Why is it good to know more data than individual player statistics during matches?
How do numbers reveal what is not obvious?
Croatia and Ukraine played an equal match with few goals in which Ukraine won because Croatia scored only 7 goals in the second half, and in the end one turnover or a missed shot was decisive.
Croatian coach Nenad Šoštarić reacted logically, ie the way an any good coach would react in those moments. He tried to change the game flow in an attack by changing back players, but that didn’t seem crucial.
The secret was in the pivots.
Both in choosing the pivot that plays and in choosing whether a team attacks with one or two pivots.
When Katarina Ježić played, the efficiency was significantly higher 7/16, than when Ana Debelić played 1/11.
When Croatia attacked with two pivots, the efficiency was significantly higher 3/4 than when it attacked with one pivot 1/9.
In matches in which the winner is decided by one missed fast break or goalkeeper action, such information can be crucial for quick decision-making that directs the course of the game.
