As well as the coaches and physios who sit on the bench alongside head coach Thomas Tuchel, England’s staff includes a group of analysts, data scientists and an in-house software development team.
They use a variety of AI tools (some purchased from external technology companies, some built within the FA) to analyze data, find interesting information, and create presentations used in meetings to help coaches and players understand complex information.
The idea is that this will allow England’s players to make better decisions on the pitch, including their approach to penalties.
Reece Long, the FA’s head of performance insights and analysis since 2016, explains: “AI can show certain trends in where opposition players place penalties that we probably hadn’t thought of.”
“When it comes to the World Cup, you have to profile information for 47 teams. Where have all the penalties for every player on each team taken since they were 16 years old?
“It used to take us five days to collect penalty-taking information for one team. Using AI, we can now cut that down to about five hours. Then it becomes a five-minute conversation with the goalie, and in those five seconds, we hope to prevent a penalty.”
So, in theory, the penalty information posted on goalkeeper Jordan Pickford’s water bottle is now more accurate and detailed than ever before.
And the results so far are strong.
England’s penalty record has improved significantly since Long’s arrival, and the use of AI by analysts is also being used to reduce the mental pressure on England players choosing where to place penalties.
