This season’s Veikkausliiga reached a surprise crescendo with KuPS and Ilves vying for top spot.
KuPS snatched the title after a win against HJK, but at the season’s outset, few would have looked past perennial champions HJK. The Helsinki-based team had won the last four titles but this year, a combination of smart strategy and recruitment saw Tampere’s Ilves put together a title-challenge that few would have foreseen.
Ilves’ Sporting Director is Miika Takkula and, having joined the club, one of his first moves was to work with Analytics FC. As explained in this piece in Helsingin Sanomat, “The first decisive decisions for [Ilves’] successful season were made last fall, when Takkula moved from HJK’s sports director to Ilves’ sports director.” Wanting an assessment of playing style to help develop a new approach:
“Takkula, together with the statistics company Analytics FC, made an analysis from 2016 on what kind of football Ilves has played. The analysis was used to create a visual map based on statistics, where the other Veikkausliiga teams from the past three years were placed. In addition, individual teams that were successful in Europe were placed there.”
Analytics FC collaborated with Takkula on an analysis of potential head coach candidates, using our Coach ID service, and this analysis led Takkula to appoint Joonas Rantanen. It also helped Takkula develop a stylistic identity for Ilves’ play, revolving around consistency from home to away fixtures, controlled attacks beginning with a deep build-up, and counterpressing to maintain control in the the attacking third.
The strategic overview, conducted by Takkula and supported by Analytics FC, also allowed Takkula to develop a recruitment approach based on the desired game model and stylistic approach. The club could therefore streamline its processes, saving time and money, and ensure that everyone at the club was focussed on delivering the same approach, from the training ground to the data analytics team.
As the piece points out, “Ilves’ rapid change is a good example of what a good sports director can achieve…From the beginning, I had the feeling that I was responsible for the sports side, selecting the head coach and starting the game process. I had a very strong ownership of it. I got complete peace of mind,” says Takkula.”
Working alongside Analytics FC, Takkula was able to achieve this ownership by first getting a complete picture of where the club was at and where it might go. This kind of strategic support is a key part of what Analytics FC brings when working with a club, combining a variety of our services into a holistic, strategic approach that delivers sporting and financial success.
Header image copyright IMAGO / All Over Press Finland / Mika Kylmaniemi