'It's a new world': the analysts using AI to psychologically profile elite players

Listen to any pundit's post-match reaction and you will hear variations of that soundbite. But can you analyse an athlete's state of mind, based on their on-pitch body language? In an era when football is increasingly leaning on data to demonstrate physical attributes, statistics offering an accurate indication of a player's psychological qualities, such as emotional control and leadership, are harder to come by. But Premier League clubs including Brighton are using a technique intended to help in that regard with selection and recruitment. Thomas Tuchel made headlines by telling England's players to communicate more after he evaluated their interactions during the final of Euro 2024, but counting the number of times players gesture or talk to each other on the pitch tells only part of the mental battle being played out.