Business intelligence (BI) plays a crucial role in modern business. It enables companies to make informed decisions by analyzing data and identifying trends. The English Premier League (EPL) is the top-tier professional football league in England and is made up of 20 member clubs that are individual businesses. These football clubs are utilizing the power of BI more than ever before. Today I’d like to examine one process in the EPL that can benefit from BI, the relegation battle.

For those unfamiliar with relegation, at the end of each season, the bottom three teams in the league table (see below) are relegated – moved down a division. The relegation battle is a fierce competition. The teams are fighting to avoid relegation because of immense financial and commercial consequences.

How can teams utilize BI to help increase their performance and avoid relegation?

Player Performance – Teams analyze the performance of individual players and the team as a whole to identify areas for improvement. A team struggling with offense may run data analysis on key offensive metrics to identify weaknesses. They then work to improve those specific areas in training improving performances on the pitch.

Opponent Analysis – Analyzing the playing styles of opposing teams can help build game plans that exploit weaknesses. If an opposing team is known for having a weak defense on corner kicks, a manager may instruct his team to win more corners for a higher chance to score goals.

Financial Analysis – If the worst occurs and a team is relegated, BI can help a team survive the resulting large loss of revenue while they work to improve the next season. The team will have to optimize itself and find ways to cut cost, like releasing players, without inhibiting its ability to win. The whole goal will be to win games at minimal cost to reverse the relegation and be promoted out of the lower league.

By using BI to analyze these three components, teams can make more informed decisions and increase their chances of avoiding the negative impact of relegation. BI plays a crucial role in the EPL and will continue to become more important as additional data is analyzed. Whether your business is flying at the top of the table or at danger of being relegated, ConradBI can help you make informed decisions to improve your business.