Do stats ruin football?

Stats. They’re everywhere. All you have to do is watch football for 5 minutes and you’re bombarded with 5473 stats about pass completion, shot accuracy or how many Arsenal fans have voted in the latest poll about the quality Olivier Giroud’s hair.

But do they ruin football? Do players become so self-conscious about they’re heat map or shot conversion percentage that it actually inhibits performance? I've been reliably informed that some players actually check their stats from the previous game on a Monday morning after the weekend’s fixture. Mad? Maybe.

Of course, there are some purposes that they’re beneficial, for example I have no problem with scoring stats, or to an extent assist stats, they actually give a good indication to a players form. However it’s when the media become obsessed with stats like pass completion that I believe football is beginning to be ruined.

Since when was it not ok to fully focus on the stat that’s usually in the top left of the screen? That little thing called the score? The only stat that actually matters. The only one that determines the result of the game.

But no, it’s touch maps, distance covered and tackles won that are at the forefront of the modern pundits’ mind. Don’t get me wrong, it gives the media plenty to talk about to fill the time. Half time, full time, all the time with ‘stuff’, often irrelevant to matches.

I was in the pub recently with friends, having a group debate about football, and the age old argument about Messi and Ronaldo popped up, who’d have thought. It seems to be the case that you’re either pro Messi or pro Ronaldo, you just can’t be a fan of both. However the debate quickly turned to using stats to back those involved up. Messi has scored 108 goals in 32 games, Ronaldo has scored 123 in 38 games. Well obviously not, but the exaggeration levels were reaching fever pitch. Incredible stat after stat reeled off explaining why one was better than the other. However how many games this season had anyone watched them play? Only a handful.  How can you judge a player you’ve barely watched? Oh, of course, by using stats.

So back to the argument whether stats inhibit performance, they probably do. But it’s an immeasurable concept, something that no stat can be provided for. Players like Joe Allen and Tom Cleverley (there are others) pride themselves on their ‘ability’ to never give the ball away. The stats do back this up; Joe Allen has an 88% pass completion this season, Tom Cleverley is at 87%, which in all fairness is impressive as a standalone figure.  But it doesn't take a football genius to watch either of them and realise that they’re very ineffective in most games. Sideways pass after sideways pass, very little invention and a timid outlook looking forward paints a much more accurate picture. Maybe their passing figures are on the forefront of their mind rather that if they can affect the game.

My criticism of stats doesn't stop here. In my opinion football has been Americanised in a lot of ways, not least stats. An example of this is basketball which is far more figure and number based than football, but football is slowly catching up.

Football used to be about a grass pitch, a ball and two teams trying to score more than the other. It’s an extremely simple game. No longer it seems, certainly from an analysis point of view.

It’s players like Andres Iniesta that break away from the clutches of stat based judgement. Statistically, he’s not the most impressive, only a handful of goals and assists per season, numbers that would have players such as Gylfi Sigurdsson deemed poor. But is Iniesta one of a few players worthy of escaping stat based critique?

I would argue that most players should. I’m not going to claim that impressive goal and assist tallies mean nothing and should be disregarded when judging a player, but it shouldn't be so protruding when judging some players. It’s the overall contribution that gets ignored by stats based findings, something that’s much more relevant than perceived by many football fans.

Facts and figures miss out so many vital elements of a player and their ability, quality of first touch, awareness, football intelligence are just some of the things that can’t be quantified yet imperative to any quality player.  

Stats have become so prominent in football that even Arsene Wenger, one of the most careful and astute transfer dealers, reportedly used stats to weigh up and sign new Arsenal signing Gabriel Paulista from Villarreal. Boasting impressive duels won, tackles won and clearances made numbers, all seems well, but can he position himself defensively when containing the play? Only time will tell.

There will always be arguments that stats do indeed enhance our knowledge of football, to an extent they do. They allow us to analyse players in ways that were never accessible even 10 years ago. The rate of growth in the use of stats proves that they’re well regarded even by the most respected names in football. I’m playing devil’s advocate here by heavily critiquing their validity, however my point stands that they warp our opinion on how good players are, or aren't.

Do stats ruin football? Not entirely, but I do feel that some players are heavily influenced by them as mentioned. They should be used in moderation, without risk of sounding like your mum when talking about alcohol.