Eddie Howe has revealed that data can help Newcastle United save a lot of time 'looking at players that maybe you shouldn't be' as the Magpies continue planning for January and beyond.
Data has become a huge part of the game today and you only have to look at Brentford, Newcastle's opponents on Saturday, to realise that. Rasmus Ankersen, Brentford's co-director of football, once said 'If David wants to beat Goliath, you can’t do that by using the same weapons' and the Bees have certainly thought outside the box in recent years with their use of numbers.
Whether it is recruitment, set-pieces, tactical statistics or, even, personally adjusted sleep programmes, Brentford have been at the forefront of football's data revolution. If Newcastle are to upset the established order in the coming years, then, the Magpies are also going to have to be particularly smart. Financial Fair Play restrictions, after all, make signing the right players and characters so important as costly mistakes could impact what Newcastle can spend in the years to come.
