The pitfalls of data in regional leagues
For me, Germany is one of the best countries to watch football for both private and work reasons. We are also quite fortunate that the highest four tiers are covered in data (of which the first three: Bundesliga, 2. Bundesliga and 3. Liga also have video) on the Wyscout platform.
If we focus, however, on the Regionalliga — which is the fourth tier of German football — we need to have a conversation about the data when we tend to use it. We can’t use it in the same way we do with leagues that aren’t regional.
Regionalliga: 5 leagues, not 1
The Regionalliga doesn’t exist as one entity, but it does exist also five different leagues:
- Regionalliga Bayern
- Regionalliga Nord
- Regionalliga Nordost
- Regionalliga Südwest
- Regionalliga West
All of these leagues have their own regional feeder leagues and further down the line become more local instead of national. The importance of this is that every region has their own specific cultural, technical and tactical ideas of how football is played. Every region has a different volume of talent and competition, and as a result, the quality of the leagues can be very different. That can result in one Regionalliga providing more talents than others to the higher leagues.
All leagues have their own identity and that’s something that’s very valuable, but also will lead to a different outcome in data. If Regionalliga Bayern has teams that believe in possession-based passing styles of play and in Regionalliga West believes in attacking from counters, the data will reflect that. But, if we merge the data it will seem that only teams from West are good/have many counter-attacks, while in reality, everyone plays like. Being good in one league can result in being mediocre in the total picture. That’s why it is so important to divide the leagues in order to be as representative as possible.
Youth football and promotion-planning
Another thing to take into account is the fact of how many U23 teams are featured in those leagues. A total of 18 teams are U23/II teams of sides that play in the higher leagues and that means two things:
- These teams can’t get higher than the 3. Liga, as they can’t be promoted to the 2. Bundesliga and are dependent on how the first team performs. If Holstein Kiel drops to the Regionalliga, that means that their second team will automatically drop to the fifth tier. This affects how they all play. Players play for individual development and education in order to look good for the first team, rather than experiencing the pressure of first-team football. (And, yes, of course in U23 teams there are players that are more senior, but developing and coaching young players is very important.
- It also means that making mistakes, learning and taking risks is encouraged in those teams, it can be hit or miss. They learn from this opportunity and are in the position to treat it as such. This is different to senior teams who experience different responsibilities.
All these areas of development and talent coaching have an impact on how numbers are manipulated. They have their impact on what we can do and learn from the data, and they have their impact on how representative data is within their own league, let alone a combined Regionalliga.
Final thoughts
The diversity of Germany’s Regionalliga presents unique data analysis challenges. Divided into five distinct leagues with varying playing styles, the data isn’t always directly comparable. Additionally, U23 teams prioritise player development, influencing playing styles and risk-taking.
In conclusion, recognising regional and developmental nuances, treating leagues separately, and considering U23 teams are essential for accurate talent evaluation. This approach helps professionals understand the complexity of the Regionalliga and make informed decisions regarding scouting, player development, and promotion planning.
