Using analytics to match team style to recruitment
England vs Mexico 2010 World Cup warm up. Leighton Baines lines up at left back with a place in the world cup looking certain after a brilliant season as an attacking left back for Everton. His link up play with Pienaar has seen him create a huge volume of open play chances with 8 assists. In the game he lines up with Gerrard nominally covering the left side of midfield. Very soon it becomes obvious something is wrong, he is making all his normal runs, getting into good attacking positions but the ball isn't coming back to him. When he goes beyond his midfielder he isn't covered. Several times he is caught upfield, several times he faces both the Mexican winger and right back without any defensive cover. England win but Baines is dropped from the World Cup squad with rumours of homesickness given as the excuse. Denied by Baines. Baines was the same player he was at Everton, but the lack of a covering midfielder, passes that didn't come, and free kicks he was down...