Profile

James French joined Liverpool as a first-team performance analyst in July 2012.

Born and raised in Portugal, James moved to Scotland in 2005 at the age of 19, where he studied Applied Sports Science at the University of Edinburgh, before graduating in 2010.

Between September 2010 and June 2011, he was an intern at Swansea City, working alongside Liverpool's current head of opposition analysis, Chris Davies, and under the stewardship of former Swansea and Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers.

From there, James secured a role as a performance analyst intern with the Football Association of Wales, where he simultaneously studied for a Master's degree in Performance Coaching and Analysis at the University of South Wales.

After 11 months with the FAW, James arrived at Melwood to be reunited with his former Swansea colleagues - and to begin work as a member of Liverpool's staff.

He explained his day-to-day role at the club's West Derby complex: "I mainly focus on analysing the opposition's set-plays.

"I provide the players with as much information as possible on set plays: identifying any trends or patterns that may emerge from corners, free kicks and penalties."

James will compile intricate presentations, which are given to Chris and the rest of the management team, and in turn passed on to the players.

"One of the most pleasing aspects of the job for me comes when we plan a certain set-play and it's successful," said James.

"It's also extremely rewarding knowing that all the analysis and preparation directly influences the performance of the team or the results, for instance when the goalkeeper saves a penalty."

James added: "It's an absolute honour and an unbelievable experience to be working at one of the biggest clubs in the world. I never dreamt I would be at Liverpool."