Has Steven Gerrard Improved Aston Villa?

[@Will.Evans.11]

I’ve never heard someone say ‘xG trend lines!’ as excitedly as Maram did!

[@MerijnH]

Absolutely adorable. I want more Maram on Tifo

[@malcolmtan8954]

She's like the fresh energy, excited new intern with an older guiding mentor

[@asidi48753]

That made the vid even better!

[@ConstantinoHaza]

Brilliant analysis. The work from Maram adds a new and exiting dimension. A Man City vs Liverpool analytical comparison would be great.

[@kaisercorn4857]

I wish I could like this comment more than once

[@Meekz-el5me]

That Would be sick

[@arahaitham123]

I think the have done it. Maybe an update one after both teams face each other.

[@hlonidikweni1343]

didn't know I wabted this but now I need it

[@Japhex]

Absolutely loving having Maram on here! That depth of insight is SO interesting, great video, guys!

[@mishkin11]

Just wanted to say something similar: excellent stuff and also good to see women making it into sports analysis!

[@christopherflux6254]

I’ve literally never seen a Muslim woman as a football pundit before. And her inclusion isn’t mere ‘tokenism’ as she clearly knows what she is talking about and is passionate about the game.

[@_shmeezy]

Maram is great and has good chemistry with JJ on camera, would love to see more of this.

[@MitchWebb94]

@6:55 - When you mentioned that Villa's quality of chances was worsening before Grealish left, I could bet my right arm that the flip in XG trend lines is when he became injured mid-way through the season. We really fell off a cliff after that

[@martinlong4891]

Agreed. Also teams worked had worked us out. Too much play was going through Grealish, so teams learned just to sit on him (when he was fit). Close down Grealish and Villa were closed down. Now we have more balance and more options. To be fair to Dean Smith, the quality of squad he had was not as strong as what we have now. Deano and Gerrard share a similar flaw that needs fixing. We are a decent side when Plan A works, neither manager have has been successful enough implementing Plans B or C.

[@rohitr9400]

@@martinlong4891 a little more complicated than that in my opinion. City has a left loaded attack. But the trick is to have a more dynamic midfield which does off the ball runs which isn't the case with Villa.

[@martinlong4891]

Update after our game vs Spurs. Has SG improved Villa? Absolutely not. SG is clueless. Winning with Rangers in a two horse league, when Celtic were shite is no achievement at all. Barely a plan A, and no plan B. And last game he pushed all the blame on to the players, some nonsense about they didn't play until the second half. You're the manager you useless git, it's your job to send them out for the first 45 mins with a plan or two. Doesn't accept any blame, and has no track record apart from a numpty league. And he thinks he can manage a side in a proper league. Clearly inept and clueless. Worst still, too arrogant to accept his lack of experience or imagination. Please go $tevie Me, please go.

[@jamesc5968]

Maram is doing fantastically well and becoming more comfortable in front of the camera. Keep up the gr8 work

[@MerijnH]

The dynamic and chemistry between Maram and JJ is amazing, more of these!

[@BestBoyPatrick]

There's something so wonderfully wholesome about this pairing that I adore.

[@felixbache5369]

They're too cute

[@pozsoz]

They're actually husband and wife in real life!

[@meead5426]

@@pozsoz Really??

[@jufref]

@@pozsoz wait what

[@pozsoz]

@@meead5426 not really but wouldn't you agree that JJ Bull would be the one of the greatest husbands/dads ever?

[@Maj1794]

Ma sha Allah maram is brilliant at analysing 👏🏽

[@Serv83]

Maram adds such value to any video she is in. It's always a must watch for me. Great work.

[@ryanharrison400]

We need more Maram please and thank you

[@outofthetrash5925]

We need more from all pundits and analysts in terms of it being clear that they did their homework before opening their mouths as was evident here. Edit: Though Tifo should have done more research and not got the squad wrong (subs bench)

[@rkmh9342]

Thanks for explaining again how the pass maps work and what we're looking for! I'm looking forward to more of Maram's analysis. QUESTION for Maram: How do the heat map and the pass map relate to each other? I've been guessing but it would be nice to have an expert on the difference and similarities (e.g., the underlying metrics too!)

[@ecashman]

this is a solid question, I would love to hear an answer to this.

[@rkmh9342]

@@ecashman Thanks!

[@christianvennteke9627]

Can't confess to knowing as much as Maram with this question, but I work within the analysis world, so hope I can help. The great thing about both of these visualisations is that they are easy to explain and are a fantastic way to gain understanding of performance for players and fans alike. They are similar in the fact that they both use player tracking software to understand a players position, however they do this in different ways. A heat map - centred around an individual - identifies where a player has been on the pitch and the time they have spent in said position. The more the player spends in a position (with or without the ball), the deeper the colour (usually red). Often this helps to understand if a player has been getting into the right areas of the pitch to have the impact the manager wishes for them to have on the match. A passing network will show the location of each player based purely on where they have touched the ball. So the location of every touch will be recorded and the location of each player on the map will be an average of these touches. The size of the circle for each player is based on how often they have touched the ball. Then the thicker the line between two players, the more they have passed the ball to each other. All of this helps to indicate where the ball is most often and who seems isolated in overall play (as shown by Maram in this video). So heat maps focus on the movement of an individual PLAYER, while passing networks focus more on the movement of the BALL. Sorry for the long-winded message. I hope this helps!

[@ecashman]

@@christianvennteke9627 thank you, the distinction there totally makes sense. And you're right, it's really easy to understand and seems like a fantastic statistical tool!

[@dylanl9177]

Love the coverage and the information as always ! Time to ramp up the sensible transfers with the summer window round the corner! (With some bias on Villa, on who Gerrard should buy that will improve how he wants villa to play)

[@SeriousBartYT]

I think that he would be a good choice for the man United job. Like sir Matt Busby, he is a former Liverpool captain and like Sir Alex, he won the league in Scotland.

[@chrundlethegreat2251]

One of your absolute top videos with regard to substance, simplicity and most of all attention retention for me. More please!

[@timdurgan]

I must say that these analytical videos of passing lanes and underlying stats are absolutely fantastic and Maram is really insightful! Pleeeeease could you do a video like this to showcase the evolution of England under Southgate and/or how/why they lost v Italy? THANKS

[@JusticeOfRider]

More Maram pleaseeeeeeeee 😭

[@Bradalee21]

Loving Maram being on these videos, she adds a lot. I'd be really interested to know if she's a football fan who's also a data analyst, or if she's a data analyst who happens to work in football. My wife does data analysis and she has the ability to talk with authority on subjects she isn't necessarily interested in to a level where it seems like she's passionate about them.

[@christianvennteke9627]

Follow her on Twitter. Her data visualisations are second-to-none. Btw she is a Man Utd supporter.

[@MrMikoMic]

This Tifo duo is fire 🔥🔥🔥👏🏾

[@MerijnH]

Their dynamic is the best

[@thFence]

I need Maram saying "no, lets calm down" with that little hand gesture as a gif haha

[@tehndavey7565]

Great analysis and breakdown. Thanks Maram 😊

[@City-Swimmer]

Just wanted to say how nice it is reading all the positive comments, a rarity on the Internet

[@changg5089]

Great work Maram and JJ! Would love to see this combination on the podcast

[@kevinmccabe7263]

I love idea of showing a passing network for the same system when it's working and when it's not! Next level analysis by Maram!

[@outofthetrash5925]

Beundia has been amazing in SGs set up. The through balls he has played have been as good as Coutinhos but he defends well too. It has been nothing but bad luck in terms of Ollie not finishing those chances for his assist numbers but they will come. Some of the play between himself and Coutinho when they play as Two 10's has been amazing. For me it's the way forward, the XG will eventually become actual goals. If not I can see Ollie being replaced. Sometimes I watch and whish we had not sent Archer out on loan. He has the natural finishing of prime Ings without forgoing all of the work rate of Watkins. Big things are coming next season if he gets a run in.

[@vforvendetta211]

Big things indeed 😂🤣🤣🤣

[@hellostckhlm1419]

More of Maram, please.

[@mohd5366]

Maram 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@ryanrvs4329]

Really love having Maram on these vids! Been following her on Twitter for a while now and it's great that she's getting the platform to show her brilliance like this!

[@jonnywolFIFA]

Big up Maram!!!

[@edwardflood7412]

Maram loves breaking out a passing network for a Dean Smith team

[@Noobie2k7]

Would love to hear Maram on the Tifo podcast sometime soon.

[@Stratega1982]

I am glad that you finally made a video for Aston Villa and Steven Gerrard but there are few important misses : 1. Huge drop of xG in early 2021 was because Greilish had a long injury 2. Has not pointed out that JT left as assistant coach in the Summer '21 3. Gerrard is using tactic which is very similar to Man City and Liverpool and it's hard to be described as classic 4-3-3. I think 4-3-2-1 sounds better. I think you can mention how Cash stats in attack are improved under SG 4. Luiz is not preferred no.6. It's Marvelous Nakamba who had 5 or 6 incredible matches when SG took the team but had a bad knee injury which took him out for 4-5 months. That's why SG had to use Luiz and other CMs in this role but without a great success and that's why DM will be his first priority in the summer ( you know the rumours about Philips and Bissuma)

[@tswelopeleseleka9641]

who is DM ????

[@Stratega1982]

@@tswelopeleseleka9641 DM is Defensive midfielder , like Nakamba or Kalvin Philips

[@benjackson3249]

I would also add 5)buendia is not left footed which JJ said at the start and 6) Ramsey and mcginn normally play the other way around than shown on the board

[@peytonlauwerijssen6840]

I found the passing networks very interesting. It shows how different teams play and how that affects individual players. Makes me curious to see man citys passing networks 🏓

[@decdy2992]

Maram was fantastic in this video, would love to see more of her in future!

[@Baron-Ortega]

Wow guys subbed. Super video and Maram was absolutely brilliant. Very very interesting.

[@avjosh3386]

when we get the ball up the pitch we look better, one place that definitely worries me under Gerrard is the transition from our back 4 into an attack. Mcginn and Ramsey seem to drop too deep and play it relatively safe with their positioning, with Luiz dropping in-between Konsa and Mings. We originally solved the problem with Cash and Digne not having as high starting positions, and them moving forward, usually inline with where to ball was on the pitch. However, outside the diamond, the fullbacks seem to have way too high of a starting position and we don't have much luck in progressing the ball. I'm sure an actually defensive midfielder would help, with Luiz really being an 8 covering for injuries, but if we are to push for europe next season, we need to improve are transitional play rather drastically.

[@vforvendetta211]

Push for relegation instead 😂🤣🤣

[@BombOmbBuddy]

Continually love the energy Maram and JJ bring as a duo. Couple of oddballs talkin' about the sport they love!

[@adrian05ful]

She back Yeeey

[@el_rooneyo]

Love JJ and Maram - excellent video!

[@fuengiroloo90]

more of maram lads shes goated

[@palsvenssen4578]

Great analysis from Maram!

[@connorthorstenson1254]

Wow you guys did Dean Smith so dirty in that drawing haha

[@mynameisfatmike6742]

great video, loving Maram's contributions, she's great

[@josedanielsuarez3287]

Maran should join the Tifo podcast! Her analysis are always great and on point

[@darrenwoolley8433]

Brilliant watch I love Maram's analysis I'm an Aston Villa fan she's got it spot on.

[@artline820]

I am forwarded this on twitter... Maram will be scouted to join AVFC soon....

[@georgeclews694]

When comparing expected goals for and against and concluding that Gerrard is better, did any at Tifo or the Athletic compare where the difference between the two numbers are statistically significant or not? Couldn’t the differences be entirely due to chance?

[@alexhoward5501]

Some feedback: I can appreciate many types of data visualizations as a data scientist. I think passing may not be as useful as we think and I think they obscure many important datapoints by plotting overlaps.

[@revelation3679]

Steven Gerrard was able to implement a really fearless, cavalier style at Rangers that was impressive to watch, fluid and confident and I'm a Celtic fan saying that! I wondered if he would be able to reproduce the same style in the much tougher EPL. Aston Villa don't look scared or phased by anybody as far as I can tell but are they similar to the square go merchants that he produced at Rangers?

[@since-oj9ce]

They will be ripped apart in the PL.

[@granthor8873]

I've always worried with Gerrard that everything he does for Villa is insignificant when compared to the fact he convinced Coutinho to join. Good to see there's some substance in defensive changes as well!

[@SeriousBartYT]

I think that he would be a good choice for the man United job. Like sir Matt Busby, he is a former Liverpool captain and like Sir Alex, he won the league in Scotland.

[@ycanionlyevafind1sok]

JJ - Anything else you want to say? MA - Bye That really cracked me up and I'm not sure why

[@aligee7903]

Great insight from Maram, had to sub!

[@felixbache5369]

Maram and JJ are adorable together

[@siu281]

They are 15th in the table. Nothing special but they have probably been hyped up because of Slippy G. Will be fun if they get relegated next year under him or if he gets fired.

[@since-oj9ce]

*14th

[@sevenscorpions7]

can we get a video on how conte has changed spurs?

[@leejohnson3209]

Gerrard's original system seemed to work better before Nakamba got injured. It went to pieces a bit after that, until he changed it up and put two up top with Coutinho behind.

[@usmanrulezzz]

Maram and my boy JJ are killing it!

[@MonkeyPointing]

The only way this vid can be improved is if Maram gets her own intro song. Great analysis as always.

[@neby9218]

This dynamic is so so good

[@ahmonafenegus7183]

@tifo Can you make a video on England's future stars vs currents ones. compare their current older lions to the a u-24 team.

[@ryanfinnerty6239]

Buendia is right footed

[@marcusbishop8936]

What I thought too

[@the_luggage]

Great video, thanks, you two!

[@toby9364]

Maram is such a good follow on Twitter !

[@djmacncheezy8885]

@ 0:42 buendia is right footed. But great video

[@tomfornelli8417]

I demand more Aston Villa and Napoli content.

[@since-oj9ce]

Denied 😂

[@artline820]

Maram... pls pls pretty please do one for Gerrard now... this was 5 months ago when we were playing well.. I need your analysis from today 31.8.22

[@aaaaaaa4750]

Can you make an analysis on why ings does not score in Villa?

[@jayc8360]

Where can we cop some Tifo merch?

[@TheAthleticFC]

shop.tifofootball.com/

[@jayc8360]

@@TheAthleticFC @Tifo IRL Noooooooo where can I cop the black hoodie Maram was wearing with Jay in the Gerrard Villa video? Gimmeh please. I'll adopt Seb

[@but_can_you_meme4056]

I like Maram. She obviously must know her stuff. But i work in a Metal Health Residence, don't have spare time to watch this at home and have to control the volume of what i watch and also am not allowed to wear headphones. Maram mumbles and doesn't enunciate clearly so i can't understand her at the volume i have to play this. It's frustrating any video with her on is not actually watchable from start to finish. Maybe make her louder?

[@schlauchflicker]

Joe Devine really outdid himself in this episode with his tremendous costume, I barely recognised him.

[@CenTexMex101]

Tifo with that quality content.

[@cyb0027]

why do you exclude penalties from the from the xG trend line??

[@adrianbecker6668]

question for the tifo football show: which club in europes top 4 leagues has the wooorst scouting

[@itdenelll]

Tbh this villa side looks more like a good man utd side than the one they have rn (but managed by a liverpool legend ironically).

[@Bobby_sprinkles]

I didn't know I needed the awkward and cute partnership of Maram and JJ but I'm totally onboard with it

[@tommychesonis4610]

Grealish was out most of the second half of last season! (Referring to the npxg trends, inferring they had a super reliance on Grealish that caused their demise). Love Maram!

[@fahedal-ajmi4015]

Great analysis.

[@julianbarr6700]

Buendia isn't left footed, and neither him or Coutinho play anywhere near wide. The basis of Gerrard's formation is so narrow it's like a team with a 'width restriction'

[@youknowthis9746]

Can't ignore the chemistry between maram and JJ🙂

[@alsid5089]

Came for analysis on stevie g, stayed for maram enthusiasm , and she's cute

[@sumy5543]

"xG trendline!👍" Aww, I love these adorable stats nerds.

[@RenewedRS]

important to note he's gone off-script lately and we've played 4312 for the last few games

[@fantagrape682]

Mashallah. Nice to see a sister doing this depth of football analysis.

[@HarVicious]

I always thought Buendia was right footed, learnt something new

[@LinusNorton]

He is right footed

[@wilbenson9007]

You may have learned something new, but this was not it - he is most definitely right-footed

[@nkonrhi]

More Maram pls!!!!!!!!

[@adamyoud6934]

0:42 Buendia is right-footed, not left

[@sascrob]

I thought so!

[@longwoo96]

Yaaaaaaaaay. Maram!!!

[@roxammon5858]

Thanks you guys. And Up the Mighty Villa !

[@since-oj9ce]

How much up from 14th?

[@vforvendetta211]

How much up from 14th? 😂🤣🤣

[@REALLYRANDOMREVIEW5]

where did you get your Info from Villa Dont play Courtinio and Buendia together for One and Ings and Olli have been as a pair Weird UTV

[@lukeg8466]

I like Gerrard but it's far too early to tell whether the slight improvement is anything to do with him.

[@vforvendetta211]

Stupid coach.

[@MrRobTheLEGEND]

So the coaching staff have improved Villa, the manager has just the reputation/pull to get Coutinho in... Smith wasn't doing a bad job just on a bad run..

[@christianopulinaldo8319]

Agreed with everything except the last point Dean Smith was bad. He looked clueless without grealish tbh

[@j.s3300]

Thats the same for most coaches. Honestly…the timing of when your good runs and bad runs happen are critical. Plus, sometimes players just need a new voice

[@sammy_1178]

kinda disrespectful to Gerrard, every manager needs the help of his coaching staff but he's the one who brings it all together

[@jacobweddell2438]

Gerrard brought those coaches into Villa

[@umbugulumbu484]

Is it just me or at 5:38 there is this look from maram to JJ Bull that tells me she likes him?

[@mikeoxlong5342]

can you explain how jesse marsch improved leeds, if he did.

[@ac8598]

I am just here for Maram, she is great!

[@liammurty]

They should combine this video with the Dean Smith Norwich video

[@karsaliude2217]

More Maram, she is a star

[@shredmaster2000]

Love Maram videos :)

[@robertgammon-ross9983]

Return of the W M

[@KiNASuki]

ouch YT autosend here after his sacking news video.

[@AnxietyAddict]

Full backs are really important in Gerrard’s team Sends his best full back on loan to Newcastle and replaces him with a piece of disinterested wet cardboard. Newcastle finish above Villa.

[@DomEvans]

I like Maram. She knows alot :)