Pep or José?

Pulis or … anybody else?

Football is a game of opinions. A world where received wisdom and the law of the hunch reigns supreme. But football is becoming more intelligent. The history books may say that Leicester City winning the premier league ‘defied logic’. But if you looked more closely, they were always going to win . . .

From distances run to pass rate success, shots on target to corners won, counter attacks to tackles made, Opta, the world’s leading sports data company record everything. But what does it all mean? And how can it add to our love of the game?

From the author and statistician behind the popular OptaJoe Twitter account, what follows is a hugely entertaining and insightful guide to football in 2016, analysing data from the world's greatest teams, players, leagues and tournaments.

Stats can never tell us everything, but combining cutting-edge analysis with wry humour, and debunking countless myths peddled by pundits and managers, the ideas that follow are both surprising and satisfying. They will leave you with the feeling that ‘yes, that’s what I was thinking all along.’