The best laid plans? [Engineering Football]

Preparation for 21st century football matches includes a dazzling array of technological aids that would, at first glance, appear to have more in common with a stock market analyst than a traditional football coach. Terabits of data are collected by GPS systems; camera tracking and medical monitoring allow coaches to dissect every part of a player´s performance and fitness. The most advanced system available to teams is Prozone 3. This system uses eight high-definition IP cameras installed around the football stadium, giving various camera angles. These cameras can recognise individual players and record their actions every tenth of a second as they perform more than 2,500 pre-designated actions.