Wenger: Germans look good for Euros - 1 Dec 2007
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is tipping Germany to win Euro 2008 ahead of Sunday's draw for the tournament finals next summer.
As England fans struggle to come to terms with their European Championship heartache, Wenger is backing his controversial goalkeeper Jens Lehmann to lift the trophy next June.
The Gunners boss has studied the tournament closely in his role as ambassador for Castrol, using the Castrol Performance Index, a scientific system which analyses the performances and effectiveness of players in the tournament.
Germany impressed Wenger with their ruthless performances in qualifying Group D, battling for top spot with the Czech Republic and eventually finishing second.
Wenger said: "The statistics can't tell you for certain who will win it, but what the Castrol Performance Index gives you is the potential of each team.
"How they use this potential at the moment the tournament starts is down to the knowledge and flair of the coach and also, of course, the players. Looking at it now, I feel Germany looks like they have found some good stability."
The Castrol Performance Index uses a mathematical formula which evaluates all player actions during a match in terms of how they either assist or prevent a goal. It also weights its score by taking into account the strength of the opposition and the time in a game the player's actions occurred.
"The official launch of the Castrol Performance Index is exciting news for football fans because we believe it will really take them under the bonnet of football in a way they have not had access to before," explained Rob Stroud, marketing manager at Castrol.
"Up until now, this level of football data and analysis has only really been available to those within the game. We believe the CPI will not only enhance fans' understanding of the game, but also their enjoyment."
The full list of Castrol Performance Index scores for the 14 teams who played in the Euro 2008 qualifying will be published on Saturday - 9am, December 1 2007 - on a new website - www.castrolindex.com - that Castrol has created to host the data.
Fans visiting the site will be able to see how the players of all the teams rank against each other.
It will show who rates as the best goalkeepers, defenders, midfielders, attackers and ultimately teams so far.
"I use statistics in every game," explains Wenger. "I'm a little bit addicted to data.
"Statistics are like a universal language for football managers and players alike because everybody can use them to make a point - statistics don't usually lie when it comes to a player or a team's performance.
"A football match is played by 22 players but you only have two eyes to observe everything so the data available has become critical.
"The Castrol Performance Index will be very useful for fans because they will no longer just be relying on the views of pundits and presenters.
"Instead, Castrol will be giving them access to clear graphics and statistics which they can use to judge players and teams' performances objectively." |