The fact that Comolli has mentioned numerous times that stats drive his analysis of players suggests he is using sabermetrics to identify the players
Liverpool director of football Damien Comolli has admitted he is keen on thoroughly investigating player stats ahead of possible transfers and hinted at interest in Saint Etienne midfielder Blaise Matuidi based on his impressive statistics in Ligue 1 this season.
The 24-year-old midfielder now has two French caps to his name and strong tackling stats make him a hit with Comolli.
"In France, all the figures prove that the player who wins the most possession at the feet of his opponents is Blaise Matuidi," Comolli told the News of the World.
"That is an extraordinary strong point. When the team plays high, it means a goal chance."
Matuidi has made over 120 appearances for St Etienne and Comolli’s statistical analysis takes into account the durability of a player as the former Tottenham director believes injury prone players are too much of a drain on club resources.
He added: "We are going in the right direction of players who don't get injured. We are going to take more and more account of the health of a player in the future. It costs so much having players who don't play.”
Comolli also insists his calculations allowed him to handle the January transfer window pressure with more clarity and the statistical approach seems to have paid dividends for the Reds in their acquisition of Uruguayan Luis Suarez
The former Ajax man has contributed heavily to the Reds recent run of form and netted twice in his first nine appearances for the club.
"When you find yourself handling three of the biggest transfers in English football history in the last days of the market, precise figures allow you not to do that blind," added Comolli.
"You have to act quickly. For Luis, I asked scouts to make inquiries in Holland. I looked at his stats over the last three years - especially the number of matches played.
"With Luis, we took account of the number of decisive passes, his performances against the big teams, against the little ones, in Europe, the difference between his goals scored at home and away.”
The Reds have been linked with a glut of players ahead of the forthcoming summer where it is expected Kenny Dalglish will be given the opportunity to begin to rebuild at Anfield.
The 24-year-old midfielder now has two French caps to his name and strong tackling stats make him a hit with Comolli.
"In France, all the figures prove that the player who wins the most possession at the feet of his opponents is Blaise Matuidi," Comolli told the News of the World.
"That is an extraordinary strong point. When the team plays high, it means a goal chance."
Matuidi has made over 120 appearances for St Etienne and Comolli’s statistical analysis takes into account the durability of a player as the former Tottenham director believes injury prone players are too much of a drain on club resources.
He added: "We are going in the right direction of players who don't get injured. We are going to take more and more account of the health of a player in the future. It costs so much having players who don't play.”
Comolli also insists his calculations allowed him to handle the January transfer window pressure with more clarity and the statistical approach seems to have paid dividends for the Reds in their acquisition of Uruguayan Luis Suarez
The former Ajax man has contributed heavily to the Reds recent run of form and netted twice in his first nine appearances for the club.
"When you find yourself handling three of the biggest transfers in English football history in the last days of the market, precise figures allow you not to do that blind," added Comolli.
"You have to act quickly. For Luis, I asked scouts to make inquiries in Holland. I looked at his stats over the last three years - especially the number of matches played.
"With Luis, we took account of the number of decisive passes, his performances against the big teams, against the little ones, in Europe, the difference between his goals scored at home and away.”
The Reds have been linked with a glut of players ahead of the forthcoming summer where it is expected Kenny Dalglish will be given the opportunity to begin to rebuild at Anfield.
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