Game Theory: How Luck and Analytics Shape Football
Aug 2026 · Kings Road Publishing
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320
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About this ebook
'A rare and refreshing book about the role of chance in football.'
Ian Graham, author of How to Win the Premier League
***
What if what we know about football isn't true?
What if we praise and criticise the wrong teams?
What if Real Madrid have won the Champions League too many times and Pep Guardiola too few?
And what if the wrong teams end up winning the league and others incorrectly relegated?
Christoph Biermann has embarked on a search for chance and spoken with coaches, managers, club owners and mathematicians all over the globe. He has discovered some astonishing things that will change our view of football and how we talk about the magic of the game.
This is a deep-dive into the element of chance in football - the fine margins and the small yet significant moments that completely alter the course of a match and our perceptions of an overall performance.
By delving into the innovative ways in which elite clubs are looking to mitigate and harness the element of luck through analytics, Game Theory will change the way you watch football forever.
***
'A myth-busting book that will change the way you watch the game'
Chris Anderson, author of The Numbers Game
'The latest instalment of Biermann's grand project, the sequencing of the beautiful game's molecular code, is his most insightful yet'
Raphael Honigstein, TNT Sport
'Delivers answers on the attempts to find methods behind football's madness'
Archie Rhind-Tutt, ESPN and Guardian Football Weekly
'Groundbreaking and game-changing' Thomas Hitzlsperger
Ian Graham, author of How to Win the Premier League
***
What if what we know about football isn't true?
What if we praise and criticise the wrong teams?
What if Real Madrid have won the Champions League too many times and Pep Guardiola too few?
And what if the wrong teams end up winning the league and others incorrectly relegated?
Christoph Biermann has embarked on a search for chance and spoken with coaches, managers, club owners and mathematicians all over the globe. He has discovered some astonishing things that will change our view of football and how we talk about the magic of the game.
This is a deep-dive into the element of chance in football - the fine margins and the small yet significant moments that completely alter the course of a match and our perceptions of an overall performance.
By delving into the innovative ways in which elite clubs are looking to mitigate and harness the element of luck through analytics, Game Theory will change the way you watch football forever.
***
'A myth-busting book that will change the way you watch the game'
Chris Anderson, author of The Numbers Game
'The latest instalment of Biermann's grand project, the sequencing of the beautiful game's molecular code, is his most insightful yet'
Raphael Honigstein, TNT Sport
'Delivers answers on the attempts to find methods behind football's madness'
Archie Rhind-Tutt, ESPN and Guardian Football Weekly
'Groundbreaking and game-changing' Thomas Hitzlsperger
'A rare and refreshing book about the role of chance in football.'
Ian Graham, author of How to Win the Premier League
***
What if what we know about football isn't true?
What if we praise and criticise the wrong teams?
What if Real Madrid have won the Champions League too many times and Pep ...
Discover more
About the author
Christoph Biermann is an award-winning football writer and one of the most respected voices in the field. His books have twice won Football Book of the Year in his native Germany, where he is a reporter for the magazine 11 Freunde.
Christoph Biermann is an award-winning football writer and one of the most respected voices in the field. His books have twice won Football Book of the Year in his native Germany, where he is a reporter for the magazine 11 Freunde.
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