Soccermatics

David Sumpter is Professor of Applied Mathematics at the University of Uppsala, Sweden. Born in London but raised in Scotland, he completed his doctorate in Mathematics at Manchester, and was a Royal Society Research Fellow in Oxford before heading to Sweden.David’s research has shown how mathemtiacs can be applied ot anything and everything, and in particular to social behaviour. An incomplete list of his research projects includes: pigeons flying in pairs over Oxford; clapping undergraduate students in the north of England; swarms of locusts traveling across the Sahara; disease spread in remote Ugandan villages; the gaze of London commuters; and the tubular structures built by Japanese amoebae. In his spare time, he exploits his mathematical expertise in training a successful under-tens football team, Uppsala IF P05. David is a Liverpool supporter with a lifelong affection for Dunfermline Athletic.collective-behavior.com / @soccermatics

Sumpter's deconstruction of formations proved why maths and football can't live without each other. It's every football nerd's dream.

• Preface: The Kick-offPart I: On the PitchChapter 1: I Never Predict Anything and I Never WillChapter 2: How Slime Moulds Built BarcelonaChapter 3: Check My FlowChapter 4: Statistical BrillianceChapter 5: Zlatan Ibrah Rocket SciencePart II: In the DugoutChapter 6: Three Points for the Bird-brained ManagerChapter 7: The Tactical MapCHapter 8: Total Cyber DynamoChapter 9: The World in MotionPart III: From the CrowdChapter 10: You'll Never Walk AloneChapter 11: Bet Against the MassesChapter 12: Putting My Money Where My Mouth IsChapter 13: The Results Are InThe Full-Time WhistleNotes AcknowledgementsIndex