VPM is a score given to a player to ascertain their value per minute based on an algorithm which uses various data points during a game. The data points are weighted, categorised into positives and negatives and then combined to arrive at the VPM.
There are three main VPM categories: Attack, Defence, and Passing. Attack is basically when “in possession”, Defence is when “challenging possession or not in possession” and Passing is all the data points related to passing the ball whether forwards, sideways, or back.
Different positions and styles of play as well as the overall strength of a team will yield different breakdowns and balances between the attacking and defending part of the game, however, there are certain scores that are ideal for certain positions and of course targets that the squad overall should look to average.
Based on evaluations of teams from England, Italy, Spain, Germany, a team should be aiming for an average of 3.0 attacking and 3.0 defending to be competing for the title. Obviously the higher these are, the better for a team.
As for the players, you realistically want defensive players to have attacking VPMs from 1.0 to 2.5 and defensive VPMs of 4 and above. Again, the higher the better. For attacking players it’s basically the reverse. 1.0 to 2.5 in Defence and 4.0 and above in attack. Midfielders should have the most balanced VPMs with 3.0 for both attack and defense with variations depending on the role of the player.
VPM values can be customised to suit a particularly league, it can be isolated to a certain position for a player or even different times within the game. VPM trends of players who move between competitions can offer insight into how a player might adjust moving from one league to the ext and various styles of play.
VPM can be used by coaches, scouts, players and fans alike. You can build squads with it, check formations, compare team vs team and player vs player, identify and scout players. We hope you can enjoy using the VPM for any application you can think of.
