any problems.

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