What do mathematics and football have in common? "A relationship that will surprise the unsuspecting and confirm the suspicions of the aware." In an era where professional football is not just a matter of talent, luck, and billions, science is recognized as the most useful "tool" for the performance of teams and players.
How do the great teams play? What tactics do the famous players follow? Where lies the beauty of "total football"? The roots of total football lie outside of football. Its charm is hidden in architecture, geometry, and the idea of the great mathematician Henri Poincaré about variable space.
From the aerodynamics of the ball, the role of shoes in curved shots, the psychology of players during penalty processes, the analytical measurements, and the monitoring of indicators related to the exercise physiology of players, to the exhaustive mathematical analysis of the possibilities offered by tactical systems, coaches have acquired a growing knowledge about the game's potential.
A knowledge that journalists and fans do not have access to, yet they judge both the game and the players absolutely. From cafes to Parliament, everyone enjoys discussing football. Everyone has an opinion and wants to explain everything.
Bray's book "unlocks" the secrets of the most popular game. It simultaneously reveals the danger that lies in that element which can turn science into quackery and football into warfare: absoluteness.
At the same time, it allows us to imagine the inscription that could exist outside the stadiums of tomorrow: "Let no one ignorant of geometry enter." The same one that was outside Plato's academy.
